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NAKASENDO WAY WALK, JAPAN
Magome . Tsumago . Narai
The Kiso Valley is located in Nagano Prefecture, and runs alongside the mountains of the Central Alps. An ancient 42 mile trade route called the Kisoji was developed along the valley and served as a very important means of commerce in the area.
The Kisoji became even more important from the beginning of the Edo Period, when it was amalgamated with other routes in the formation of the 300 mile-long Nakasendo. The Nakasendo ("path through mountains") was one of the two means of transportation between Edo and Kyoto. It contrasted with the other principal transportation route of the time, the Tokaido, which ran along the sea shore.
Because of restrictions by the shogunate, travelers were almost always forced to make their trips on foot. As a result, "post towns" developed every few miles to provide travelers with places to rest, eat, and find nightly accommodation during their arduous journey. Along the Kiso Valley, a few post towns, particularly Magome, Tsumago and Narai, have been preserved to look as they did when they served travelers of the Nakasendo.
Walking the most interesting stretch of the Nakasendo allows visitors to step back in time and enjoy the stone paths and wooden buildings of a bygone era. This self-guided 3-day village-to-village option showcases the highlights of the Nakasendo, and entails 3 hikes of 1 to 6 hours. Longer options are available.
Details
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights
Price:
From $1259 per person sharing
Includes:
Rail tickets to/from Tokyo or Kyoto and trail
1 night Minshuku (Japanese guesthouse)
1 night Ryokan (Japanese inn)
Detailed walking directions and itinerary
Detailed maps
Local support by phone and Nakasendo office
2 breakfasts, 2 dinners
Sustainable/Responsible notes:
This independent journey includes walking tours, tours utilizing public transportation and long distance travel by rail. No private vehicle touring is used.
Accommodation is in family-run Japanese inns and guesthouses.
Departures:
Daily, year round
but April - November are best months
Day by day itinerary
Day 1 Magome - Tsumago
We supply train tickets for your journey starting from Kyōto or Tōkyō to Nakatsugawa, including a ride on the world-famous bullet train to Nagoya. At Nakatsugawa, you board a local bus for the short journey to Magome. Walk 5 miles over Magome-tōge Pass to Tsumago, one of the best-preserved and most evocative of the Nakasendo post towns. Spend the night at a family-run minshuku in Tsumago or the nearby hamlet of Ō-Tsumago. Enjoy a delicious home-cooked Japanese dinner and breakfast included in your stay. After dinner, enjoy a stroll through the village streets in the magical quiet of the evening, wearing the yukata gown supplied by your inn.
Stay: Minshuku (family-run guesthouse) (B, D)
Day 2 Tsumago - Nojiri - Kiso-Fukushima
The longest day on the trail (11 miles) is a beautiful and varied hike from Tsumago to Nojiri. The trail travels through small valleys and past forests of bamboo and Japanese cedar, through some of the most unspoiled scenery on the walk. Continue by train to Kiso-Fukushima, a historic post town that once flourished as a political and economic center in the Kiso Valley. Tonight, enjoy kaiseki-style cuisine and hot spring baths.
Stay: Japanese inn (B, D)
Day 3 Kiso-Fukushima - Nojiri - Yabuhara - Narai
In Kiso-Fukushima an optional, fairly strenuous, circular walk to a local waterfall is possible. The circular walk is 4.3 miles with 2,075' of ascent and 2,090' of descent, and takes 2-3 hours.
Take a short train journey from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara, the starting point for the 4 mile hike over the Torii-tōge Pass to Narai. Explore this atmospheric village before boarding your train for the journey onwards to Kyōto or Tōkyō.
(B)