Echoes of the Nakasendo Way
Two days on foot along the Edo-era highway, nights in post-town inns, and a finish among the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go.
4 days · Kyoto, Magome, Tsumago, Narai, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Tokyo · April – November · Active: walks of 8 km and 6 km on stone paths and forest trail · Walkers who want more than a day hike
Signature moments
– The Magome to Tsumago trail, with tea at an old rest house halfway
– The Torii Pass on foot, down into Narai, one of the longest post towns
– Shirakawa-go from the lookout above the village
– The Torii Pass on foot, down into Narai, one of the longest post towns
– Shirakawa-go from the lookout above the village
Day 1 – Kyoto to Magome and Tsumago
Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Shinano limited express into the Kiso Valley, where your vehicle drives you up to Magome. Walk the sloping stone street of this restored post town, then set off on the 8 km trail to Tsumago: over Magome Pass, past waterfalls and cedar forest, with a stop at an Edo-period rest house where tea is still poured for walkers. Your bags go ahead by car. Arrive as the day visitors leave and spend the night in a family-run inn, with dinner of mountain vegetables, river fish and wild boar.
Tour Highlights
– Shinano limited express
– Magome post town
– Magome to Tsumago walk
– Night in a Tsumago inn
– Magome post town
– Magome to Tsumago walk
– Night in a Tsumago inn
Day 2 – Tsumago to Narai
Walk Tsumago’s main street at first light, before anyone else arrives. Drive north up the valley to Yabuhara and walk the Torii Pass, a 6 km stretch of original highway through beech and larch, down into Narai-juku, nearly a kilometer of dark timber inns and shops. Next door in Kiso-Hirasawa, a lacquer town since the Edo period, watch a craftsman layer urushi onto bowls. A second night on the old road, in a Narai inn.
Tour Highlights
– Tsumago at dawn
– Torii Pass walk
– Narai-juku
– Kiso lacquer workshop
– Torii Pass walk
– Narai-juku
– Kiso lacquer workshop
Day 3 – Narai to Takayama
Cross the mountains to Takayama, about two and a half hours, a merchant town of latticed townhouses and sake breweries. Walk the Sanmachi lanes and tour Takayama Jinya, the only Edo-period government house of its kind still standing. Taste at a brewery marked by the ball of cedar hanging over its door, then dinner of Hida beef.
Tour Highlights
– Drive through the Japanese Alps
– Sanmachi old town
– Takayama Jinya
– Sake tasting
– Hida beef
– Sanmachi old town
– Takayama Jinya
– Sake tasting
– Hida beef
Day 4 – Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Tokyo
Start at the Miyagawa morning market by the river. Drive to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO-listed valley of steep thatched gassho farmhouses, and climb to the lookout above the village. Continue to Toyama for the Hokuriku Shinkansen, arriving in Tokyo by late afternoon.
Tour Highlights
– Miyagawa morning market
– Shirakawa-go
– Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tokyo
– Shirakawa-go
– Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tokyo
Good to know
– Luggage travels ahead by car on walking days; carry a daypack.
– Inns in Tsumago and Narai are small and traditional, with futon and limited private bathrooms. For autumn, book six months ahead.
– Your vehicle shadows the route, so anyone can skip a section.
– Snow can close the passes from December to March.
– Inns in Tsumago and Narai are small and traditional, with futon and limited private bathrooms. For autumn, book six months ahead.
– Your vehicle shadows the route, so anyone can skip a section.
– Snow can close the passes from December to March.
