Nakasendo Way Hiking Tour

What is this route?
The route you will set your foot mostly upon is a section of the Nakasendo Way, an important trade trail built during the Edo period (1603-1867 AD), stretching from the ancient capital of Kyoto to Edo-era Tokyo. For merchants, samurai, and other weary travelers to eat and rest, 69 post towns spread out along the way, each about 10 km (6 mi) from the next. Now, while some towns succeed to survive to this day, most of them were either destroyed through historical vicissitudes, or replaced by modern paved roads or highways.

Why should you particularly hike along this section of the Nakasendo Way?
The section traverses through the Kiso Valley located between Kyoto and Tokyo, which is the most original, picturesque part of the Nakasendo Way. You are to pass by some timeless post towns like Magome, Tsumago, and Narai located in the valley, all in their original state. Hiking along this route will be like traveling through the history of the Edo period. Apart from the breathtaking pristine views, you’ll also experience Japanese religious cultures on your way. You may frequently encounter cute stone statues by the road, which are in fact Jizo bodhisattvas or Shinto deities put at the roadside to protect travelers.

Other features:
Before heading to the Kiso Valley, two side trips are also arranged to explore the unspoiled countryside of Kyoto and Nara. See it as a prelude to your subsequent Nakasendo journey. While along the Nakasendo Way, enjoy hiking by day and Japanese hot spring by night.

Let’s meet at the hotel tonight. We will inform you of the hotel information beforehand, so you can easily locate it and check in. After each group member arrives, your guide will arrange a welcome dinner for you. This will be a great chance to know your travel companions, whom you are going to get along with during the rest of 7 days.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Royal Park Hotel Sanjo or similar

The half-day guided tour starts at Great Bridge of Sanjo (Sanjo-ohashi Bridge), the west end of Nakasendo Way in central Kyoto, only a 3-minute walk from your hotel. Then a 30-minute train journey takes you to Kyoto’s northernmost mountainous region, where you will hike for 2 to 3 hours from Kurama Village to Kibune Village: while in Kurama, stroll along the only road to reach the grounds of Kurama-dera Temple on the mountain ridge between the two villages; then pass through a lore-steeped forest to get to Kibune, from which a train takes you back to downtown Kyoto. It is a trip over mountains loved by both locals and tourists in downtown Kyoto, whether to escape summer heat, savor spring or autumn colors, or bathe in natural hot springs in winter.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Royal Park Hotel Sanjo or similar

After breakfast in the hotel, embark on a train journey south to Nara Prefecture, where you will take a hiking trip along its historic Yamanobe-no-Michi Trail, the oldest road in Japan’s records, which blends nature and traditional Japan. Follow your guide to have a walking tour for about 5 hours, including visits to friendly villages, as well as shrines and temples. Since most of the trail is dirt road with a few parts seen paved in villages, you get to take in some of the most primitive rural sceneries. As the tour finishes, return to Kyoto.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Royal Park Hotel Sanjo or similar

From today, dive into original Edo-era scenery along the Nakasendo Way in the Kiso Valley! 

This morning, enjoy a world-renowned Shinkansen bullet train ride from Kyoto to Nagoya, and then catch another train to your destination - Nakatsugawa City. On arrival, follow your guide on a bus to Magome-Tsumago Trail, the best-preserved segment of the Nakasendo Way between the post towns of Magome and Tsumago. Why we choose the direction from Magome to Tsumago rather than the opposite is that it almost goes downhill and thus relatively easy. The hike takes about 3 hours and you can walk at leisure. You will pass by the most beautiful part of the ancient trail, interspersed with local houses, forests, waterfalls, and so on, until you reach Tsumago, a town special for being maintained as it was in the Edo period, without cars on the main street during daytime and power cables out of sight. 

Tonight, stay at a family-run guesthouse, enjoy home-cooked local food for dinner, and try on yukata (casual version of Japanese kimono robe) if you like.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse

Today, have a hearty breakfast, pack some snacks, and go on a challenging trek along an 18km trail from Tsumago to Nojiri. It takes you 6 hours. The road passes through hamlets, Japanese cedar trees, and undulating hills, offering some of the most unsullied landscapes along the Nakasendo Way. Together with other group members, enjoy the stunning sceneries, breathe fresh air, and pass by the wild Yogawa road to reach Nojiri, another beautiful town forgotten by modern development. Then take a 30-minute train journey to Kiso-Fukushima to check into a ryokan in a nearby tranquil valley, where you’ll revel in soul-healing onsen or hot spring, dine, and overnight.

Shorter Alternative for Less-motivated Hikers:
For those who find such length too arduous, we offer an energy-saving alternative route: From Tsumago, hike for 1 hour to the post town of Nagiso on the trail, where you will take a train instead to your next destination Kiso-Fukushima.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Nezame Hotel or similar

Begin your trip by a short train journey from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara, the starting point of today's 4-hour hike. On reaching Yabuhara, head to Torii Pass for a 2.5-hour somewhat strenuous hike. This quiet small path extends upwards, passing through shrines and picturesque views including those of Mount Ontake, and then goes down to Narai, another ancient post town and roughly the midpoint between Kyoto and Tokyo. Narai is a bustling town with carefully repaired and well preserved buildings from the Edo period. Visit this small town before heading to Matsumoto City by train. Stay overnight at a family-run guesthouse, where you can treat your stomach to a hearty dinner and your tired muscles to onsen.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse

This morning, explore Matsumoto and, most of all, its Matsumoto Castle, which the city is famous for. It is one of the most magnificent, oldest surviving castles in Japan. Since the whole structure remains original, its antique air that belongs to the late 16th century can easily take you back in time.

In the afternoon, take a 3-hour train journey to Tokyo, the end point of the Nakasendo Way, and check in at the local hotel. Tonight, say goodbye over a farewell dinner to your travel companions.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Niwa no Hotel or similar

On the last day of your 8 days Japan group tour, please check out from the hotel and find your own way to airport or your next destination. Your guide is still available to offer you some advice on transportation. Feel free to contact us if you need an extension tour of Tokyo or other parts of Japan. Thank you for travelling with us! 

Meals: Breakfast