Nakasendo
中山道
Self Guided 7 Day Tour
Really Rural Japan live local and pride ourselves on bring absolute specialists of the Nakasendo. With our experience and expertise we have crafted 4 different 7 day self guided tours. Our “easy” and “hard” tours are suitable in the spring and autumn seasons. Our winter and summer tours offer climate suitable itineraries in the hot and cold months when long distances are harder to pursue.
Due to high demand these tours are best booked 6-12 months in advance. We stop taking bookings around 3 months in advance.
Custom Itineraries
Nakasendo - 7 Day
-
Before you begin your tour of the Nakasendo you will need a travel day. Arrive in Inuyama at your own pace and stay the night in a conveniently located, clean hotel. Your welcome pack will be waiting for you when you check. It will include our guidebook to the Nakasendo, your itinerary, bear bells, and more. Should you arrive early enough in Inuyama, please check out the ancient castle, beautiful castle town, and the cormorant fishing (June to mid Oct). You should head out for a dinner of your choosing and get some rest because tomorrow the adventure really begins.
-
For a full tour description click here: Mitake to Oi
Description: Part one of an incredibly off the beaten track hike starting at the end of the railway line in Mitake Station and heading to 48th post town on the Nakasendo, Hosokute. Please expect a real countryside ramble through forests and country roads ending in a remarkably quiet village.
Stay: Hosokute or nearby
-
For a full tour description click here: Mitake to Oi
Description: Part two of the rural hike takes you from Mitake and along long stretches of forests and country roads. Over the Biwa Pass and into Okute, the 47th post town on the Nakasendo and onto the 13 passes before arriving in Oi, modern name, Ena.
Stay: Ena, Nakatsugawa, or nearby
-
For a full tour description click here: Nakatsugawa to Magome
Description: A diverse cross section of normal life in the Japanese countryside. From small town, through the suburbs, and into the forests. With 1.1km of ancient cobblestones being the highlight of the day and with stunning views of rice fields.
Stay: Magome or nearby
-
For a full tour description, click here: Magome to Tsumago
Description: The most famous hike in this region is popular for a reason. It runs between the fairytale-like villages of Magome and Tsumago. The walk between the two is littered with unbelievable beauty such as ancient tea-houses, cascading waterfalls, crystal clean rivers, cypress forests, cobblestone roads, and more.
Stay: Nagiso, Tsumago or nearby.
-
For a full tour description, click here: Tsumago to Nojiri
Description: This longer rambling hike of the Nakasendo passes actually passes through 3 post towns of the Nakasendo, Tsumago, Midono and Nojiri. This particular section of the Kiso Valley was particularly prone to floods and landslides and so while the Nakasendo, on a good year, would have followed the basin of the valley, times were not always good, and a sub-route was necessary. This sub-route is known as the Yogawa Michi or the road through Yogawa. A winding, mountainous route that takes you over the simply stunning, Nenoue Pass with its gentle stream amidst the forest. Expect to see beautiful agrarian views of the Kiso Valley, rice fields, meandering streams, and more on this simply beautiful hike southern Kiso. The hike can be adjusted to make it longer or shorter by starting/finishing in Tsumago or Nagiso Station.
Stay: Kiso Fukushima, Nojiri, or nearby.
-
For a full tour description click here: Kiso Fukushima Walking Tour
Kiso-Fuksuhima is the cultural and commerce capital of the Kiso Valley. However, because the Kiso Valley is so remote and sparsely populated, it is still a small quiet mountain town tucked away in the north of the Kiso Valley. During a tour of Kiso Fukushima, the plan is highly customisable. You can enjoy historical museums, relaxing temples, taste sake at a brewery, go walking in the ancient town, or go for a hike in the beautiful mountains.
Stay: Kiso Fukushima or nearby
-
For a full tour description, click here: Yabuhara to Narai
Description: The second most famous hike on the Nakasendo goes between the sleepy village of Yabuhara and the stunning post town of Narai Juku. This wonderful forest hike takes you over the Torii Pass, a pass once renowned for being one of the steepest, coldest and most challenging sections of the Nakasendo. These days, without palanquins to carry, it is very manageable, so please don’t fear too much. At the top of the pass you will find its namesake; a shinto torii gate marks the entrance to a shrine dedicated to the Ontake faith. From here, on a clear day, the peak of Mount Ontake, Japan’s second tallest volcano, can be seen over the mountains. Narai and Yabuhara prospered in the Edo period due to the difficulty of the Torii Pass. As a result the surviving town of Narai is impressively long to accommodate all of the travelers that wanted to rest before or after the pass. For a possible extension, Hirasawa is a town full of lacquerware craftsmen 2km away from Narai.
Stay: not included
-
Difficulty: 3/5
Season: March 15 - June 30, Sep 15 - Dec 15
Nakasendo & Beyond - 7 Day
-
Before the hiking begins, the first part of your tour of the Nakasendo is a travel day. Arrive in Nakatsugawa at your own pace and stay the night in a conveniently located, clean hotel. Your welcome pack will be waiting for you when you check. It will include our guidebook to the Nakasendo, bear bells, your itinerary and more. You should head out for a dinner of your choosing and get some rest because tomorrow the adventure really begins.
-
For a full tour description click here: Nakatsugawa to Magome
Description: A diverse cross section of normal life in the Japanese countryside. From small town, through the suburbs, and into the forests. With 1.1km of ancient cobblestones being the highlight of the day and with stunning views of rice fields.
Stay: Magome or nearby
-
For a full tour description, click here: Magome to Tsumago
Description: The most famous hike in this region is popular for a reason. It runs between the fairytale-like villages of Magome and Tsumago. The walk between the two is littered with unbelievable beauty such as ancient tea-houses, cascading waterfalls, crystal clean rivers, cypress forests, cobblestone roads, and more.
Stay: Nagiso, Tsumago or nearby.
-
For a full tour description, click here: Tsumago to Nojiri
Description: This longer rambling hike of the Nakasendo passes actually passes through 3 post towns of the Nakasendo, Tsumago, Midono and Nojiri. This particular section of the Kiso Valley was particularly prone to floods and landslides and so while the Nakasendo, on a good year, would have followed the basin of the valley, times were not always good, and a sub-route was necessary. This sub-route is known as the Yogawa Michi or the road through Yogawa. A winding, mountainous route that takes you over the simply stunning, Nenoue Pass with its gentle stream amidst the forest. Expect to see beautiful agrarian views of the Kiso Valley, rice fields, meandering streams, and more on this simply beautiful hike southern Kiso. The hike can be adjusted to make it longer or shorter by starting/finishing in Tsumago or Nagiso Station.
Stay: Kiso Fukushima, Nojiri, or nearby.
-
For a full description click here: Kiso Fukushima Walking Tour
Kiso-Fuksuhima is the cultural and commerce capital of the Kiso Valley. However, because the Kiso Valley is so remote and sparsely populated, it is still a small quiet mountain town tucked away in the north of the Kiso Valley. During a day in Kiso Fukushima, the plan is highly customisable. You can enjoy historical museums, relaxing temples, taste sake at a brewery, go walking in the ancient town, or go for a hike in the beautiful mountains.
Stay: Kiso Fukushima or nearby
-
For a full tour description, click here: Ontake Kodo
Description: An ancient pilgrimage route climbing in the lower regions of Japan’s 2nd biggest volcano, Mount Ontake. Expect mysterious mountain shrines, ancient trees, mind blowing waterfalls all steeped in ascetic Buddhism. The village of Otaki serves as the backdrop of this incredibly atmospheric and wholly out-of-this-world hike. Passing by Satomiya Shrine and then Omata Sansha, we hope you like stairs, because these two spots have a lot of them. The seemingly endless stone staircases leading to these two sacred sites of the Ontake Faith. Then two towering waterfalls and more mountain shrines make up the rest of an extremely immersive hike.
Stay: Otaki Village, Kiso Fukushima, or nearby.
-
For a full tour description, click here: Yabuhara to Narai
Description: The second most famous hike on the Nakasendo goes between the sleepy village of Yabuhara and the stunning post town of Narai Juku. This wonderful forest hike takes you over the Torii Pass, a pass once renowned for being one of the steepest, coldest and most challenging sections of the Nakasendo. These days, without palanquins to carry, it is very manageable, so please don’t fear too much. At the top of the pass you will find its namesake; a shinto torii gate marks the entrance to a shrine dedicated to the Ontake faith. From here, on a clear day, the peak of Mount Ontake, Japan’s second tallest volcano, can be seen over the mountains. Narai and Yabuhara prospered in the Edo period due to the difficulty of the Torii Pass. As a result the surviving town of Narai is impressively long to accommodate all of the travelers that wanted to rest before or after the pass. For a possible extension, Hirasawa is a town full of lacquerware craftsmen 2km away from Narai.
Stay: Narai, Matsumoto or nearby
-
Description: During a day in Matsumoto you can check out Matsumoto Castle, the oldest surviving castle tower in Japan, Matsumoto Museum of Modern Art, or even take a trip to the alpine plateau of Kami-Kochi (closes for winter from mid Nov until mid Apr)
Stay: Not included
-
Difficulty: 3/5
Season: March 15 - June 30, Sep 15 - Nov 30
Prices
Our 7 day self guided tours tend to start from around $2,295 USD. However if you decide you want to stay in more luxurious inns the price will go up and will be calculated using our custom tour pricing system.
For solo occupancy = + about $1000
Children accompanying adults (4-11) = about $1,900
Infants (0-3) = about $950
What’s Included
Accommodation along the Nakasendo: 7 nights
Meals: 7 breakfasts and 6 dinners
Luggage delivery between all inns (1 bag per person)
Really Rural Japan’s guidebook “Hiking the Nakasendo” featuring maps, walking guides, history, travel advice, and more.
A custom made itinerary written just for your tour
Local telephone support
Bear bells (1 per person)
And more
What’s Not Included
Lunches
Drinks
Transportation - To build time flexibility into your trip we like to leave the transport up to you. Don’t worry, your itinerary will be full of the advice you need to get around.
Guides - If available, guides can be added to your itinerary on a daily basis using our standard pricing model:
1-2 people - $400 USD
Additional adults - $100
Additional children (4-18) - $50
Under 4 - FREE
The Process:
Get in touch - Get in touch with us through our contact us form and let us know the name of the model itinerary you would like to do (ex. “Nakasendo + Craft: 7 Day Semi Guided”), as well as the any customisations you want and any other necessary information.
Confirm and finalise the plan - Over email we will work out the exact itinerary for your tour. At this stage we will be able to give you a rough price estimate.
Bookings - Now we can move onto bookings. We will try, as much as we can, to faithfully produce the itinerary. If something does not work, we will let you know as soon as possible and work around it.
Deposit - Once the bookings are made, we will be able to give you an exact quote and we will ask you for a 20% non-refundable deposit is required to lock the tour in. Once this has been paid, we will send you an online PDF copy of our guidebook “Hiking the Nakasendo”. We will then write a detailed custom made itinerary for your tour over the next month or two and send it to you when it is complete.
Final payment - Full payment of the remainder of the amount will be due 60 days prior to a tour. Failure to pay at this point could lead to cancellation of the tour.
Arrive and receive your welcome packs - At the specified hotel on Day 0 of your tour, your welcome packs will be waiting for you. This will include a physical copy(s) of the guidebook, bear bells, a detailed itinerary, and more. We will also create an emergency contact WhatsApp group chat for your tour to support you or help you if you need anything.
Enjoy! - The adventure begins. Time to relax and have some fun!
Payments, Deposits & Cancellation Policy:
To lock in a booking, we require a 20% non-refundable deposit for the tour as soon as the bookings have been made. Then, full payment must be made at least 60 days in advance of the tour. If you are booking within 60 days of your tour, the total price of the tour must be paid immediately. Payments will be requested via credit card payable invoices. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
Effective once bookings are confirmed and agreed upon: 20% (non-refundable planning fee)
60 days prior: 35%
30 days prior: 70%
15 days prior and beyond: 100%
Should the cancellation come from our side due to unforeseen circumstances such as hazardous weather, sudden closures, etc. 100% of the affected, unfulfilled days will be refunded.
Accommodation:
When booking a tour, we generally book a combination of mid-range ryokan (traditional inns with elaborate meals and usually with natural hot springs), minshuku (small cosy, traditional family run guest houses which often have shared bathrooms and are sometimes historical), and hotels (when there is nothing else available or when we need to prioritise convenience). If you have any specific requests (such as “no shared bathrooms” or “high-end places only”, we can try to accommodate your requests but sometimes cannot due to a lack of such inns in a particular place. These requests usually raise the price of a tour.