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