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Nakasendo

中山道

Self Guided 3 Day Tours

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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 3 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. These tours can be adjusted to fit your needs.

Due to high demand these tours are best booked 6-12 months in advance.

Nakasendo 3 Day - Easy

  • Before you begin your tour of the Nakasendo you will need 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, your itinerary, bear bells, 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: 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: 2/5

    Season: March 15 - June 30, Sep 15 - Dec 15

Nakasendo 3 Day - Hard

  • Before you begin your tour of the Nakasendo you will need 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, your itinerary, bear bells, and more. You should head out for a dinner of your choosing and get some rest because tomorrow the adventure really begins.

    • Description: A longer hike combining two back-to-back shorter hikes. From small city to ancient towns, suburbs to forests, and cobblestones to waterfalls, this hike has it all.

    • Stay: Tsumago or nearby

    • Description: A longer hike through the agrarian hillsides and forests of the Kiso Valley. The Nakasendo hike with probably the most beautiful views of the Japanese countryside.

    • Stay: Nojiri or Kiso Fukushima or nearby

    • Description: Probably the second most famous hike on the Nakasendo starts in sleepy Yabuhara and ends in the stunning town of Narai. A wonderful forest hike over the Torii Pass. After Narai, 2 km more will take you to Hirasawa, a town full of lacquerware craftsmen.

    • Stay: Not included

  • Difficulty: 3/5

    Season: March 15 - June 30, Sep 15 - Dec 15

Nakasendo 3 Day - Winter

  • Before you begin your tour of the Nakasendo you will need 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, your itinerary, bear bells, and more. You should head out for a dinner of your choosing and get some rest because tomorrow the adventure really begins.

    • Description: A wonderful cross section of the normal life in the Japanese countryside. From small town, through the suburbs, and into the forests. With ancient cobblestones and stunning views of rice fields.

    • Stay: Magome or nearby

    • Description: The most famous hike in this region starts and ends in stunning villages packed with ancient architecture. On the way you will see waterfalls, forests, an Edo period tea house, crystal clear rivers and so much more.

    • Stay: Not included

    • Traditional Wood Spinning

    • Traditional Wood Spinning - For a full description click here: Rokuro Zaiku - Deep in the mountains of Nagiso Town is a village full of traditional craftsmen. This is Kijishi-no-sato, home of the craft of wood spinning in Japan (known as rokuro zaiku in Japanese). One shop in Kijishi-no-sato offers you the chance to try out the craft for yourself. After explaining the history and a demonstration from a master craftsman, it is time to get hands on. But not on an electric lathe, instead, you will be using the hand powered spinning machines that have been used for over 1,000 years in Japan. From the handmade chisels to the machine itself, this is a simple, historically authentic experience. But most of all, it is a lot of fun. It gives you the chance to spend some with local artisans and learn about their way of life.

    • Warnings - If going self guided, the shop will use phones to communicate with you as they do not speak English confidently. Also, the items that you make will be coated and sent to you 5 days later. If you are leaving Japan before then, you can take your plate with you uncoated but it may be problematic at customs and will not be food friendly.

  • Difficulty: 2/5

    Season: December 16 - March 14

Nakasendo 3 Day - Summer

  • Day 1 on your tour of the Nakasendo is a travel day. Arrive in Matsumoto at your own pace and check into your conveniently, clean located 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. If you arrive in Matsumoto with time to spare, take a look around the town. Matsumoto is home to Matsumoto Castle which is over 400 years old and some beautiful shopping streets in the heart of the old castle town.

    • Description: The most famous hike in this region starts and ends in stunning villages packed with ancient architecture. On the way you will see waterfalls, forests, an Edo period tea house, crystal clear rivers and so much more. In the summer, the weather might too hot for a hike. In that case we recommend catching a bus between the towns and seeing them without risking the heat.

    • Stay: Kiso 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

    • Stay: Nojiri, Kiso Fukushima or nearby

    • Description - In the hot and humid summers, Really Rural Japan had to include a river day on the tour. The Atera Gorge is famously one of the most pristine and beautiful river spots in all of Japan. Here the water is so clear and has such a piercing emerald tone that it has been given the nickname “Atera Blue”. On a hot sunny day, nothing beats a dip in the cold waters of the Atera Gorge.

    • Stay: Not included

  • Difficulty: 3/5 (one extra point due to the heat)

    Season: July 1 - Sep 14

    Itinerary: You may have noticed that the famous Magome to Tsumago hike is not included in this itinerary. This is due to the heat of the summer making this hike too hot to enjoy in our opinion.

Prices

All our 3 day tours are priced as follows:

  • $1,095 USD per person

  • For solo occupancy = + $500

  • Children accompanying adults (4 -11) = $900

  • Infants (0-3) = $400

What’s Included

  • Accommodation along the Nakasendo: 3 nights

  • Meals: 3 breakfasts and 2 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)

  • Cultural Experiences (when specified)

  • 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

The Process:

  1. Get in touch - Get in touch with us through our contact us form and let us know the name of the tour you would like to do (ex. “Nakasendo + Craft: 7 Day Semi Guided”), as well as the other necessary information.

  2. Confirm and finalise the plan.

  3. 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.

  4. Deposit - Once the bookings are made, a 20% non-refundable deposit is required to lock the tour in. Once this has been paid for, we will send you an online PDF copy of our guidebook “Hiking the Nakasendo” as well as a PDF detailed itinerary.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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)

  • 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, 100% of the fee will be refunded. On rainy days, tours will go ahead unless the weather can be deemed dangerous, although our guides will do their best to offer alternatives on guided days if you prefer to stay dry.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be some combination of minshuku (family run inn), onsen ryokan (traditional hot spring accommodation), and hotel. Sometimes you may need to share bathrooms with other guests, especially in the family run inns.