Nakasendo
中山道
Semi Guided 3 Day Tours
In our opinion this is truly the best way to see the Japanese countryside. A combination of self guided days and guided days give you both the time and space to relax and walk quietly and thoughtfully by yourselves, but also an opportunity to escape from all other tourists and allow a local professional guide to show you something you could never find by yourselves. Really Rural Japan live local and pride ourselves on being the specialists of the Nakasendo and surrounding area. With our experience and expertise we have a few different 3 day semi guided tours to fit the needs of our guests and the seasonal changes throughout the year. If you are still not sure, contact us to find out what we think is the best tour package for you.
Due to high demand these tours are best booked 6-12 months in advance. We stop taking bookings around 3 months in advance.
Model Itineraries
Nakasendo + Ontake Kodo
3 Day Semi Guided
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Before the hiking begins, the first part of your tour 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.
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For a full tour description, click here:Magome to Tsumago
Description: The most famous hike in this region is popular for a reason. It starts in the fairytale-like village of Magome and ends in the stunning, and historically important, Edo period post town of Tsumago. The walk between the two villages is littered with unbelievable beauty such as ancient tea-houses, cascading waterfalls, crystal clean rivers, cypress forests, cobblestone roads, and more. For a 4km hike extension, try starting from the post town of Ochiai. We can tell you how to make that work and pop that into your itinerary.
Stay: Tsumago or Kiso Fukushima or nearby to these towns
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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
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For a full tour description, click here:Yabuhara to Narai
Description: The second most famous hike on the Nakasendo starts in the sleepy village of Yabuhara and ends in the stunning post town of Narai. The 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. After that it is down to Narai. Narai prospered in the Edo period due to the difficulty of the Torii Pass. As a result the town is impressively long to accommodate all of the travelers that wanted to rest before or after the pass. After Narai, an optional 2 km more will take you to Hirasawa, a town full of lacquerware craftsmen.
Stay: Not included. Includes travel onto your next destination.
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Difficulty: 2/5
Season: Apr 15 - July 15, Sep 15 - Nov 31
Price: This tour tends to start from about $1,495 per person. 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.
Winter Nakasendo
3 Day Semi Guided
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The first day on your tour of the Nakasendo is a travel day. Arrive in Ena at your own pace and check into your 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. If you arrive early enough, check out the Hiroshige Museum of Art (closed Mondays) to ponder the works of one of Japanese most celebrated block print painters and also painted the 69 Towns of the Nakasendo. Get some rest because tomorrow the adventure really begins.
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For a full description, click here: Iwamura Castle Ruins
Description: A beautiful former castle town with a beautiful, short but steep walk up to the castle ruins. Iwamura is the true non-cliched definition of a hidden gem. A single carriage train weaves through the rice fields and forests, taking you to Iwamura. Then when arrive, two rows of Edo period architecture line the castle town’s road. Each shop is as charming as the next, there are cafes and restaurants serving local cuisine and the sake brewery in the town welcomes tourists for a tour of the brewery if prior booking has been made. After the town, the walk to the castle ruins is simply stunning. It is a short walk but rather steep and through dense forest on cobblestones. The castle served as a fortress and boasted the highest altitude of all castles in Japan at 712m above sea level. All of this without international tourism in sight.
Stay: Iwamura, Ena, or Nakatsugawa. Please fill out our trip design questionnaire and we will match your accommodation to your tastes and needs.
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For a full tour description about Washi Making click here: Making Washi in Tadachi Village
For a full description of the Nakatsugawa to Magome hike (this tour only hikes the latter half of this), click here: Nakatusgawa to Magome
Description: To make your winter itinerary even more special, today is a cultural half day followed by a beautiful hike. The morning workshop will either be a washi making lesson, or a soba cutting cookery class. Washi has been made in the small village of Tadachi in southern Kiso for over 300 years. Today the traditions are kept alive by a small group of dedicated locals in the form of a preservation society. Soba is the life blood of the Kiso region, an area with little flat land available for growing rice. Soba noodles are hand cut everyday by several shops in the area. Here you can learn how to cut soba noodles yourself and then eat the results for lunch. After lunch, it is time for a hike. An afternoon walk from Ochiai to Magome (4km) highlights one of the most beautiful sections of the Nakasendo. The path takes you over the rare ancient cobblestone road of Ochiai Ishidatami before ending up in Magome.
Stay: Magome or nearby
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For a full tour description, click here:Magome to Tsumago
Description: The most famous hike in this region is popular for a reason. It starts in the fairytale-like village of Magome and ends in the stunning, and historically important, Edo period post town of Tsumago. The walk between the two villages is littered with unbelievable beauty such as ancient tea-houses, cascading waterfalls, crystal clean rivers, cypress forests, cobblestone roads, and more.
Stay: Not included
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Difficulty: 2/5
Season: December 16 - March 14
In winter, the hike can be a little snowy and icy so please take care and make use of the spikes (cleats) included in the welcome pack
Price: Price: This tour tends to start from about $1,495 per person. 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.
Summer Nakasendo & Mount Ontake
3 Day Semi Guided
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The first day on your tour of the Nakasendo is a travel day. Arrive in Kiso Fukushima before dinner time and check into an onsen ryokan in the region. 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 Kiso Fukushima with time to spare, take a look around the town and even take on the hike in our guidebook. Kiso Fukushima is also home to some great cafes, fascinating museums and more.
Stay: Onsen Ryokan in Kiso Fukushima
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Fora 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 quintessentially Japanese hike. Starting at 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 are our starting point before the hike starts proper. Then two towering waterfalls and more mountain shrines make up the rest of an extremely immersive hike. Takigyo (waterfall purification ceremony) may be a possibility for those genuinely curious in ascetic mountain worship.
Stay: Otaki Village, Kiso Fukushima or nearby
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For a full description click here:Mount Ontake
Mount Ontake is the second-highest volcano in Japan after Mt. Fuji and the 14th highest peak in Japan at 3,067m. It is one of Japan’s most worshipped mountains with tens maybe hundreds of thousands of pilgrims making the journey each year. Ontake is the divine mountain of Ontake-Kyo, or Ontake Faith. A professionally qualified mountain guide will take you to the Ontake Ropeway (either by bus or by private vehicle) and from there you will ascend the mountain by ropeway to the trailhead. From there the hike traverses a gorgeous, gnarly mountain forest before emerging out above the tree line. The following section of iron-rich volcanic rock is quite similar to the landscape of Mount Fuji. After summiting and coming down your guide will drop you in Kiso Fukushima or Narai.
Stay: Kiso Fukushima, Narai or nearby
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For a full tour description, click here: Yabuhara to Narai
Description: The second most famous hike on the Nakasendo starts in the sleepy village of Yabuhara and ends in the stunning post town of Narai. The 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. After that it is down to Narai. Narai prospered in the Edo period due to the difficulty of the Torii Pass. As a result the town is impressively long to accommodate all of the travelers that wanted to rest before or after the pass. After Narai, an optional 2 km more will take you to Hirasawa, a town full of lacquerware craftsmen.
Stay: Not included
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Difficulty: 4/5
Season: July 1 - Oct 15
Price: Price: This tour tends to start from about $1,795 per person. 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.
Prices
Our 3 day semi guided tours tend to range from around $1,395 USD to $1,595 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. Please check the tour “info” bars above to see the rough starting prices of specific tours.
For solo occupancy = about $500
Children accompanying adults (4 -11) = Adult price - about $100
Infants (0-3) = about $700
What’s Included
Accommodation along the Nakasendo: 3 nights
Meals: 3 breakfasts and 2 dinners
Guides on specified days
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)
Spikes (winter tours only)
Cultural Experiences (when specified)
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.
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.