Nakasendo Semi Guided Tours

Why Choose Really Rural Japan’s Semi Guided Tours?

  1. No more cookie cutter tours - Our tours are custom made for each and every customer.

  2. We live here - As we live in the Kiso Valley we know the inns, restaurants, craftsmen and we ARE the local guides. With us, money spent here, stays here.

  3. Unique and original tours - We research and develop ancient trails that no one else knows. So to tackle over-tourism, come with us!

How does it work?

  • The first thing to do when building a trip with Really Rural Japan is to join a consultation call or to fill out a detailed questionnaire. We really do recommend a call over a form so we can get to know you better and plan a trip all around you and your needs. But failing that, a detailed questionnaire to get to know you will suffice!

    Consultation calls will be charged at $200 for an hour long session and this will count towards your deposit. Those who do not join a call will pay the same amount as a deposit than those who do overall.

    Those who take a call will receive a free PDF of our guidebook to the Nakasendo.

  • Either during a call or after filling out a questionnaire and emailing back and forth, we will create an itinerary custom made and ideal for you.

  • With the itinerary made, we will try our best to faithfully book the itinerary that we made. If something does not work, we will let you know and work out alternatives as they crop up.

  • Once the bookings are made, a 20% non-refundable deposit is required to lock the tour in.

    We will now send you an online detailed itinerary.

    Those who have did not take a paid consultation will now be charged the $200 for the email based consulting. Once this has been paid for, we will send you an online PDF copy of our guidebook “Hiking the Nakasendo”.

  • 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.

  • When you arrive in Japan your welcome packs will be ready for you at a hotel of your choosing. This will include a physical copy(s) of the guidebook, train tickets, bear bells, a detailed itinerary, and more.

Model Itineraries

You can choose itineraries as they are, but you don’t have to. They are simply here to serve as models of the itineraries that we can make for you with our semi guided tours!

3 Day Model Itinerary

    • 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: Nagiso or Kiso Fukushima

    • 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: Kiso Fukushima, or nearby. Please fill out our trip design questionnaire and we will match your accommodation to your tastes and needs.

    • 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.

  • As every tour is custom made, prices vary. But as an example, this model itinerary starts from roughly a total of $950 per person for two people and includes:

    • 1 privately guided day and 2 self guided days

    • 2 nights in traditional accommodation with dinners and breakfasts

    • 3 days of luggage transfers

    • Train tickets in and out (of Tokyo in this model itinerary)

    • Emergency telephone support

    • Our guidebook to the Nakasendo

    • Bear bells

    • A custom written itinerary

    • A consultation session

5 Day Model Itinerary

    • 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, Kiso Fukushima, Matsumoto or Shimo-Suwa

    • 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. 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.

    • 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: Nagiso, Nojiri, Tsumago, or nearby.

    • For a full tour description, click here: Tosando

    • Description - During the Asuka Period (538-710), the Gokoshichido, was a system of 5 regions and 7 roads that divided Japan and formally organized the country for the first time. The Tosando was one of these 7 roads, and thus one of the first official roads of Japan. As the Nakasendo was developed, the Tosando was left derelict and forgotten. But nowadays, you can still walk on the highest and most treacherous pass of the entire road. The Misaka Pass was once infamous among Japanese elites and was a feature in many classic Japanese poems or novels. The views from the top are fantastic with 360° panoramas when the weather is right.

    • Stay: Achi, Iida, Nagiso, Nakatsugawa, 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.

  • As every tour is custom made, prices vary. But as an example, this model itinerary starts from roughly a total of $1,650 per person for two people and includes:

    • 2 privately guided days and 2 self guided days

    • 4 nights in traditional accommodation with dinners and breakfasts

    • 3 days of luggage transfers

    • Train tickets in and out (of Tokyo in this model itinerary)

    • Emergency telephone support

    • Our guidebook to the Nakasendo

    • Bear bells

    • A custom written itinerary

    • A consultation session

7 Day Model Itinerary

    • 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, Magome, Nakatsugawa or nearby.

    • For a full tour description, click here: Seinaiji Kaido

    • Description - The Seinaiji Kaido is an ancient road developed in the early 1500s by local samurai for military conquests. It connected the Nakasendo in Tsumago Juku with the southern end of the Ina Valley. As the Edo period (1603-1867) began and Japan became relatively stable and peaceful, the Seinaiji Kaido was used by all kinds of people, from local peasants transporting to goods to government officials and pilgrims too-ing and fro-ing around the country. On the Nakasendo you can feel the life of the Daimyo, the Princess or the Magistrate. On the Seinaiji Kaido you can feel the life of the farmer, the peasant, or the broke pilgrim traveling for travels sake.

    • Stay: Achi, Iida, Nagiso, or nearby.

    • Tenryu Gorge - For a full description click here: Tenryu Gorge - The Tenryu Gorge is an incredible beauty spot which has been inspiring poets and artists for hundreds of years. Over millions of years the Tenryu River has cut through the granite bedrock of the area, creating a natural spectacle. This walk is a pleasant half day crossing suspension bridges, verdant forests and taking in the ancient sites.

    • Wara-zaiku - For a full description click here: Wara-Zaiku - Wara-zaiku is an ancient craft which almost went extinct. It is the art of weaving both religiously significant and everyday items out of rice straw. This experience takes place in the studio of one of Japan’s leading Wara-zaiku protectors. Yuji Sakai is the artist employed to weave Japan’s grand sumo tournament rings among other things.

    • Stay: Komagane, Iijima, or nearby.

    • For a full tour description click here: Komagane Ropeway

    • The Japanese Central Alps are an incredible range of mountains that separate the Kiso Valley and Ina Valley. Towering at 2,956m tall, Mount Kiso Komagatake is the tallest peak. The Komagane Ropeway is Japan’s fastest and highest gondola in Japan. After catching a bus and then a gondola to 2,612m, you can relax at the cafe and stroll around the base of the Senjojiki Cirque, or you can go alpine climbing in the summer months. Open year round, this ropeway is an amazing chance to see Japan from great heights without having to climb up all the way.

    • Stay: Komagane or nearby

    • Silk Factory - For a full tour description click here: Silk Museum - In Komagane City of the Ina Valley, at Kubota Textiles, the Kubota family run a traditional tsumugi-silk fabric factory, which has been in business for over a hundred years. Kubota textiles dye the silk themselves with natural ingredients and all of the fabric is handwoven on traditional looms in house. The results are extremely beautiful lengths of fabric which will be bought and made into some of Japan’s most luxurious kimono. In the day and age of synthetics, factories like these are rare but offer us an incredible insight into the Japan of old. After a tour of the factory, you can get hands on a loom and finish it all off with a cup of matcha and a locally made Japanese sweet.

    • Kiso Fukushima - 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: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. 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.

    • 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.

  • As every tour is custom made, prices vary. But as an example, this model itinerary starts from roughly a total of $2,450 per person for two people and includes:

    • 4 privately guided days and 3 self guided days

    • 6 nights in traditional accommodation with dinners and breakfasts

    • All days of luggage transfers

    • Train tickets in and out (of Tokyo in this model itinerary)

    • Emergency telephone support

    • Our guidebook to the Nakasendo

    • Bear bells

    • A custom written itinerary

    • A consultation session

Prices

  • $200 for a one hour call. Or $200 to plan the itinerary via email.

    • 1-2 people - $400

    • 3-6 people - $100 per additional adult. $50 per additional child (4 to 18 years old). Kids under 4 are free.

    • 7 people + $50 per additional adult. $25 per additional child (4 to 18 years old). Kids under 4 are free.

  • 20% of anything booked for you including accommodation, train tickets, cultural experiences, luggage transfers, taxi rides, and more (excluding our own guiding fees and other services)

    • Telephone support in case of an emergency: $25 per person per day

    • Itinerary writing fee: $25 per person per day

  • Welcome packs will be delivered to your hotel including a guidebook, train tickets, a bear bell, a detailed itinerary and more. These will be charged at $100 for 1-2 people and an additional $25 per additional person.