Day 34; Walking the Nakasendō

Today we traded mountain hiking for a walk through Japan’s history, following the old Nakasendō from Nagiso through Tsumago and Magome, then continuing down to Ochiai. By the end, we had covered 12½ miles, climbed about 1,900 feet, and spent nearly seven hours walking and exploring. Definitely not all downhill!

After considerable waffling over routes and transport, we caught the 7:04 train from Matsumoto and started walking around 8:15. The early departure paid off: we completed the extended route and reached our return bus around 3 pm, in time for the train back.

The Nakasendō was one of the great highways of Edo-period Japan, linking Kyoto with Edo, now Tokyo. Its roughly 330 miles were punctuated by 69 post towns where samurai, merchants, officials and other travellers could find food, accommodation and fresh horses. Today, some sections have become modern roads, while others retain forest paths, stone paving and remarkably preserved towns.

Tsumago and Magome were the highlights: wooden buildings, narrow streets and plenty of reminders that this was once a working travel corridor. Between them, we climbed through the forest to Magome Pass before descending through Magome and continuing toward Ochiai. The mixture of woodland, villages, country lanes and old stone paving made this as much a cultural walk as an exercise day.

The weather stayed fine throughout. We also stopped to try pork- and eggplant-filled oyaki—the stuffed buns we had needed help identifying. And, of course, there were the snakes: both live and dead specimens added a little unexpected wildlife interest. We are leaving their precise identities to the experts!

We saw many other tourists doing self-guided, multi-day walks, staying in inns along the way. It looks like an appealing way to experience the region without commuting back to a city each evening. Most walking holidays cover selected scenic sections rather than the entire historical highway, often combining walks with short train journeys.

For friends interested in doing something similar, Oku Japan offers shorter three- and five-day trips, Walk Japan has seven- and nine-day self-guided itineraries, and Macs Adventure offers a five-day walking package. The appeal is the combination of walking, history, traditional inns and village life—not continuous wilderness.

An interesting and substantial day out, with a much better understanding of the old road and the people who once travelled it.Read more