Winter Nakasendo Way Itinerary
This itinerary for the Winter Nakasendo Way trip is "ground only," beginning in Nagoya and ending in Matsumoto. From Matsumoto it is an easy train journey to either Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto. After receiving the booking and deposit we will provide detailed instructions for getting to the meeting point at Nagoya Station from Osaka's Kansai Airport (KIX), Tokyo's Narita Airport (NRT) and Chubu (Nagoya) International Airport. Arrangements can be made by Walk Japan for extra time in Japan before or after the trip.
Day 1
After meeting mid-morning at Nagoya Station we catch a train to Nakatsugawa, an old post town and now a pleasant regional town. Lunch and tour briefing here before our afternoon walk in hilly countryside to Shinchaya teahouse, now refurbished as an inn. Total walking about 10 kilometres.
Lunch and dinner provided.
Day 2
Walk to pleasant Magome post-town, which was the home of Shimazaki Toson. Toson wrote Before the Dawn. Set in the days of Japan's change from feudal Japan dominated by the Samurai to a fledgling industrial nation, Toson's book is considered to be Japan's first modern novel. Then on to Tsumago, for a classic hike through old forests and bubbling streams, of the Nakasendo. There is a reasonable probability we will descend from Magome Pass through scenery cloaked in snow. Stay in a traditional inn in the hamlet of O-Tsumago. After dinner, we visit nearby thermal hot spring baths for a relaxing end to the day. Total walking about 10 kilometres (6 miles).
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 3
Walk onto Tsumago and spend time exploring this beautifully maintained, traditional post-town. An inclusive, optional guided tour of the high-class inn and attached museum is highly recommended. We continue about 6 kilometres (3.75 miles) to Nagiso. Here an interesting footbridge provides us with a hint of two colourful people once associated with the area; a geisha who appeared on the front of Harper's Bazaar in 1900 and her tycoon partner. We catch a train to Kiso-Fukushima, where we have lunch at a popular restaurant serving a local delicacy, soba noodles. An exploration of this town follows and includes a visit to the reconstructed Barrier Station that stood here during the Edo Period. Our lodgings in the centre of town are a Japanese inn with thermal hot spring baths. Total walking about 9 kilometres (5.6 miles)
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 4
After breakfast, we transfer by local bus to the Kaida Plateau for our walk through forests and over another pass. The high Kaida Plateau has a distinct alpine feel and we reach over 1,500 metres (4,920 ft.) as we crest our pass for the day. Clear weather will provide us with views over the Plateau to Mt. Ontake (3,007 metres, 9,865ft.), the volcano that dominates the area. We descend from here to our lodgings, another delightful inn with thermal hot springs baths. Total walking approximately 5 km (3 miles)
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 5
We return to Kiso-Fukushima for a short train ride to Yabuhara. Our walk is over the Torii Pass to the lovely post town of Narai. Free time to explore, relax in cafes and shop in Narai before travelling onto Matsumoto and our hotel for the night. Dinner is enjoyed nearby at one of Matsumoto's best restaurants, a lively Japanese eating and drinking establishment, suitable for our last meal together on tour. Afterwards, for those who wish, an interesting excursion with the guide into Japan's nightlife. Total walking approximately 8 kilometres (5 miles).
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 6
After breakfast a guided visit to Matsumoto's impressive castle, one of only four that are listed as National Treasures in Japan. The Winter Nakasendo Way tour ends at the castle at approximately 11am. However, your Walk Japan tour leader will be on hand to help you purchase your train tickets for your onward journey within Japan. Travel to Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto is easily accomplished from here by train.
Breakfast provided.
This itinerary is subject to change.
Please see Tour Dates for scheduled tours and their availability. Contact Walk Japan for more information and to receive the booking form. For more information about the history of the Nakasendo highway is available at our complementary website Nakasendo Highway: A Journey to the Heart of Japan.