There’s a lot to see in Japan, and although much of it is accessible by train and by car, sometimes you can’t fully appreciate all that this beautiful country has to offer without having to experience it the traditional way like walking the same exact path the samurai did hundreds of years ago.

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Nakasendo (literally “Central Mountain Route”)

The Nakasendo path is the longest of the five ancient routes commissioned by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo period and one of only two that connect the old capital (Kyoto) to the new and current capital of Japan (Tokyo).
It spans 534 kilometers but you certainly don’t have to experience it all at once. I will introduce you to the Tsumago-juku portion of the route located within the Kiso Valley of Nagano Prefecture.

Depending on where you are coming from, your journey may start from the JR Nagiso Station on the Chuo Line by way of Nagoya City.
It’s the closest train station from Tsumago-Juku and you’ll have the option of taking a local bus, taxi, or hiking the 3.7 kilometers between Nagiso and Tsumago.

Bus from Nagiso to Tsumago Juku

The bus terminal can be found at the bottom of the steps and to your left as soon as you exit the JR Nagiso Station. They leave at regular intervals and will be able to get you as far as Magome in Gifu Prefecture and their destinations are displayed in both Japanese and English!

The bus route itself is less than 10 minutes from Nagiso to Tsumago and you’ll be treated with a short meandering trip through the mountains as you carve your way down to your destination!

Nakasendo Hiking Course

If you choose to hike along the Nakasendo Route, you can enjoy a nice 1 hour long stroll across the central mountains of Nagano prefecture with clearly marked trails and very little if any elevation change!

A few times throughout the hike to Tsumago, you might find several points of interests being marked for you to explore. I suggest you take your time and enjoy what you want to see!

What’s Japan without the sprawling plots of rice plantations? The Kiso Valley is known for it’s panoramic views of mountains and I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition of them jutting out behind the sea of rice fields.

Coming up to your destination, you’ll be able to peer into some of the historically significant houses that line this portion of the Nakasendo Route.

Many of these homes are specially preserved travelers to get a glimpse of what they might have come across if they were to walk the same path several hundred years before.

Tsumago-Juku is a quiet town with many of its residences doubling as souvenir stores, restaurants, tea shops, and even traditional Japanese inns or “ryokan”. Their proprietors are used to tourists and are always friendly and willing to point you in the right direction.

Small tea shops like this are great ways to sit down, relax, and have a nice cup of hot or cold beverages as well as seasonal dishes. During the hot summer season, many shops will offer their specialty shaved ice dessert called “kakigori”!

The narrow streets of Tsumago-juku are exceptionally picturesque from nearly any angle of view. And really any season you decide to visit.

For this trip I made my journey in mid-August and despite the brief period of rain from a typhoon, that didn’t stop me or many other people from strolling along this stretch of history.

Some of my favorite shots in fact were taken during the moments of downpour. There’s something about the framing of the buildings and mountains that help frame the rain clouds quite nicely. Some places just have a special look and feel to them during the rain and I honestly think I was rather lucky on this day.

By Donald Paul Whigan