Nakasendo Way – Fully Guided

This trip is guaranteed to depart with 6 clients

Today you will meet your guide at Nagoya train station at a set time (refer to your travel documents). We will then board the train as a group for Mitake where we will start our Nakasendo Way walk after lunch. Our guide will lead us through the town, into the forest and up a short hill known as the Cows Nose is Missing. This is the true beginning of our Nakasendo Way walk. We stay in the forest on this very scenic section through woodland and lush green countryside, walking on some of the original stoned paving known as ishidatami. There will be a chance to stop at La Province Café as you head towards Hosokute and your accommodation for the evening.

Meals: D

We enjoy our first traditional Japanese breakfast and prepare for an exciting day following in the footsteps of the Samurai. Our guide will explain the walk for today, which will take us through an old section of undulating hills and forests. We’ll also find out about the bears in the forest; we will see bear bells along the way which we ring entering their area. The original route used to go through the golf course; nowadays you will follow the boundary of the course and again we will be walking on traditional stone paths. There is even a section that has only been rediscovered in the last few years. Continuing on our way through the mountains we will come across the well-preserved post town called Okute, before then travelling along the ridge tops and descending into Ena. In Ena you can visit the museum known as the Hiroshiga, which features some wonderful prints of the Nakasendo Way. After checking into your accommodation, you may wish to enjoy a hot Japanese bath to soothe your tired feet.

Meals: B, D

Today is a much shorter day, with gentle and undulating walking. We will pass through towns and villages and parts of the city across rice paddies and fields and even through home gardens. Our guide will stop and talk to the locals along the way and will explain about the Japanese culture in this district, and there is a good chance we will be offered tea and cake along the way. There will be plenty stops for food and water. When arriving into Nakatsugawa, which was number 45 of the 69 traditional post towns of the Nakasendo Way, you can spend the rest of the day exploring, or our guide can show you around the town. Also worth a visit is the Naegi Castle ruins, located just north of the town.

Meals: B, D

After leaving Nakatsugawa at the ancient Kosatsuba (official proclamation board) we will come across red torii gates just after Nakatsugawa Juku. There will be some steep slopes today before Ochiai and then we will be walking on an old cobblestoned way. It’s on this route that we will be walking up to the entrance of Magome, one of the highlights of the Nakasendo Way. Magome (Horse & Basket) is number 43 of the 69 post towns along the way to Edo (Tokyo). It truly is a reminder of how the post towns were in the Edo period (1603–1868). We will have lunch in Magome at one of the many Japanese inns (own expense).

The Nakasendo Way continues through the centre of Magome past the old shops and inns. The trail begins to climb up to the small settlement of Touge, which is is a good spot to take a rest break. We will then walk over the Magome Pass (800m) and slowly descend through peaceful woodland. We will hear the roar of the Odaki-Medaki waterfalls, which slowly fade as you pass streams and rice paddies coming into the old (smaller) village of O-Tsumago.

Leaving O-Tsumago, the trail climbs briefly before descending into the enchanting main village of Tsumago, (number 42 of the 69 post towns). The street is lined with traditional Japanese wooden houses, shops and ryokan (inns).

Meals: B, D

Leaving the old town of Tsumago at the ancient Kosatsuba (official proclamation board) you will see on the board the old wooden tablets which state that no Christianity can be practised. The trail ascends steeply up the valley then continues through the forest on what is known as the Yogawa Forest Route to Nojiri, passing through cedar forests and farmland. It is one of the most scenic sections of the walk. The forest walk joins the Kiso River as you descend into Nojiri. After a late lunch in Nojiri, make your way to the train station for a 40-minute ride to Kiso-Fukushima. Located halfway on the Nakasendo Way between Kyoto and Tokyo, Kiso-Fukushima was an important checkpoint during the Edo period.

Meals: B, D

Today is free for you to explore the town of Kiso-Fukushima. This was one of the four security checkpoints during the Edo period and thus flourished as a political and economic centre in the Kiso Valley. The old-town area and along the river are great spots for a stroll and to view the distinct Edo-style buildings. Along with the Kozenji-Temple, which houses the valley’s most famous temple and the largest stone garden in Japan, the Yamamura Residence and the Fukushima Checkpoint are really worth a visit. Both museums have a wonderful collection of weapons, clothing and other artefacts that provide a great insight into the fascinating history of the time.

If you feel like exploring a little further, you may like to take a bus to Mt Ontake, one of Japan’s most sacred mountains. There is an option to take a gondola and hike to the top (late April to early November), or perhaps you may enjoy a hike in the lowlands. Once back in town, if you haven’t already discovered the free public footbath on the banks of the Kiso River, we definitely recommend a visit; the steaming, natural hot spring water is wonderfully soothing for tired legs and will help you feel refreshed and ready for tomorrow’s walk over the Torii Pass.

Your guide will advise the group of suggestions and may take those who are interested on a walk visiting the museums or perhaps a further hike on a trail in the forest near the town.

Meals: B, D

Today we will catch the train from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara and start our final day’s walk of the Nakasendo Way, hiking up to the Torii Pass, named after the Shinto Torii Gate, which marks one of four protective sites surrounding Mount Ontake. At 1197m, the Torii Pass is a great vantage point for views of Mount Ontake on a clear day. The descent takes us along narrow mountain paths until you emerge at the outskirts of Narai, a lovely post town and the wealthiest of the post towns along the trail. Explore and relax in the cafes and shops of this well-preserved and atmospheric town.

Return by train to Kiso-Fukushima for a final night.

Meals: B, D

*The 24 April group will stay in Narai this evening instead of returning to Kiso-Fukushima.

**The 1 & 28 October departures will travel on to Shimosuwa after exploring Narai. Shimosuwa is also a great option for anyone wishing to extend their time in the area. Please enquire for further details

Today is departure day. After your traditional Japanese breakfast, you will say goodbye to your guide and take the train to your next destination.

Meals: B

24kg of CO2-e per person per day

We pay for a monthly offset to cover the estimated emissions of our walkers for all trips with RAW Travel, which goes into local reforestation or biodiversity restoration. Explore the practical actions behind these estimated carbon offsets for your trip here, following a philosophy of ‘re-wilding the planet’ with native tree planting & Ocean plastic cleans ups.

A reasonable estimate for a pilgrim is 24 kg of CO2-e per person per day, primarily due to hotels, meals and emissions from luggage transfers. The act of walking itself is a form of sustainable travel, so the carbon footprint calculated here is a measure of the ancillary activities surrounding the walk, not the walking itself. The figures are estimates, not precise measurements for each route/trip, as it’s difficult to provide an exact number without detailed data on specific hotels, menus, and transfer routes which vary from person to person. This figure represents the operational footprint of the hike and its included services only. It does not include the flights and other transport needed to get to the start and finish of the walk.

An individual can significantly influence their footprint with the varied choices they make around food and drink at each meal. For instance, a diet rich in meat, imported goods and alcohol, will have a much higher impact than one focused on local, seasonal, and plant-based options. This daily stated figure is an average across all days of the pilgrimage, derived from the key consumption components listed below.

This daily figure is an average across the duration of the walk and includes the following key components:

Carbon Footprint Breakdown

• 7 nights in traditional Japanese guesthouses/inns (ryokan)
• Daily meals (as listed in the itinerary)
• 8 days fully guided by local guide
• Luggage transfers on your hiking days
• Travel with guide to Mitake from Nagoya Station (ticket included)
• Local bus and train tickets (as per the itinerary)
• Pre-tour briefing at Mitake
• Local and Australian emergency contacts
• Carbon offset for your trip and a native tree planted for every walker

• Flights
• Travel insurance
• Beverages other than water at meals
• Expenses and items of a personal nature
• Lunches on all days (we have recommended places to eat)