Walking the Nakasendo & Beyond
Nothing beats exploring a new culture on foot. Slowing down to walking pace allows you to absorb the sights and sounds in technicolour detail, helping you get under the skin of a new place.
That's the beauty of our new Small Group Tour. It'll take you off the beaten track into rural Japan where signposts are only in Japanese, the scenery is unspoiled and the welcome is warm.
After a couple of days in Tokyo, we start with the Shin-Etsu trail where the route is maintained by volunteers and walked by just a handful of people a year. It's a challenging hike through beech forest, following an 80km ridge that marks the border between Niigata and Nagano Prefectures. Over three days, we'll hike the most scenic sections, with views of mountains to the north, farms and rice paddies to the south.
The Nakasendo Way sees greater numbers of visitors on its old paved roads, for this was once a major highway for samurai travelling from Kyoto to Edo, now modern-day Tokyo. The trail is dotted with post towns where weary travellers used to stay in guesthouses, rest their horses and get a good meal. We'll spend three days walking on the Nakasendo between some of the most well-preserved, picturesque post towns including, Tsumago and Magome.
In between, we'll pause in Matsumoto, home of the Black Crow castle, soba noodles and a museum dedicated to woodblock prints. And our journey will end in Kyoto, where we'll follow the Philospher's Path (on foot of course) from the Silver Temple to the gardens and shrines of the Higashiyama district. We'll also make a day trip to Nara to walk the Yamanobe-no-Michi trail.
- Spend six days hiking in rural Japan
- Follow the old Nakasendo samurai route
- Explore temples, shrines and gardens in Kyoto
- Get off the beaten track on the Shin-Etsu trail
- Visit Matsumoto's spectacular Black Crow castle
- Pray for good walking weather at Senso-ji Temple
Day 1-2
Welcome to the world's greatest metropolis
Our group tour kicks off in Tokyo, where else? Our hotel is in the Asakusa district where there's lots to explore right on our doorstep, from Senso-ji Temple, Kaminarimon Gate and the Sumida River to endless ramen joints, izakaya gastropubs and street food stalls, not to mention shops selling everything from vintage kimono to kitschy key rings and Hello Kitty souvenirs.
Our tour leader will take us on a morning walking tour around some of the city's old town districts including Yanaka, a largely residential district with family-run shops, an interesting cemetery and a temple. The afternoon is free for you to explore further at your leisure, but don't worry, the tour leader will have lots of recommendations to help you make the most out of your time.
Of course, you might like to just rest your legs and sleep off any jetlag in preparation for the hiking to come!
Overnight: Gracery Asakusa Hotel
Day 3
Hike section 2 of the Shin-Etsu trail (10.7km, 5 hours, elevation 459m)
This morning we'll take the world-famous shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Iiyama, entry point for the Shin-Etsu Trail. On arrival in Iiyama we'll have an orientation meeting with the NPO who maintain the trail and meet our local hiking guide who'll be accompanying us for the next three days.
After a short bus ride to our accommodation to drop off our luggage, we'll start our first hike. Section 2 of the Shin-Etsu trail is the least demanding walk in the region, a nice warm up for our legs. First, we'll walk through beech forest until we reach Numanohara Marshland which is covered in white and yellow skunk cabbage flowers – much prettier than they sound!
Mount Kenashi at 1,022m is the highest point of today's hike, and offers views of the whole area. We should be able to see Mount Amamizu in the distance which marks the very end of the Shin-Etsu Trail. On the last part of today's hike, we'll walk through larch tree forests and along farm roads until we reach Wakui Village.
Bento lunch boxes are included on all three days on the Shin-Etsu trail, and each night we'll have dinner at our accommodation.
Overnight: Madarao Kogen Hotel
Day 4
Hike section 4 of the Shin-Etsu trail (8.2km, 6 hours, elevation 458m)
Our hike has a steep start for the first hour today, from Togari Onsen ski resort up a grassy slope to the ridgeline. After Kozawa Pass with its 100-year-old beech trees, we'll follow a narrow ridge trail up to Mount Nabekura (so-called because it's supposedly shaped like a nabe hotpot dish). All the while we'll have views of Niigata Prefecture to the north on our left side, and the mountains of Nagano Prefecture on our right.
The descending trail from Mount Nabekura down to Sekida Pass is home to some funky-shaped beech trees with branches twisted by the exceptionally heavy snowfall that Iiyama experiences. During some winters they get 4m (13 feet) of snow!
Although Section 4 is the shortest part of the Shin-Etsu trail in distance, due to the undulating nature of the trail it will take us roughly 6 hours to complete, not including a few breaks along the way.
Overnight: Shikisai no Yado Kanoe Ryokan
Day 5
Hike section 5 of the Shin-Etsu trail (12.4km, 6 hours, elevation 170m)
We'll cover ground more quickly today as we continue the ridge walk through rolling terrain and one of the wildest sections of the trail. Along the way our local guide will tell us about the history of the area, as well as the flora and fauna of the region.
Towards the end of this section we'll pass Maboroshi-no-ike, Lake of the Phantom, which is home to green tree frogs and Japanese salamanders in late June/early July. And then At Busuno Pass right at the end of today's hike, weather permitting, we'll turn around to see how far we've come. With a bit of luck will be able to see the two peaks of Mount Myoko and Mount Hiuchi in the distance.
At the start and end of each hike on the Shin-Etsu trail we'll have shuttle buses to and from our accommodation.
Overnight: Shikisai no Yado Kanoe Ryokan
Day 6
Swap hiking boots for trainers today as we explore Matsumoto City
We'll say goodbye to the Shin-Etsu trail today and take two trains to reach Matsumoto City, a journey of around two hours 30 minutes.
Matsumoto is an alpine city surrounded on all sides by the towering peaks of the Japan Alps. It's famous for its original castle built between 1592 and 1615. Surrounds by a moat with a traditional red bridge, the castle is unusual for its black colour. We'll explore the castle including climbing the steep stairways inside up to the top of the tower.
Matsumoto also boasts a number of sake breweries, hidden in the backstreets amongst the traditional buildings, a good museum of woodblock prints, and is the home of soba noodles, the local specialty which is particularly delicious.
Tonight, we'll take a break from Japanese food and kick back with pizza, beer and a spot of karaoke. When in Japan…!
Overnight: Alpico Plaza
Day 7
Hike the Nakasendo Way from Kiso Hirasawa to Yabuhara (9km, 3.5 hours, elevation 253m)
An hour on the train will take us to the Nakasendo Way. This was once an important route linking Kyoto with Edo, now Tokyo. There were 69 staging posts along the route and we'll visit several of them over the next three days as we walk the most scenic sections of this historic trail.
First up, we'll tackle the Torii Pass from Kiso Hirasawa to Yabuhara. This is one of the highest sections of the Nakasendo Way and will have us climbing from 900 to 1,200m with some steep switchbacks. Along the way we'll hike through larch forests, past little mountain shrines and an old teahouse rest stop. There are some great views to be seen along the way, as well as a potential lacquerware shop visit.
After reaching Yabuhara we'll take a train for 15 minutes to reach tonight's accommodation in the postal town of Kiso Fukushima.
Overnight: Onyado Tsutaya
Day 8
Hike the Nakasendo Way from Nenoue Toge to Tsumago (14km, 4.5 hours, elevation 344m)
Our next section of the Nakasendo Way is the longest distance of our trip, 14km, but very flat compared to everything we will have done by this point! First a 30-minute train ride will take us to Nojiri.
From Nojiri we take a 30-minute taxi journey to Nenoue Toge, where we will start the walk today. The hike to Tsumago takes us past cedar trees and forests of bamboo, tea plantations, rice paddies and pretty, wooden houses. Tsumago is the jewel in the Nakasendo crown, thanks to the residents' efforts to preserve its Edo Period ambiance. Power lines are hidden away, and cars banned from the main roads during the daytime so that the beautiful, traditional buildings and flag-stone streets can be seen in their true glory.
Please note there is a get out clause today if you don't fancy doing quite such a long walk. It's possible to stay on the train longer this morning, getting off at Nagiso. From there it's just a 5km walk to Tsumago.
Overnight: Hanaya
Day 9
Hike the Nakasendo Way from Tsumago to Nakatsugawa (12km, 5 hours, elevation 355m)
On the final day of our Nakasendo walk, we'll continue on from our accommodation just outside Tsumago along the most well-trodden section of the trail to Magome. The route passes quaint farmhouses and gardens.
We'll have lunch in Magome, another beautifully preserved post town, before walking on to Nakatsugawa Station, and taking the train on to Kyoto.
Overnight: Daiwa Roynet Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
Day 10-12
Explore Kyoto, city of a thousand temples
And finally, we reach Kyoto, the cultural epicentre of Japan that was once the capital for a thousand years. Here you'll find Japan's most glorious temples, ancient shrines and picture-perfect gardens. Our tour leader will take us on a city tour with a walk down the Philosopher's Path from Ginkakuji Silver Temple to the beautifully preserved Higashiyama district.
If city sightseeing isn't your thing, fear not, Kyoto is surrounded by mountains on three sides which offer plenty of hiking options if you've still got energy in your legs. We can also recommend a day trip to nearby Nara to walk the Yamanobe-no-Michi trail if you prefer.
After the tour finishes, perhaps you'd like to extend your time in Japan? We'd be delighted to arrange extra post-tour nights in Kyoto, or further arrangements elsewhere.
Overnight: Daiwa Roynet Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
17th May 2021