Our best-loved Nakasendō Trail package is a 5-day hike perfect for hiking enthusiasts and those who wish to experience more of the Nakasendō. Enjoy hikes of 1 to 6 hours and visits to the most beautiful post towns.
Nakasendo self-guided walking 5 days
Nakasendo self-guided walking 5 days
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Tour details
If you would like to do multiple tours in one trip or have a question about any of our tours, do not hesitate to contact us with the button below.
- Duration: 5 days
- Trip level:Active
- Availability: Recommended from April to November
- Type:Self-guided
- Price: USD 1,465(Price per person, based on 2 travellers sharing a room)
- Walk village to village on the loveliest parts of the old Nakasendō Trail
- Visit the exquisitely preserved villages of Magome, Tsumago, and Narai
- Bathe in the thermal waters at a hot spring ryokan
- See beautifully crafted lacquerware in Kiso-Hirasawa
- Visit Matsumoto and see its famous castle
- Hike country trails and quiet rural roads, with some gentle ascents and descents
The Nakasendō or 'Road Through the Central Mountains' was part of feudal Japan's network of highways. Travellers moving between Kyōto and Tōkyō took several days to travel the Nakasendō, staying overnight in post towns along the way. Today's visitors can walk sections of the original route by day and stay in local inns by night.
Our classic 5-day Nakasendō itinerary includes the best sections of the Kiso Valley portion of the Nakasendō Trail, following the same linear path from Magome through to Tsumago, Kiso-Fukushima, Narai, and Kiso-Hirasawa.
After visiting Kiso-Hirasawa, you will head to Matsumoto with the opportunity to visit one of Japan’s few remaining original castles, Matsumoto Castle, also called ‘Crow Castle’ due to its black exterior.
Then, continue by train to one of the mountain towns of Komoro or Karuizawa, where you’ll enjoy a traditional ryokan stay. Your final day of walking is a beautifully remote walk from Karuizawa, descending through the forest to the town of Yokokawa. From Yokokawa, travel onward by train to Tōkyō.
You’re supported by our team in Kyōto, our local Tsumago office, and guided by our bespoke turn-by-turn walking instructions and detailed maps, created by our team of hikers for you.
Please see here for luggage options.
4 nights at Japanese inns along the Nakasendō Trail | |
4 breakfasts and 4 dinners | |
Train tickets from Kyōto or Tōkyō to the trail and from the trail to Tōkyō | |
Train tickets for intermediate journeys on the Nakasendō trail | |
Detailed day-by-day itinerary and walking directions | |
Topographical maps | |
Local support by telephone | |
Our Preparing for your trip and Travelling in Japan Guidebooks |
Flights | |
Airport transfers | |
Drinks and meals not included in itinerary | |
Local bus journeys which must be paid directly to the bus driver | |
Single room supplement(s) for solo occupancy | |
Daily luggage transfer |
We supply train tickets for your journey starting from Kyōto or Tōkyō to Nakatsugawa, including a ride on the world-famous bullet train to Nagoya. At Nakatsugawa, you board a local bus for the short journey to Magome. Walk over Magome-tōge Pass to Tsumago, one of the best-preserved and most evocative of the Nakasendo post towns. Spend the night at a family-run minshuku in Tsumago or the nearby hamlet of Ō-Tsumago. Enjoy a delicious home-cooked Japanese dinner and breakfast included in your stay. After dinner, enjoy a stroll through the village streets in the magical quiet of the evening, wearing the yukata gown supplied by your inn.
Walking distance: 8.3 km / 5.2 mi
Elevation gain: 326 m / 1,069 ft of ascent and 430 m / 1,410 ft of descent
Time required: About 3 hours
Accommodation: Minshuku (family-run guesthouse)
Meals: Dinner
The longest day on the trail is a beautiful and varied hike from Tsumago to Nojiri. You may also choose the shorter alternative to Nagiso instead. The trail travels through small valleys and past forests of bamboo and Japanese cedar, through some of the most unspoilt scenery on the tour. Continue by train to Kiso-Fukushima, a historic post town that once flourished as a political and economic centre in the Kiso Valley. Tonight, enjoy kaiseki-style cuisine and hot spring baths.
Walking distance: 18.4 km / 11.5 mi
Elevation gain: 723 m / 2,275 ft of ascent and 644 m / 2,112 ft of descent
Time required: About 6 hours
We offer a shorter alternative of 1 hour (3.7 km / 2.3 mi). You can choose which option you prefer on the day – no need to decide in advance!
Accommodation: Onsen ryokan (hot spring inn) or onsen hotel (hot spring hotel)
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
We supply train tickets for the short journey from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara, the starting point for the hike over the Torii-tōge Pass to Narai. Explore this atmospheric village before you continue on today's journey to the small town of Kiso-Hirasawa, famous for its lacquerware. There are many small shops selling beautifully crafted tableware and furniture. From Kiso-Hirasawa, transfer by train to the castle town of Matsumoto for your overnight stay. Your hosts will serve a home-cooked Japanese dinner and breakfast.
Walking distance: 8.7 km / 5.5 mi
Elevation gain: 344 m / 1,128 ft of ascent and 270 m / 885 ft of descent
Time required: About 4 hours
Accommodation: Minshuku (family-run guesthouse) or ryokan (traditional Japanese inn)
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
After breakfast, you will have time dedicated to sightseeing around Matsumoto. Highly recommended is a visit to Matsumoto Castle, one of only 12 castles in Japan that has retained its original interior and exterior structures. When you are finished in Matsumoto, you will travel by train to your final stop for your onward journey to Karuizawa or Komoro for your final overnight stay. Both locations have lovely inns with a real sense of history and fine Japanese baths. Arrive at your accommodation in time for a wonderful dinner featuring local produce.
Accommodation: Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn)
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
After breakfast, your final walk on the Nakasendo Trail is from Karuizawa to Yokokawa. Leaving Karuizawa, the trail takes you over the Usui-tōge Pass and down a gentle descent along one of the most beautiful sections of the Nakasendō. From Yokokawa, board the local train to Takasaki and change there for your ride on the bullet train to Tōkyō. The train journey takes around two hours and you will arrive in Tōkyō in the late afternoon or early evening.
Walking distance: 16.7 km / 10 mi
Elevation gain: 372 m / 1,220 ft of ascent and 862 m / 2,828 ft of descent
Time required: About 5-6 hours
The walk can be shortened by 5.9 km / 3.7 mi by a taxi ride at the start of the day.
Meals: Breakfast
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