Driving Tours

Along the Nakasendo Highway: Tsumago & Magome

About 98km (61 miles) E of Nagoya; 88km (55 miles) SW of Matsumoto

If you're traveling between Nagoya and Matsumoto, you'll most likely pass through Kiso Valley in mountainous Nagano Prefecture. Formed by the Kiso River, the valley has always served as a natural passageway through the Japan Alps and was, in fact, one of two official roads linking Kyoto with Edo (Tokyo) back in the days of the Tokugawa shogunate (the other route was the Tokaido Hwy., which passes through Hakone). Known as the Nakasendo Highway, it was the route of traveling daimyo and their entourages of samurai retainers journeying between Japan's two most important towns. To serve their needs, 11 post towns sprang up along the Nakasendo Highway. Back then, it took 3 days to travel through the valley.

Of the old post towns, Tsumago and Magome are two that still survive, with many of the old buildings left intact. An 8km (5-mile) pathway skirting the Kiso River links the two villages, providing hikers with the experience of what it must have been like to travel the 400-year-old Nakasendo Highway back in the days of the shogun. You can easily visit the two picturesque villages and take the hike in a 1-day excursion from Nagoya or Matsumoto, but I've included an overnight recommendation in case you want to linger.

Getting There -- Since neither Magome nor Tsumago is directly on a train line, you'll have to make the final journey by bus.

To reach Magome, take the JR Shinano train (which connects Nagoya and Matsumoto and departs hourly) to Nakatsugawa Station. Trains from Nagoya take about 50 minutes and cost ¥2,430 ($23) for an unreserved seat; from Matsumoto it takes about 75 minutes and costs ¥3,670 ($35). The 30-minute bus ride onward to Magome costs ¥540 ($4.15), with buses departing once or twice an hour.

To reach Tsumago, take the JR Shinano train to Nagiso Station and then take a 10-minute bus ride (¥270/$2.55). A taxi ride between Tsumago and Nagiso costs about ¥1,200 ($11).

Not all trains stop in Nagiso or Nakatsugawa, so make certain your train does (trains stop in Nagiso less frequently, only five times a day). Note also that buses are infrequent; be sure to inquire about bus schedules beforehand (the Matsumoto Station tourist office has information on bus schedules).

Visitor Information -- The best way to obtain information about Kiso Valley is to stop by the Tourist Information Center in Tokyo or Narita or Kansai international airports to pick up a leaflet called "Kiso Valley," which provides a rough sketch of the 8km (5-mile) hiking path between Magome and Tsumago and gives some basic information about the villages; you can also stop by the tourist office in Matsumoto.

Otherwise, there's a tourist office in Tsumago (tel. 0264/57-3123; open daily 8:30am-5pm) and one in Magome (tel. 0264/59-2336; open daily 9am-5pm except in summer when it opens at 8:30am). No English is spoken.

Traveling Between Tsumago & Magome -- If you can't walk the entire distance between Tsumago and Magome, a bus travels between the two villages, so you could walk around Tsumago and then take a bus to Magome for ¥650 ($6.20).

Especially useful for hikers is a luggage-transfer service available between Magome and Tsumago on weekends and national holidays from mid-March to mid-November (offered daily during peak season, July 20-Aug 31). Luggage is accepted at either town's tourist office no later than 11:30am, at a charge of ¥500 ($4.75) per bag, and must be picked up after your hike by 5pm.

Walking the Nakasendo Highway Between Tsumago & Magome

Allow about 3 hours for the 8km (5-mile) hike between Tsumago and Magome. It doesn't matter which town you start from, though starting from Tsumago is easier if you have heavy luggage being sent via transfer service, since starting in Magome requires an 8-minute walk from the bus stop up a steep slope to the tourist office. In any case, the trail is mainly a footpath tracing the contours of the Kiso Valley and crisscrossing the stream over a series of bridges. At times the trail follows a paved road and leads through interesting farming villages. There are public toilets along the way. Since the trail does go up some steep inclines, be sure to wear your walking shoes. And have fun -- this is a great walk!

Tsumago -- Tsumago, the second post town from the south, is the more beautiful and authentic of the two towns. Threatened with gradual decline and desertion after the train line was constructed in 1911, bypassing Tsumago, the town experienced decades of neglect -- and that's probably what ultimately saved it. Having suffered almost no modernization in the rebuilding zeal of the 20th century, Tsumago was a perfect target for renovation and restoration in the early 1970s, and in a rare show of insight, electrical wires, TV antennas, and telephone poles were hidden from sight along the main road. Thus, Tsumago looks much as it did back in the days of Edo. There are, of course, the ubiquitous souvenir shops, but many sell locally made crafts made of wood and bamboo.

On the main street of Tsumago, be sure to stop at the Tsumagojuku Honjin (tel. 0264/57-3322), an officially appointed inn that once served as a way station for the 30 or so daimyo who used the Nakasendo Highway to travel to and from Edo. Like all honjin (an inn designated as the resting place for daimyo), it's divided into two parts: a large, grand area for the feudal lord and his attendants, and a few smaller, simpler rooms for the Shimazaki family, who managed the inn.

Apparently, the Shimazaki family had plans drawn up to rebuild their inn back in 1830. Renovation, however, didn't take place until 160 years later when an heir discovered the plans and gave them to the township, which rebuilt the inn according to the original plans using techniques dating from the period. You'd swear it's the original.

Across the lane is the Waki-honjin Okuya, the town's secondary inn, used by court nobles or by daimyo when the Honjin was already occupied. The present house, a lovely traditional structure with a garden, dates from 1877 and was rebuilt with hinoki cypress trees, a fact that has a special significance for this region. For centuries, all the way through the Edo Period, wood in the Kiso Valley was as good as gold and was used instead of rice to pay taxes. Commoners, therefore, were prohibited from cutting down trees, and those who did so literally lost their heads. When the Meiji Period dawned and the ban was finally lifted, wealthy landowners were quick to rebuild in a more stately manner. Emperor Meiji himself visited the inn in 1880, and though a special tub and toilet were built just for the occasion, he stayed only 30 minutes. Next door is the Rekishi Shiryokan, which serves as a local history museum with displays of lacquerware, a model of how the Waki-honjin looked during the Edo Period, diagrams showing how trees were felled and transported from the steep mountainsides, and photographs of buildings in Tsumago before and after they were renovated. A ¥700 ($6.65) ticket allows admission to all three museums; all are open daily 9am to 5pm.

Magome -- The southernmost post town, Magome has old inns and souvenir shops that line both sides of a steeply sloping, cobblestone road. It takes about 20 minutes to stroll through the town.

Where to Stay & Dine -- Both Tsumago and Magome have simple minshuku and ryokan. I'm partial to Ryokan Fujioto, Tsumago, Nagiso-machi 399-5302 (tel. 0264/57-3009; fax 0264/57-2239), set back from the main road of Tsumago and buffered from foot traffic by a nice Japanese garden. The 100-year-old inn offers nine tatami rooms (none with bathroom) for ¥10,500 to ¥12,600 ($100-$120) per person, including two meals. No credit cards are accepted. What makes this a particularly good place to stay is the English-speaking owner, whose daughter volunteers as a free guide around town (you can request her services when making a reservation).

Even if you don't spend the night, you can sample the inn's meal of local specialties during lunch, served from 11am to 2:30pm daily. An English-language menu with pictures offers broiled trout, carp sashimi, raw horse meat, and other fare, as well as set meals for ¥950 to ¥1,400 ($9.05-$13).