Narai-juku

The Nakasendo ran between Edo and Kyoto through the mountains, and Narai was the thirty-fourth of its sixty-nine post stations - the one immediately before the Torii pass, the highest and hardest on the route, which is why travellers stopped here to rest before crossing and why the town became the richest on the road. It was called Narai of a thousand houses. About a kilometre of that street survives, the longest preserved post town in Japan: two-storey wooden buildings with deep eaves, latticed fronts and upper floors overhanging, some open as inns and museums. There are no overhead cables in the street, which is why photographs read cleanly. Kiso lacquerware and comb-making are the local crafts and still worked. The Nakasendo path over the Torii pass and the walk between Magome and Tsumago further south are both accessible from this valley.

History

Narai-juku was the highest of all the stops on the Kisoji, and the travellers crossing the Torii Pass made it prosper as "Narai of 1,000 buildings". Its row of Edo-period houses, about 1 km from north to south, was designated a cultural asset in 1978 (Wikipedia, Narai-juku).

The main sights

• A kilometre of post town - the longest preserved example on the Nakasendo.
• Overhanging upper floors - two-storey timber fronts with deep eaves and lattice.
• No overhead cables - the street cleared of wiring, unusual in Japan.
• Kiso lacquer and combs - crafts still made in the workshops along the street.

When to go

April to November; late October for colour. Half a day.

Good to know

It is one street and quiet - some find it too quiet. Many houses are private and not enterable. Restaurants and shops close early, often by four. Winter here is deep snow and services reduce.

Nearby

Kiso-Fukushima is south down the valley; Magome and Tsumago are beyond it.