Tsumago, Magome and the Nakasendo Trail

The Nakasendo was the inland road between Kyoto and Edo, and the Kiso valley section kept its post towns after the railway took the traffic away. Tsumago went furthest in preserving itself: residents agreed decades ago not to sell, rent out or destroy the old buildings, and cables, vending machines and parked cars are kept off the main street through the day, so the lane of dark timber and shuttered fronts reads as a whole rather than a fragment. Magome, up on a slope, is steeper, stone-paved and more open, with the valley falling away below. Between them runs about eight kilometres of trail over a pass, waymarked, part forest path and part quiet lane, and walkable in three hours or so.

What you actually see

• Tsumago's main street - unbroken dark timber frontages with wires and cars kept out of sight by agreement.
• The Magome slope - a stone-paved lane climbing past water wheels with the Kiso valley below.
• The pass trail - forest track and old paving between the two towns, with bear bells to ring along the way.
• Gohei mochi - flattened rice skewers grilled with walnut and miso paste, the road food of the valley.

When to go

Late spring and autumn are the walking seasons, autumn colour in the Kiso forest being the strongest reason to come. Summer is humid and the trail sees leeches after rain. Snow closes parts of the route in winter, when the towns are at their emptiest and most atmospheric. Walk from Magome to Tsumago and the day is mostly downhill.

Honest expectations

Both towns are small and fill with coach groups between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, then empty completely, so the overnight is the whole point. Trail signage is good but the surface is uneven, muddy after rain and not suited to wheeled luggage - use the seasonal bag transfer service. Accommodation is mostly traditional inns with shared bathrooms and fixed meal times.

Nearby

Narai, another Kiso post town, lies further up the valley, and Matsumoto is about two hours north.