Magome to Nagiso (Nakasendo) 11klms

Join me for a easy/moderate walk along part of the Nakasendo trail. This section is beautiful, scenic, historical, peaceful, has a few inclines that will get the heart pumping but overall a very pleasant walk and a great day away from the cities.

The Nakasendo (literally translated as "path through mountains") was a main route which connected Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. Travellers along this route were required to make their trips on foot due to restrictions imposed by the Shogunate. As a result of this foot traffic, "post towns" grew every few kilometers providing travellers with places to eat and rest along their journey to Edo and Kyoto.

We begin our walk through Magome, up to the highest point of the walk 790m above sea level, crossing prefectures between Gifu and Nagano, before heading down to a travellers tea house for a quick break and into the village of Tsumago. In Tsumago we will find a spot for a picnic lunch break. Please bring lunch and snacks with you.

After lunch there is an option to catch taxi's to the end point if you've had enough walking, otherwise we continue to Nagiso to see the famous Momosuke Bridge (Japan's longest wooden suspension bridge) before making our way back to Nakatsugawa station via a 'one-man' train departing at 2.42pm (arriving Nakatsugawa 3.15pm).

The day is hosted in English and is designed for ex-pats and tourists. I speak and read some Japanese, have a good knowledge of the culture and history of this part of the Nakasendo Trail, have hiked this section many times and would love to share this with you.

This walk keeps a steady pace with brief stops for photos and catching our breath but doesn't allow for any lengths of time in the villages as trains from Nagiso can be infrequent and we will have to stick to a schedule to avoid lengthy waits and connections back to Nakatsugawa and any onward destinations. We walk through the villages and admire the scenery as we walk. There's no time scheduled for shopping or visiting museums. Sturdy shoes are recommended as the paving can be very uneven in sections. Poles are optional.

Nakatsugawa is easily reached from Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and the trip can be done as a day trip from these cities.

Meet at Nakatsugawa station by the convenience store at 8.45am. We will be catching the 9.10am bus so please don't be late as we can't wait. The bus fare is ¥570, please have the exact change as the bus takes cash only (no IC cards) and not having the correct money slows all passengers departing the bus.

All transport fees and food/drinks are at your own expense. I am not responsible for any expenses due to missing trains, delays, cancellations, re-scheduling, illness and other misfortunes which may occur.

The participation fee of ¥2000 per person, payable by cash on the day, covers my expenses and the cost of hosting the Meetup page. Minimum and Maximum numbers of attendees apply. In the case of bad weather I will make a decision the evening before if the walk will continue or not and advise the group accordingly. Please read all group information regarding your expected fitness levels and my responsibility for the group. I am not a professional tour/hiking guide. Please feel free to message me with any queries.