Nakasendo (meaning Central Mountain Route), is where Samurai warriors and other officials walked, starting more than 400 years ago. This road served as a vital artery for trade, communication, and cultural exchange among the central regions of Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) when warring fiefdoms had been united under the Shogun Tokugawa. If you watched the recent TV series Shogun, which won many Emmy awards this month, you know something about this time period in Japan. The Nakasendo connects Kyoto, then the imperial capital, with Edo (present-day Tokyo), then the political center of Japan.
This map shows the route of the Nakasendo (white line) and other old Japanese roads. The red circles are in the Kiso Valley and are where the path and towns along it are best preserved.
Most people choose to walk the 8-km stretch between Magome and Tsumago, as we did. We walked an extra 4 km stretch south of Magome, since we had some spare time on our way to Magome, where we stayed overnight. The following day we walked 8 km to Tsumago , where we stayed the second night. At the end of the walk, we took a train to Matsumoto, shown on the map above.
Originally, the Nakasendo passed through 69 stations, called post towns, along its route. Most of these have not been preserved. Magome and Tsumago are two post towns that still retain their historical charm and provide visitors with a glimpse into the Edo period. This post will be mostly photos of these two towns and the path between them.
Magome
The center photo shows the Nakasendo passing through the charming town of Magome, where buildings are preserved as they were 200–400 years ago. Many parts of the towns and the path connecting them had fallen into disrepair, but they have been restored.
We stayed in a traditional ryokan—in the left photo I’m standing at the entrance to our “inn”. In the ryokans, shoes must be removed at the entrance, where slippers are provided. Dinner is served on low tables—the artful display of the varied foods provided for our dinner was a distinct pleasure (right photo). Yukatas (kimono-like robes) are optional dining garb, and are required for walking to and from the onsite onsen (hot spring).
The path
Upper left: A sign post for the Nakasendo. Upper middle: A Japanese couple walking the path, a popular activity for foreigners and locals alike. Most of the route is a simple path traversing thickly-wooded forest. Upper right: Rice is the most important food product in Japan. Near Magome, we passed a small agricultural area with rice that was ready to harvest. The host at our ryokan in Magome was the 4th generation of his family to run the inn. We also learned that he had produced the rice we ate at dinner and breakfast. Lower photo: A waterwheel along the route. There were also waterwheels in the towns. This region has abundant water—the route was constructed along the Kiso River and its tributaries—and waterwheels were used to generate power.Tateba Tea House is the midpoint between Tsumago and Magome. This gracious gentleman (lower photo) provides walkers with free tea and candy (upper left). He also gave us a detailed guidebook to the Nakasendo. It was interesting to see the inside of an old farmhouse and the method used to cook food over an open fire (upper right). Who knew that the Toyoto company once made sewing machines (upper middle)!Along the route are Shinto and Buddhist shrines (left photo). This one is Shinto because it has white zigzags representing lightning that is associated with rain needed for a good harvest. Stone monuments are also commonly seen along the route (right photo). They are clearly old because the rock is highly weathered and has thick lichen growth (green color). Our translation app was unable to read the inscribed words.The route was adorned with a variety of beautiful flowers (upper row) and gardens (lower left). Even the man-hole cover has flowers (lower right). Each town or region has its own design that is displayed on man-hole covers. What a way to make a mundane item beautiful. Also notice the speckled road surface around the man-hole. This pattern was used to identify the route on parts that had been restored. There were also abundant sign posts to mark the route.
The river and the rocks
This is a typical view of the path along a tributary of the Kiso River. Here it is a mellow stream, but the main channel is wide and the water is fast moving. Because of the wet, humid climate, most of the bedrock is highly weathered and not visible. What is visible on the path is DG (decomposed granite) very similar to what I live on in Oregon where the bedrock is the Ashland (granitic) pluton. The DG made a nice trail surface to walk on and functions to keep the trail drained.Here is the Kiso River at the south end of Tsumago. Notice the Japanese fisherman on the river banks on the right side of the photo for scale. At times this river is a raging torrent and can carry these huge boulders farther downstream. You may recognize these boulders as granite. Because Japan has been experiencing subduction tectonics for 500 million years, there have been many changes within the system. The granite bedrock here is the underpinning of an ancient (Mesozoic) system that has been uplifted and the overlying volcanic rocks removed. New volcanoes have built on top of these older rocks at other locations.Left side: A short distance south of Tsumago are two waterfalls. A fellow hiker decided to cool off by immersing himself in the falls. The air temperatures in Japan have remained unseasonable high this year. Right side: A closeup view of the path with DG (decomposed granite). Because the magma cooled deep underground, there was time for large crystals to form. Each of the particles is an individual crystal of quartz or feldspar.Left side: Another example of a thoroughly weathered stone monument, indicating the old age of the monument and obscuring the characteristics of the rock. Middle: A new stone monument where the letters can be clearly seen and the rock type (granite) easily identified. Right side: Parts of the path are a stone pavement, in this case, covered with moss.
Tsumago
The quaint town of Tsumago contains many preserved buildings from the Edo era (lower photos). On the lovely Sunday we were there, the town was filled with visitors, seemingly most of them from nearby parts of Japan (upper left). In Tsumago we stayed at another traditional ryoken named Hanaya. Jay is sitting in our room that was outfitted with a low table and chairs. Before bedtime, we pushed the table to one side of the room and laid two futon mattresses on the floor. We were served dinner and breakfast in a dining room with all tables at a height for floor sitting, as Jay is demonstrating. Although we managed to sit this way, we would not want to do so on a regular basis!This Kiso River valley region has its own special foods. Here are two examples. An older man and his wife were working hard steaming a savory treat called oyaki that is spongy bread with various stuffings (left and middle photos). The two types I sampled had a wild greens stuffing (left one) and a sweet bean stuffing (right one). The right-side photo is mashed rice balls rolled in sweetened soy sauce.
Transportation
With Japan’s excellent public transportation system, this area is easy to reach. From Tokyo, we took a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya, then a local train to Nakatsugawa, followed by a bus to Ochiai, where we began walking to Magome. After finishing the walk at Tsumago, we took a bus to Nagiso, and then a train to Matsumoto, located in a broad valley a short distance north of the Nakasendo.
In Matsumoto, we visited Matsumoto Castle, another remnant of the Edo era. It is one of the few castles that have been well preserved from that era.
Karen, Jay – Have loved your photos and insights and have shared them with my neighbors, Val and Bob Tamura, who are on their way to visit Japan, He’s second generation Japanese and so looking forward to visiting the country of his ancestors!
~Sally (neighbor and fan club member)
Landscapes Revealedon September 20, 2024 at 9:03 pm
Hi Sally, Thanks for reading and sharing with your neighbors! Would be interested in chatting with him after their visit. Sure is an interesting country. 😊
I find the architecture of the buildings from the Edo era to feel rather modern, although clearly they are very old. Also, the interiors are all very simple yet elegant.
One question… how was it navigating the public transport? There must be good information in English, although still some challenges?
Landscapes Revealedon September 20, 2024 at 9:12 pm
Funny—we keep saying that too! Yesterday, in Takayama, we toured the interiors of two Edo-era homes and they felt so modern – simple and elegant. But then architects who we think of as modern – e.g., Frank Lloyd Wright – were inspired by everything Japanese so I think modern has copied ancient.
There are English translations in pretty much all public transportation options. So it’s been fairly easy. And we are in a self-guided trip with aid from a company. I’ll explain that in a future post. Cheers!
K & J, we love your postings. It makes us anticipate pur 4-week trip next week to Japan, starting with Sapporo and as far south as Yakushima via Fukuoka. In Kyushu. Since Morgan lived there, we have focused our previous 5 trips to Japan in Toyko and Kyoto, now inspired by your blogs, we will explore the landscapes, food, onsens and natural settings.
Karen, Jay – Have loved your photos and insights and have shared them with my neighbors, Val and Bob Tamura, who are on their way to visit Japan, He’s second generation Japanese and so looking forward to visiting the country of his ancestors!
~Sally (neighbor and fan club member)
Hi Sally, Thanks for reading and sharing with your neighbors! Would be interested in chatting with him after their visit. Sure is an interesting country. 😊
Wow. Your posts continue to fascinate!
I find the architecture of the buildings from the Edo era to feel rather modern, although clearly they are very old. Also, the interiors are all very simple yet elegant.
One question… how was it navigating the public transport? There must be good information in English, although still some challenges?
Continued pleasant travels…
– Mark & Lynn
Funny—we keep saying that too! Yesterday, in Takayama, we toured the interiors of two Edo-era homes and they felt so modern – simple and elegant. But then architects who we think of as modern – e.g., Frank Lloyd Wright – were inspired by everything Japanese so I think modern has copied ancient.
There are English translations in pretty much all public transportation options. So it’s been fairly easy. And we are in a self-guided trip with aid from a company. I’ll explain that in a future post. Cheers!
K & J, we love your postings. It makes us anticipate pur 4-week trip next week to Japan, starting with Sapporo and as far south as Yakushima via Fukuoka. In Kyushu. Since Morgan lived there, we have focused our previous 5 trips to Japan in Toyko and Kyoto, now inspired by your blogs, we will explore the landscapes, food, onsens and natural settings.
That’s great Dan! So happy my blog postings are timely for your trip. Can’t wait to share experiences. Safe travels to you both.