Magome to Tsumago, 9km

If you are looking for a day hike through historical communities in rural Japan, the Nakasendo trail might just be for you!

The 9 km section that I walked with my family in early April 2025, connecting the vibrant old towns of Magome and Tsumago in the Kiso Valley is especially famous, offering a well-preserved glimpse into feudal Japan with cobblestone paths, traditional wooden inns, serene forests and majestic waterways. The full Nakasendo Way was established in the Edo period between 1603 and 1868, is 500 km long and connected Kyoto and Edo (the old name for modern-day Tokyo). It served as a vital path for samurai, merchants, and pilgrims, connecting 69 post towns through rugged mountains and lush valleys. Today, it’s a popular hiking route, blending cultural heritage with stunning natural beauty, drawing travellers to experience its timeless charm.

For us, it was a big day of travel! We took an early bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya with a gorgeous view of Mt Fuji from the window, then boarded another train to the small town of Nakatsugawa, which had a very helpful tourist station with EKI stamps for the kids to add to their stamp books. Finally we boarded a packed bus headed to Magome-juku, the start of our hike.

The bus took us through rural towns and countryside. I had not expected to be surrounded by huge mountains, some still showing streaks of snow from winter, as most of the information about the hike focused on the towns and not the countryside. Near the bus stop at Magome was a busy food outlet, we had an ice cream but decided to buy lunch from one of the vendors further in- these folks seemed to have enough customers!

The walk through Magome was uphill and there were many beautiful old Edo era buildings, some sporting mill wheels to keep us snapping pictures. Many of the buildings held shops so we browsed. I had forgotten my hat so picked up a proper tourist hat that said “Magome” on it. 

It was a beautiful town to stroll through,  with old stone walls, serene Japanese trees, cute gardens, small shrines, little streams running along the buildings, thriving inns and many many store fronts. There was a tourist information shelter that contain more stamps for the kids to collect. As we climbed we found some food vendors and I tried a spinach filled bun which was very yum. We stopped for lunch at a soba noodle establishment and had an amazingly satisfying meal. 

As we climbed we were treated to views across the valley, with the mountains in the distance and the occasional cherry blossom.

As we exited the village we were greeted by signs telling us to watch out for bears, and there were bears bells positioned regularly along the trail. We all took turns giving it a ring. I did hear a crash in the trees but it was probably a falling branch – at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

We came upon a small rest area with its own water wheel and even a waterfall. We rested here, a little concerned about all the uphill and wondering whether we had walked in the right direction.  We passed a few small shrines and came upon a bamboo grove with a tiny little path.  Beyond that was a small store and a sign marking the highest part of the trail. This was a relief as I was worried the kids would start grumbling.

Shortly after, we arrived a a tea house that offered small cups of green tea for a donation. It was a welcome rest stop. Inside was a machine for making baskets and sandals out of straw which I found fascinating. Just as we were about to leave it started to close and I was glad we had made it in time. There were lots of other hikers here, many doing longer walks. I spoke to a gentleman who said he had another two weeks left on the trail. I’m highly jealous! This was actually a highlight of the trail and I highly recommend timing arrival prior to three o’clock so you get to experience it.

Next we walked through a forest of tall trees and alongside small rocky streams and cascades. This was a very beautiful section with little bridges and rock walls and the like. There was something artificial (but not ugly) about the hills in places- I think there was some work done to stabilise them against land slips.

We approached a small village. There were shrines on the roadside and cherry blossoms still in bloom. one of the buildings had a giant horse outside that was completely made of straw! It was very impressive. It was clear though that most stores and other vendors had closed their doors so we were walking through a very quiet town. Such a contrast from the bustle of Magome. At around five o’clock there was a loud “ding dong ding dong” tune played through speakers along the streets. I later found out that this was the same speakers used for disaster warnings and it essentially gets tested each day to announce the end of the day – so kids also know when it’s time to come home! There were some nice looking inns at Tsumago too and I wish we had been able to stay, but we had decided to stay in the next town which had a train station.

Tsumago was pretty, but it felt like a bit of an anticlimax arriving so late with nothing open, and the cloud cover had made everything seem a bit dull and subdued. So if I were to do this walk again I would leave Magome at 9 or 10 am so I could arrive in time to see Tsumago in full flair. On the plus side, the walk was at an end and we had survived the bears!

We found the bus stop and we started waiting for a bus but noticed a taxi pull up and park. After googling it seemed that the last bus might not be able to carry everyone, and the taxi fill likely knew this and were just waiting. There wasn’t that many people waiting so we likely wouldn’t have had an issue, but we just didn’t feel like waiting. So, we jumped in the taxi (the driver was very nice) and were taken the small distance to our home for the night in the beautiful river town of Nagiso. We hit up the local supermarket for some food (you can survive the language barrier knowing “arigato gozaimasu” and then lots of nodding and smiling!) and ate in our apartment, which was in a traditional Japanese style with futons and a low table. The rain the set in and the evening became very cold. After watching some Japanese television, we were ready for bed. I think we had all enjoyed the day! Our apartment had a balcony overlooking the river which flowed under a very pretty suspension bridge. The mountains surrounded the valley, the view was framed by Cherry Blossom trees, and even in the rain everything was lovely. It was a picturesque scene to finish the adventure.

I highly recommend this walk. It was a great adventure with the family away from the big cities. Indeed, I’d love to come back and walk a longer stretch. I’ve become a fan of Japan after this trip! Thanks for watching and please let me know in the comments your experience on this trail if you choose to do it. I’d love to know what I missed for next time!

Here’s the video I made along the way. Worth a look – and please consider subscribing if you like it.