Walk the Nakasendo Trail
Walk the Nakasendo Trail
Walk the Nakasendo Trail
11 Days Starting in Osaka and ending in Tokyo
Visiting: Kyoto, Kuramae, Magome, Tsumagoi, Lake Nojiri, Fukushima, Yabuhara, Narai, Karuizawa, Tokyo
Tour operator:
Tour code:
W10NK
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Physical rating:
Moderate
Age range:
8-99
Trip Styles:
Interests:
From:
$5615 (USD)Tour Overview
The Nakasendo Trail or 'Road through the Central Mountains' was part of Japan's network of highways. Travellers moving between Kyoto and Tokyo took several days to travel the Nakasendo, staying overnight in Juku post towns. In the seventeenth century, the Nakasendo was crowded with travellers, including feudal lords, samurai, itinerant merchants, and pilgrims. Now largely forgotten and quiet, the road provides a pleasant trail through scenic countryside and the history of Japan.
Explore the fascinating city of Kyoto before starting the Nakasendo Trail, your trip ends in the sprawling city of Tokyo. Famous for its beautifully built Buddhist temples and traditional teahouses, Kyoto is a great introduction to your Japanese adventure. From here, you can visit the historical city of Nara, full of cultural treasures and tranquil gardens.
In Tokyo you can experience the whole breadth of Japanese arts and culture, not to mention the abundance of culinary treasures. An ever-evolving city, Tokyo is an explosion for the senses with a discovery around every corner.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrive In Kyoto
Location: Kyoto
Take the express train from Osaka Kansai Int. Airport to Kyoto City (approx. 70mins), then a local taxi to your first hotel. (approx. 10mins).
Overnight Kyoto.
Day 2 : Explore Kyoto
Location: Kyoto
Meals Included: breakfast
Enjoy a rest day in the incredible city of Kyoto, famous for its Buddhist temples, tranquil gardens, and traditional teahouses. We recommend visiting the historical city of Nara, full of cultural treasures and expansive parks, located approx. 1hr from Kyoto city on the train.
Overnight Kyoto.
Day 3 : Kuramaa To Kibune
Location: Kuramae
Meals Included: breakfast
Take the train to the hills of northern Kyoto (included), on sacred Mount Kurama. Here, Samurai trained with mountain Buddhist practitioners in the 12th century. From Kurama Temple, walk to the Kifune Shrine, which is known for bringing good fortune to those seeking luck in love. The walk begins with a steep and long ascent up stone steps to the Kurama Temple. Stop to take in the beautiful scenery and spend some time at the shrines and smaller temples along the way. Return by local train to Kyoto (included). The remainder of your day is free for you to explore Kyoto.
Overnight Kyoto.
Day 4 : Magome To Tsumago
Location: Magome
Meals Included: breakfast, dinner
Begin with a train journey from Kyoto to Nakatsugawa, including a ride on the world-famous Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Nagoya (included). At Nakatsugawa, you board a local bus for the short journey to Magome. Walk over Magome Pass to Tsumago, one of the best preserved and most evocative of the Nakasendo post towns. Spend the night at a family-run Minshuku in Tsumago or the nearby hamlet of O-Tsumago, with a delicious home-cooked Japanese dinner and breakfast included.
Overnight Minshuku Guesthouse, Tsumago.
Day 5 : Tsumago/Nagiso To Nojiri
Location: Tsumagoi, Lake Nojiri
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
Today is your longest day on the trail and is a beautiful and varied hike from Tsumago or Nagiso to Nojiri. The trail travels through small valleys and past forests of bamboo and Japanese cedar, through some of the least-developed scenery on the tour. Continue by train to Kiso-Fukushima (included). Stay at a lovely hot-spring Ryokan set in a peaceful valley above the town. Complimentary transfer from the station is provided by the Ryokan. Â
Overnight Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), Kiso-Fukushima.
Day 6 : Gongentaki Waterfall
Location: Fukushima
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
If you have free time in Kiso Fukushima, you can take this optional walk from Kiso Fukushima Station to Gongentaki Waterfall. The trail combines a riverside path, a dirt trail leading up to the waterfall, and gentle descent back down through a quiet neighbourhood with good views over the town and the traditional buildings near the Nakasendo Trail.
Overnight Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), Kiso-Fukushima.
Day 7 : Yabuhara To Narai
Location: Yabuhara, Narai
Meals Included: breakfastdinner
The Ryokan will drive you back to Kiso-Fukushima after breakfast. From here, you take the train to Yabuhara (included) which is the starting point for your walk over the Torii pass to Narai. Explore this atmospheric village before check-in at your family-run inn in the heart of the village. Your hosts will serve a home-cooked Japanese dinner and breakfast.
Overnight Minshuku Guesthouse, Narai.
Day 8 : Narai To Kiso-Hirasawa
Location: Narai
Meals Included: breakfast, dinner
After breakfast, walk the short distance to the small town of Kiso-Hirasawa, famous for its lacquerware. There are many small shops selling beautifully crafted tableware and furniture. From here, you take the train to Karuizawa or Komoro (included). Both locations have lovely inns with a real sense of history and fine Japanese baths.
Travel first to Matsumoto where you can visit the famous castle before connecting onwards to your final stop – total travel time by train is around three hours, not including the optional break of journey in Matsumoto. Arrive at your accommodation in time for a wonderful dinner with local produce.
Overnight Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), Karuizawa/Komoro.
Day 9 : Karuizawa To Yokokawa
Location: Karuizawa
Meals Included: breakfast
After breakfast, your final walk on the Nakasendo Trail is from Karuizawa to Yokokawa. Leaving Karuizawa, the trail takes you over the Usui-toge Pass and down a gentle descent along one of the most beautiful sections of the Nakasendo, and certainly the least-developed. From Yokokawa, take the local train to Takasaki and change there for your ride on the Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo (approx. 3 hours - included).
Overnight Tokyo.
Day 10 : Rest Day In Tokyo
Location: Tokyo
Meals Included: breakfast
You have a full day in Tokyo to explore this vibrant city. Visit the glittering Ginza area with elegant department stores and food halls crammed with all kinds of unfamiliar delicacies. Or spend time among the skyscrapers of Shinjuku and pass-through Shinjuku station, the busiest transport hub in the world. Eat and drink in one of the myriad small bars and restaurants which cluster around most railway stations or splash out on an elegant meal in an upscale restaurant.
Overnight Tokyo.
Day 11 : Depart Tokyo
Location: Tokyo
Meals Included: breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before walking to Hamamatsucho station (approx. 10mins) to take the monorail directly to Tokyo Haneda Airport (approx. 15mins - paid locally).
What's Included
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Meals
10 breakfasts, 0 lunches, 5 dinners.
What's Not Included
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Lunches
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Travel insurance
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Single supplements
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Solo traveller supplement (where only one person is travelling on a departure date)
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Visas and vaccinations
Food
Accommodation
Hotels: Modern western-style hotels are used. The rooms are generally smaller than equivalent hotels in the West. All have en-suite facilities, air-conditioning, TV, and fridges in rooms.
Ryokan: Ryokan are traditional Japanese-style inns. They may be in modern concrete or older wooden buildings, but the rooms are always in the Japanese style with tatami (straw) matting and futons laid out in the evening by the ryokan staff. Evening meals* are served together usually in the dining room and are exquisitely prepared multicourse meals. Many ryokans have both en-suite bathrooms (except for some older buildings) and communal hot spring style baths. They are the classic Japanese experience.
Minshuku: Minshuku are usually family-run traditional Japanese-style inns. They have tatami-mat rooms, with futons laid out in the evening for sleeping. Most minshuku do not have en-suite bathrooms as they are in older traditional wooden buildings. Compared with a ryokan, they are usually (but not always) slightly less formal, but the service and food* are just as good.
At these the inns and Shukubo, futon bedding on tatami mat is provided; toilet and bathing facilities may be shared.
*Most meals will be Japanese cuisine. Vegetarian options are available but limited. Strict vegetarian diets, vegan diets, or gluten free diets will be difficult to accommodate due to the pervasiveness of the fish-based stock dashi and the use of soy sauce and miso in Japanese cuisine. Tips are not required when dining in Japan.
Check out our Q&As
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.