• Nakasendo was formerly known as the Higashisendo and connects Kyoto and the eastern provinces including present day Tokyo. It was one of five highways created within a 7 year period from 1601 along with the Tokaido, Nikko, Oshu, and Koshu. This tour is a 5 hour mountain trail walk that traverses along a 9km trail that connects the two most beautiful post towns along the Nakasendo - Magome-Juku and Tsumago-Juku. Both towns still retain their medieval flare. Your guide will show you the commercial town in the Tono region that flourished when the highway was active. From cobbled roads going through Magome-Juku, the view of Mt. Ena, a quaint teahouse on a mountain pass, and beautiful mountain village scenery around Tsumago-Juku, there is no doubt that you will feel like you've been transported back to medieval Japan.

Meet your guide at Nakatsugawa Station’s ticket gate at 9:00am before heading off to your first destination of Magome-Juku via bus. Magome-Juku is a post town on this ancient highway where many samurai passed through on their journey to and from the capital of Edo (present day Tokyo) between the 17th and mid-19th centuries. Located at an altitude of 600m, you can take in the vast cityscape of Nakatsugawa and Mt. Ena (one of Japan's 100 greatest mountains) in the southeast. Magome-Juku's highway runs along a steep slope along the ridge of the mountain, and is characterized by "hill houses" because the inns had to be built on steep slopes, and are therefore supported with stone walls at the base.