Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Trail Day Hike with Government-Licensed Guide
Description
Kiso Valley, best known for the Magome and Tsumago traditional villages, is another beautiful spot in the Japanese Alps. With one of the most famous hiking paths in all Japan, we set foot there on our quest for traditional Japan. Magome and Tsumago are two beautifully preserved traditional villages. This value-packed Nakasendo trail day hike between Magome and Tsumago with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore both of the ancient post towns! It is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) long and has only gentle elevation changes which takes around 2 hours to easy walk at a leisurely pace. This private tour is a hiking day tour. Please wear hiking boots and gear for this tour. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs.
Tour Options
Itinerary
While Magome and Tsumago served the same purposes for old-time travelers, the city has been preserved and restored in a very different way than Tsumago, with a broad stone walkway lined with trees and many traditional houses and craft shops. Another difference is that it is on a slope, which leads to some beautiful views of the surrounding valley, and is home to several small museums that showcase the history of the town, the artists that lived there and their way of living. I would recommend grabbing a drink or something to eat at the restaurants on top of the village and enjoy the views over the valley, or at the lower part to mix with the very interesting locals.
Tsumago is almost flat but also a very charming village that takes you back to the old Japan. The town was one of the first historical preservation projects in all Japan (if not the first) and it recreates the ambience with its unpaved streets and concealed cables. It keeps many of the traditional houses, like the original inn (the Honjin) that welcomed the merchants that traveled the Nakasendo, and the secondary inn (Wakihonjin), the old notice board used to publish the decrees from the Shogun, the Buddhist temple (built during the XVI Century)… But you’ll find it even more charming on it’s best enjoyed at night, when they lit up their lanterns and everything becomes quiet but, maybe, a drum beating.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.
- This tour is not available from December until the end of February due to icy conditions. Please book Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Full-Day Private Trip with Government-Licensed Guide if you wish to visit these areas. You must use the bus to visit these areas and will not able to hike.
Reviews(41)
Excellent experience with Taku who taught us so much about the area, took us to a great restaurant and helped us on the trail!
Thank you very much for your kind review! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Nakasendo Trail experience. Your positive feedback is very encouraging and motivates me to continue improving as a guide. I hope to welcome you back to Japan again in the future. Thank you for joining my tour! TAKU
Our guide Taku Hasegawa was so knowledgeable and pointed out so many interesting facts whilst we were hiking the Nakasendo trail. He made sure we had regular breaks on what was an extremely hot day and the whole experience was really enjoyable.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review and for joining the Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Trail hike with me. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience and found the stories and historical details along the trail interesting. It was certainly a very hot day, so I’m glad the pacing and regular breaks helped make the hike comfortable and enjoyable for you. The Nakasendo trail has so much history and natural beauty, and it was a pleasure to share it with you. I truly appreciate your kind words and hope you will visit Japan again in the future. - Taku
We had the pleasure of joining Yuriko for a beautiful and informative walk from Magome to Tsumago on the Nakasendo Trail. Yuriko is a wonderful educator with great knowledge of the history and lore of the post towns on the trail. She made the experience easy, too, providing us with a perfect schedule for the day, including meeting us at our guest house in the morning and arranging for a bento box lunch that we shared under cherry blossoms. Yuriko made the stories come alive and provided us with an unforgettable experience in a magical part of Japan. Enthusiastically recommended!
Thank you for an excellent review and wonderful comments. I also had a precious time with you in Nakasendo Trail Tour. Especially, having a bento box just beside beautiful cherry blossoms with you was so nice memory for me! (Just like a "hanami" party.) I was very impressed with both of you, because you are very interested in Japanese culture and language. Please come to Japan again. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the future. Your guide, Yuriko
Hiroshi-San was an excellent guide. Gave us a history of Japan before we started the walk so we have understanding of the Nakasendo walk history. He was a gentleman and speaks English well as he lived in USA for a long time. He was attentive and very helpful holding my arm as I navigate the downhill slope as I was afraid of falling, We enjoyed Hiroshi-San company very much. It is better to have a guide as we saw some people taking the wrong way and Hiroshi-San alerted them ... perhaps they are on wrong path. Definitely recommend Hiroshi-San as a guide. He also does Nagoya tours
Thank you very much for your kind and thoughtful review. I’m delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Nakasendo Trail walk between Magome and Tsumago. It was a real pleasure guiding you and sharing the stories behind this historic route. I truly appreciate your warm words, and I’m glad I could assist you during the walk. I hope the memories of the Nakasendo and the beautiful scenery of the Kiso Valley will stay with you for a long time. I’d be very happy to guide you on another adventure! Warm regards, Hiroshi
Loved walking the trail and learning a lot of history from our awesome guide Ito. You can hike it on your own but we thought it was worth it to learn so much about the area. He also took us through a museum and explained everything - nothing in English. He also gave great suggestions for regional foods. Bring cash because you’ll need it for restaurants, museum, trains, cabs, busses.
Thank you for your great review. I love to travel with my guests, sometimes explain too much. This time we enjoyed hiking a lot. I was happy to give you more values than only hiking in the beautiful nature. Ito
I had a wonderful day hiking the Nakasendo trail. I would highly recommend my guide Hiroshi. He was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly. He elevated the hiking experience, arranging a stop for a soba lunch, and a visit to a waki-honjin museum. He even assisted my with navigating transportation back to Nagoya. I ended the day with deeper appreciation of the beauty, history and culture of the area and Japan. This was on of the best tours I have taken.
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m glad you enjoyed the Nakasendo hike, the soba lunch, and the waki-honjin museum. It was a pleasure sharing the trail’s beauty and history with you. I hope to see you again on another journey in Japan! Best regards, Hiroshi
I had a wonderful day hiking the Nakasendo trail. I would highly recommend my guide Hiroshi. He was knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic. He elevated the hiking experience, arranging a stop for a soba lunch, and a visit to a waki-honjin museum. He even assisted me with navigating transportation back to Nagoya. I ended the day with a deeper appreciation of the beauty, history and culture of the area and Japan. This was one of the best tours I have taken.
Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m glad you enjoyed the Nakasendo hike, the soba lunch, and the waki-honjin museum. It was a pleasure sharing the trail’s beauty and history with you. I hope to see you again on another journey in Japan! Best regards, Hiroshi
We had a great day with Yoshi despite the full day of rain walking from Magome to Tsumago. Yoshi shared about the history and background to the Nakasendo and also brought us to a lovely spot for lunch and was great with our two boys with little gifts for them. It was a very enjoyable walk on the misty track and we were glad to have Yoshi guiding us. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for your kind review. Even with the rain, I'm glad we could enjoy the misty beauty of the Nakasendo together—it added a special atmosphere to the walk. Your boys' smiles made the day even brighter, and I’m happy they liked the little gifts. It was a pleasure guiding your family, and I hope to welcome you again someday! Yoshi
Very enjoyable walk albeit overpriced for what was on offer. Matt, our guide was friendly and good company. He brought us to a great lunch venue, the food was excellent. This walk could easily be done independently.
Thank you very much for your complimentary feedback which is encouraging and motivates me a lot. I wish you safe trip home with good memories of Japan. Matt
Matt was a great host. He was friendly and informative. He gave our nine year old daughter many quizzes along the way to keep her entirely engaged. Although we could have probably done the walk by ourselves we got so much insight from the guided tour. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your compliments which is really encouraging and it motivates me a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed walking with you and your lovely daughter who is charming and smart. She was my first guest who has answered my quizzes perfectly. I wish you all the best and safe trip home with good memories of Nakasendo. Your guide, Matt Enomoto
