Nakasendo Way Itinerary 2011
Feedback from the majority of our customers suggests strongly that spending more time walking rather than in the city is preferable. So we are changing one day to follow another old, subsidiary highway that connected with the Nakasendo. This additional route takes us through beautiful countryside to Kaida Kogen, a high plateau situated in the foothills of a sacred volcano, Mt. Ontake. We walk approximately 10km (6.2 miles) over two gentle passes, which provide great views over the plateau to Mt. Ontake. The walking is an entree to our evening's accommodation, a lovely traditional Japanese inn with thermal hot spring baths. Dinner, provided by the inn's charming hostess, is a banquet made from delicious, locally sourced produce.
To do this we are reducing our time in Kyoto to one night. However, we are not neglecting Kyoto and, instead, have created a two day tour for those who wish to spend time exploring this city. The tour will run prior to every Nakasendo Way tour over two days to 5 PM on Day 1 (the Nakasendo Way tour group meets on Day 1 at 6 PM. Our Kyoto tour will be open to anyone but we will discount the price for those joining the Nakasendo Way tour. The Kyoto tour is currently being fine-tuned but will be added to our website by 1 July 2010.
Day 1
Meet in Kyoto in our lodging's foyer at 6 pm for tour briefing. The briefing is followed by dinner with the guide in a nearby restaurant. We will eat at a hospitable local, restaurant in the Pontocho district, a popular area of restaurants, bars and pubs. Here, on occasion, one or two of the famous geisha of the Gion district may be seen on their way to an appointment. En route we will visit Sanjo-ohashi, a bridge that marks the
beginning of the Nakasendo highway.
Dinner provided.
Day 2
Travel by train to the feudal-period castle town of Hikone; walk through the city to see the structure of a castle town and visit the castle, one of only a few in Japan that retains its original, spectacular keep. Train to Sekigahara, in 1600 the site of, arguably, the most important battle in Japanese history. It heralded the start of the 270-year Tokugawa dynasty and Edo period. Stay in traditional inn. Totall walking approximately 6km.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 3
Trains to Mitake followed by a 10 kilometre walk to Hosokute post-town through rolling countryside. Stay in 17th century inn.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 4
22-kilometre walk to Ena along ridge-top route dating from the 8th Century. Picnic lunch near Okute, home to a 1,300-year old cedar tree. Visit the excellent Hiroshige Print Museum in Ena. Stay in a modern hotel (2 stars), private rooms with en suite bathroom. Coin laundry facilities available. Total walking about 22 kilometers.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 5
Our day's walk begins across rolling countryside to Nakatsugawa, an old post town and now a pleasant regional town. Leisurely time here before our afternoon walk in hilly countryside to Shinchaya teahouse, now a refurbished inn. Total walking about 16 kilometers.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 6
Walk to Magome post-town, home of Japan's first modern novelist, Shimazaki Toson (author of Before the Dawn). Then on to O-tsumago, a small cluster of inns, through verdant forests. Stay in traditional inn. Visit the old, high-class inn, now museum, in Tsumago and enjoy an evening bath at a mountaintop hot spring. Total walking of about 14 kilometres walking
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 7
Walk about 6 kilometres through the post town of Tsumago to Nagiso. Then another 18 kilometres through farm land, forested hills and over a steep pass. Take a train to Kiso-Fukushima and stay in a Japanese inn with thermal hot spring baths. Total walking about 24 km.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 8
Transfer part-way by local bus to Kaida Plateau. Our morning walk today is along an old path, which we follow up over Jizo Pass and then down onto the Kaida Plateau. The plateau is dominated by Mt. Ontake, an active volcano that is considered sacred by a Buddhist sect. After lunch of soba (buckwheat) noodles, a speciality of the area, the afternoon walk is an excursion over another high pass that, on a clear day, provides views high over the plateau to Mt. Ontake. We descend from here to our lodgings, a delightful inn with hot springs. Total walking about 10 km. Stay in a modern, Japanese inn.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 9
Return by bus to Kiso-Fukushima to visit the reconstructed barrier station. Continue 6 kilometres along the old highway in the Kiso valley. En route, through quiet villages and post-towns, we pass by the mid-way point of the Nakasendo between Kyoto and Tokyo before catching a train to Yabuhara. Walk 8 kilometres over the Torii-toge pass to the lovely post town of Narai. Free time to explore, relax in cafes and shop in Narai. Stay in a famous inn of ancient lineage. Optional visit to nearby Hirasawa to visit the studios of a master craftsman. Total walking approximately 14 km.
Breakfast and dinner provided.
Day 10
After breakfast transfer by train, through the grand mountains of Japan's Central Alps, to the beautiful Shioda Plateau. Visit an onsen, thermal hot spring, baths before staying the night in Ueda, an old castle town and now a small, regional city. Total walking approximately 11 km.
Breakfast provided.
Day 11
Transfer by train to Karuizawa, where we rejoin the Nakasendo for a 14 kilometre walk over the Usui-toge Pass. We lunch on the way to Yokokawa before continuing on and taking a local train to Takasaki, where we change to the Shinkansen 'Bullet' Train for Tokyo. These trains mostly follow the route of the Nakasendo into the capital. After arriving late afternoon in Tokyo we walk the last two or so kilometres to Nihonbashi bridge, where the Nakasendo terminated, for a fitting finale to the walk. Our final night's lodging is a 3-star hotel close to Nihonbashi and just a few minutes' walk to Tokyo Station. Also, the Ginza, Japan's shopping heaven, is a five-minute taxi ride away. Total walking approximately 16 km
Breakfast provided.
Day 12
Breakfast provided, after which the tour ends.
This itinerary is subject to change.
Quick Tour information Nakasendo Way tour
Price: JPY372,000 (JPY = Japanese Yen) per person. The single room supplement is JPY16,000. Please use the currency converter below to find the current rate in your local currency.
Duration: 12 day, 11 night tour.
Group size: Maximum group size 12 ~ 13 people. Minimum group size 1 person.
Special offer: For customers joining our Nakasendo Way tour our Kyoto Tour and Tokyo Tour are available at discounted prices.
Dates & availability:
Nakasendo Way tour dates
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