Summer Nakasendo Way itinerary

This itinerary for the Summer Nakasendo Way trip is "ground only," beginning in Nagoya and ending in Matsumoto. Train connections are easily made to Nagoya and from Matsumoto from/to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka and further afield. After receiving the booking and deposit we will provide detailed instructions for getting to the meeting point at Nagoya Railway Station from Osaka's Kansai Airport (KIX), Tokyo's Narita Airport (NRT) and Chubu (Nagoya) International Airport.

Please note that on Day 3 the main baggage will be shipped in advance overnight. On these days all items you require for overnight will need to be carried in your daypack.

Day 1

After meeting mid-morning in Nagoya we catch a train to Nakatsugawa, an old post town and now a pleasant regional town. A leisurely lunch and tour briefing here before an afternoon walk in hilly countryside to Shinchaya teahouse, now a refurbished inn. Total walking about 10 kilometres.

Lunch and dinner provided.

Day 2

Walk to Magome post-town, which was the home of Shimazaki Toson. Toson wrote Before the Dawn, considered to be Japan's first modern novel. Then on to Tsumago, the classic hike of the Nakasendo through verdant forests. Stay in a traditional inn. Visit the old, high-class inn, now museum, in Tsumago. Total walking of about 14 kilometres.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 3

Walk of about 6 kilometres to Nagiso before catching a train to Kiso-Fukushima. A short taxi journey to the beginning of our walk over a pass and on to the Kaida Plateau, which is dominated by Mt. Ontake, a volcano and one of Japan's sacred mountains. Another walk takes us over another pass and to our lodgings, a Japanese inn with hot spring.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 4

Catch a local bus to Kiso-Fukushima, where we visit the reconstructed Edo Period barrier station before taking a short ride 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 before transferring by train and taxi to the Norikura Plateau high in Japan’s Central Alps. We stay tonight and the following night in a cozy pension with thermal hot spring baths. Total walking approximately 8 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 5

After breakfast we ride on a bus up Mt. Norikura to 2,702 metres where we alight and climb the rest of the way to the peak at 3,026 metres. Here we are awarded fantastic, 360 degree views over the Central Alps, which include some of the highest mountains in Japan. Today, we explore some of the many trails on Mt. Norikura before taking the bus back down to our accommodation. Total walking depends on how much the group wishes to walk but will vary between 6 ~ 10 km and total height gain of approximately 350 ~ 800 metres.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 6

A less arduous day as we spend the morning exploring the lower level trails and vistas of the Norikura Plateau. Lunch is followed by a waterfall walk before returning by late afternoon to Matsumoto, where we spend our last night in a hotel in the centre of this elegant city. Total walking approximately 12 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 7

Breakfast in the hotel followed by a guided visit to Matsumoto castle and the city. The tour finishes around lunchtime but the city has plenty more to explore if you wish to do so. Express trains connect Matsumoto to Tokyo and Nagoya, where onward Shinkansen 'Bullet' trains speed to Kyoto. Your tour leader will help you organise your tickets, etc. as required.

Breakfast provided.

This itinerary is subject to change.

Please see Tour Dates for scheduled tours and their availability. Contact Walk Japan for more information and to receive the booking form. More information about the history of the Nakasendo highway is available at our specialist website  Nakasendo Highway: A Journey to the Heart of Japan.