The Nakasendo Way

Take the ancient samurai pathway through the Kiso Valley past picturesque farmhouses and tea fields.

The best way to appreciate the Kiso Valley is to explore the region on foot, just as the samurai would have done. The villages of Tsumago and Magome sit on the Nakasendo Way, an ancient samurai pathway that traverses the lower Japanese Alps linking Kyoto and Matsumoto. Today the 3 hour walk between the two villages is well worth it for scenes of rural life, farmhouses and tea fields. The path is signposted in Japanese and English and is fairly gentle in terms of elevation.

Like the Cotswolds in England, the walk through the Kiso Valley is simply charming; the perfect place for a relaxed wander, taking photos of quaint Japanese buildings, popping into craftshops and saying konnichiwa to the friendly locals you'll meet en-route.

The Nakasendo Way

located in Tsumago

Interested in this Experience? It is included in this tour:

Journey across Honshu Island to visit the towns and landscapes depicted in the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige.

Through the Floating World

This two-week trip allows you to delve into the life and work of two of Japan's greatest woodblock print artists as you journey to the postal towns and iconic mountains that inspired their most famous works, and provides plenty of time to visit the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa along the way.

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