We covered the whole Nakasendo, Kyoto to Tokyo, in 19 days and turned it into a field guide. Read the first 35 pages free.
534km historic road · 69 post towns · 19 days · Kyoto to Tokyo
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What's in your free preview
The first 35 pages of the Nakasendo Field Guide, so you can see exactly how it works before the road begins:
- The introduction: the Nakasendo, Japan's five historic roads, and our 19-day itinerary from Kyoto to Tokyo.
- Our GPX guide: how to load the tracks onto Garmin, Apple Watch, AllTrails, Komoot or Google My Maps.
- Our packing guide: the shoes, backpacks and navigation we carried for three weeks.
- Day 1 in full: Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto to Kusatsu, with the route map, elevation profile, where we stayed and the journal.
EPUB (about 6MB, best for phones) or PDF (about 50MB, best for printing or a tablet).
Look inside
The full Nakasendo Field Guide: 19 days from Kyoto to Tokyo
Every day chapter opens the same way: the route, the distance, the walking time, the post towns and the GPX track, then where we stayed. The journal for each day is on the blog as we write it.
- Day 1 Sanjo Ohashi, Kyoto → Kusatsu · 23.9 km
- Day 2 Kusatsu → Echigawa · 31.8 km
- Day 3 Echigawa → Kashiwabara · 31.2 km
- Day 4 Kashiwabara → Akasaka · 19.1 km
- Day 5 Akasaka → Kano · 20.3 km
- Day 6 Kano → Ota · 27.8 km (31.5 km door to door)
- Day 7 Ota → Hosokute · 21.9 km
- Day 8 Hosokute → Ooi · 20.1 km
- Day 9 Ooi → Magome (Part 1 · Part 2) · 21.7 km
- Day 10 Magome → Suhara · 29.1 km
- Day 11 Suhara → Miyanokoshi · 27.6 km
- Day 12 Miyanokoshi → Seba · 31.3 km
- Day 13 Seba → Shimosuwa · 23.1 km
- Day 14 Shimosuwa → Nagakubo · 29.1 km
- Day 15 Nagakubo → Iwamurada · 26.7 km
- Day 16 Iwamurada → Karuizawa · 22.7 km
- Day 17 Karuizawa → Annaka · 34.6 km
- Day 18 Annaka → Honjo · 31.1 km
- Day 19 Honjo → Nihonbashi, Tokyo · 12 km on foot + 78.7 km by bike
Short on time? The Kiso Valley in 3 days, or a week on the best of the road
Not everyone can take three weeks off, and not everyone wants to walk all 540km in one go. We understand that completely. The Kiso Valley, with Magome, Tsumago and Narai-juku, is the stretch most people come to walk, so we've built two shorter routes around it in the guide, using the same maps, GPX tracks and places to stay as the day chapters.
Before you go
Seven chapters on everything we wish we'd known before we set off:
- How to use the GPX files
- Budget
- Climate
- Packing for a 19-day hike in Japan
- Where to stay
- Physical preparation
- Practical tips ahead of the trip
Questions
How long is the Nakasendo?
The historic road is 534 km. Our route came to 564 km: we walked from Kyoto for 18 days, then cycled the last stretch into Tokyo. It runs from Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto to Nihonbashi in Tokyo, through 69 post towns.
How many days do you need?
We covered the whole road in 19 days: 18 days on foot, then the last stretch into Tokyo by bike. If you have less time, the Kiso Valley stretch is the most popular section and can be walked in a few days; the guide covers shorter options too.
Is there a map or GPX file?
Yes. The full Nakasendo Field Guide includes 21 GPX tracks, one for every stage, which work with Garmin, AllTrails, Komoot and Google My Maps. The free preview includes our GPX guide and Day 1.
Where do you stay?
We stayed in 19 places over 20 nights, from business hotels to family-run inns. Every one is reviewed in the guide with what we paid.
What do I get when I sign up?
The 35-page preview to download straight away in EPUB or PDF, and our free newsletter: Nakasendo journal updates as each new day is published, plus recipes and travel. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Questions? Email nakasendo@tomiescuisine.co.uk
Your free preview is one step away
The introduction, our GPX and packing guides, and Day 1 in full — 35 pages, free. Add your name and email and you'll be able to download it straight away in EPUB or PDF, and we'll let you know as each new day is published.
Check your inbox and click the link in our email to confirm. Your download will then be waiting for you on this page.