The Nakasendo is Japan's historic mountain highway between Kyoto and Tokyo, taking you through 69 ancient post towns, mountain passes, and rural villages most tourists never see. Our accommodation guide and GPX files cover it in full. You do not need to walk all 540km to experience it. The Kiso Valley section passing through Magome, Tsumago, and the mountain villages of Nagano is one of the most scenic and historically intact stretches, and is accessible as a multi-day trip from Tokyo or Nagoya.
Planning your own walk? Start with our guide to walking the Nakasendo self-guided → Read the first 35 pages of the Nakasendo Field Guide free →
If you've read some articles on our blog, you know that we are passionate about travelling and hiking. So here is our first-hand account of the whole Nakasendo, Kyoto to Tokyo: 18 days on foot, the last day by bike. The route day by day, the weather, what we packed.
