Travel Journal

Japan is a popular destination for Kiwi visitors. Having had the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the delayed Olympics being held in 2021, Japan’s profile has never been higher. Many travellers use the Japan Rail network to zoom from one big city to another on the Shinkansen (bullet train), but some are now looking for different ways to explore this fascinating country.

During cherry blossom season, places like Kyoto and Tokyo can get very busy. We wanted to see a different side of Japan, so we chose a self-guided trail walk in central Honshu island. The Nakasendo, or ‘Road through the Central Mountains,’ is a long-distance trail that was part of Japan’s network of highways during the Edo period. It linked Kyoto, the Imperial capital, with Edo (now Tokyo), the political capital, and had 69 post-towns over a total distance of 533km.

The best time to walk this trail is from April to the end of May or from September to November. Summer can be quite hot and humid. We chose the 5-day version of the walk (you can also do it in 3, 4, or 6 days) and covered the loveliest sections of the original route. We stayed in local inns (ryokan and minshuku) each night. The minshuku are simpler, run by local families with smaller rooms and shared bathrooms, while the ryokans offer a grander experience with spacious rooms, often ensuite, and sometimes with their own onsen (thermal bath). Both have comfortable futon mattresses.

Very little English is spoken in this region, so we used a lot of sign language, nodding, and bowing to communicate with our hosts. Learning a few basic Japanese phrases also helped, and the locals appreciated our attempts. Each morning and evening, our hosts prepared delicious bento-style meals from locally sourced ingredients, served with green tea. We bought snacks for lunch from local supermarkets as we passed through small towns, which often have vending machines selling hot and iced coffee and even beer! On the first day, we enjoyed delicious ramen at a local restaurant on the trail.

Our walk took us through the picturesque Kiso Valley and Karuizawa, visiting the well-preserved villages of Magome, Tsumago, and Narai. The walking varied from just 1 hour to 6 hours a day, covering 53km in total. It’s best to take your time and not rush. The trail is undulating, with only one steep downhill section on the final day from Karuizawa to Yokokawa. Walking the Nakasendo from West to East, starting in Kyoto and ending in Tokyo, is the best way to go. We took a break to visit Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan’s best historic castles.

Pre-paid train tickets (with seat reservations where needed) are provided to link the different sections of the trail. Your day may start or end with a regional train to the next stage, and these tickets are delivered to your hotel in Kyoto before you start the walk. You also get incredibly detailed step-by-step and turn-by-turn instructions (with photos!) for the walk, though the trail is well signposted in most places.

You need very little luggage on the trail as robes and slippers are provided in each inn. There’s little to do in each post town after dark, so you can manage with just a decent-sized (25 litre) day pack for spare clothes. Your main luggage is transferred by the efficient ‘takkyubin’ service from Kyoto to Tokyo. When we arrived in Tokyo, it took just 5 minutes to be reunited with our bags.

There were magical moments along the way. An elderly Japanese man in Narai gave us sweets. We had a spectacular meal at our ryokan in Karuizawa, which included ‘fugu’ (blowfish). Our ryokan in Kiso-Fukushima was stunning, and we didn’t want to leave. It snowed on our last night, and we walked through a forest with bear prints visible in the fresh snow. We carried a little bell on our day pack to avoid surprising any moon bears and rang ‘bear bells’ as we entered forest sections they frequent.

Over the 5 days, we saw very few other tourists and felt a million miles away from Japan’s big cities. It was quite a shock to arrive at Tokyo Station after 5 days in the rural idyll. The Nakasendo was a fabulous experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone reasonably fit who would enjoy a rural insight into Japan’s fascinating history and culture.