Nakasendo trail

●Prefecture: Mainly Nagano, Gifu 

●Walking season: APR to DEC (JAN,FEB,MAR are snow on trail)

●Technical Level:★★☆☆☆

●Highlights route for day trip: Around 9km,up and down 200-400m,3hours

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Nakasendo is one of the five main highways of the Edo period, connecting Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo in present day). The total length of the road was about 540 km, and there were 69 stops along the way.

In the Edo period, unlike Tokaido highway which cannot be used during heavy rains and floods, Nakasendo, has no rivers crossing it so the passage could be made on schedule, that’s why it was favored by many travelers, from feudal lords and Nobles to commoners.

The Nakasendo was also called "Princess Road" because it was used to grand passage of feudal lords and noble princesses who married into the Shogun's family.

The Kiso area is located in the mountainous Nagano Prefecture and famously includes a length of the Nakasendo (central mountain route) trail – one of the Five Routes of the Edo period. These routes were travelled by feudal lords making their annual visit to the capital of Edo (Tokyo). The Nakasendo trail spans 540 kilometres of stunning mountainous terrain between Kyoto and Tokyo and featured 69 station towns where travellers could rest during their long journey.

The Kiso area is home to eleven of these historic station towns including the well preserved Magome, Tsumago and Narai. Another town, Kiso Fukushima, is a quaint riverside valley town famously featuring the Kiso Fukushima Checkpoint, Kozen-ji Temple (housing Asia’s largest dry rock garden) and dozens of old Ryokan backing onto the river for an aesthetic reminiscent of Kyoto. No trip to Kiso is complete without walking the Nakasendo trail, however there are also many other hiking opportunities in the surrounding mountains.