Overview
Traditionally created so that 17th century feudal lords, samurai and traders could transport their missives and minions between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo), the Nakasendo Trail now has a more peaceful mission. To provide a slow, central mountain route through ancient forests, along ridges and mountain paths with views of the Japanese Alps, all dipping down to a collection of 69 ‘post towns’, such as Magome, Tsumago and Narai, still proudly hosting travellers in traditional ryokan inns. The traditional trail is 500km, but our Nakasendo Trail guided walking holiday covers a rich collection of its highlights over 12 days, with time in Tokyo and Kyoto included.
We also have a six day, self-guided walking holiday on the Nakasendo Trail. For more details, see here.
- Nakasendo Trail
- Mount Koya
- Tokyo
- Kyoto
- Nara
- Post towns of Narai, Tsumago and Magome
- Stay in traditional ryokans
Itinerary
Day 1: Meet in Tokyo
Meet with the group at your hotel in central Tokyo. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
- Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel or similar in Tokyo
- Meals included: dinner
Day 2: Explore Tokyo
Spend the day exploring Tokyo with a walking tour. The tour starts at Nihonbashi, considered to be the centre of Japan and kilometre zero for all of Japan’s main roads, dating back to the Edo period. Visit Ueno and the Tokyo National Museum to see exhibits illuminating the Japan of the Edo period, which was the heyday of the Nakasendo Trail. Alternatively, visit the Kappabashi District, famous for selling kitchenware and plastic food samples used in restaurant displays. End the tour at Meiji Shrine and the fashionable Harajuku district.
- Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel or similar in Tokyo
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 3: Kiso-Hirasawa – Narai | 2.5km
Begin with a journey from Tokyo by train to the remote Kiso Valley. Stop for a traditional lunch in Shiojiri, before walking from Kiso-Hirasawa, known for its traditional lacquerwear, to Narai. Spend the night in Narai, a preserved post town.
- Accommodation: Iseya or similar in Narai
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
- Walking for the day: 2.5km, 1h, negligible ascent and descent
Day 4: Narai – Kiso-Fukushima | 6.2km
Today’s walk leaves Narai to head to Yabuhara over the Torii-toge Pass and continue by train to Kiso-Fukushima, a historic post town that once flourished as a political and economic centre in the Kiso Valley. Stay at a ryokan to enjoy kaiseki, multi-course Japanese cuisine and hot spring baths.
- Accommodation: Komanoyu or similar in Kiso-Fukushima
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
- Walking for the day: 6.2km, 3h, ↑270m ↓344m
Day 5: Kiso-Fukushima – Tsumago | 14km
Take the train from Kiso-Fukushima to Nojiri before a short taxi ride (included) to Nenoue-toge Pass. From here, walk the Nakasendo Trail, passing through small villages and rice fields to Tsumago or the nearby hamlet of O-Tsumago. A few decades ago, Tsumago was falling into disrepair, but through combined efforts by villagers, it has been saved and restored. To further preserve the town, the sale, rent, or destruction of houses is prohibited.
- Accommodation: Tsutamuraya or similar in Tsumago
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
- Walking for the day: 14km, 4.5h, ↑344m ↓723m
Day 6: Tsumago – Magome – Nara | 8.3km
Walk from Tsumago to Magome, our last stop in the Kiso Valley. This trail is the best-preserved part of the Nakasendo Trail. Stop for lunch and explore Magome’s main street and shops. We recommend you try gohei mochi, skewered sticky rice covered in a sweet paste of miso, sesame and walnuts. End the day with a train ride back to Nara.
- Accommodation: Hotel Nikko Nara or similar in Nara
- Meals included: breakfast
- Walking for the day: 8.3km, 3h, ↑430m ↓326m
Day 7: Rest day in Nara
Start the morning with a guided walk through Nara, home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the temples of Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji. Also the Kasuga Grand Shrine and Mount Kasuga Primeval Forest, as well as Nara Palace Site. Nara Park is home to a thousand or more free-roaming deer. At Todai-ji Temple, the Daibutsu-den is the largest wooden building in the world, housing a 16m tall statue of the Rushana Buddha in bronze and gold. Prior to being rebuilt three hundred years ago, the wooden structure was even larger. Take the time to relax, visit a Japanese garden, or wander through the old town.
- Accommodation: Hotel Nikko Nara or similar in Nara
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 8: Nara – Yoshino
From Nara travel by train to the village of Yoshino. Yoshino is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famous location for viewing spring cherry blossoms. Explore the area and visit Yoshimizu Shrine, connected to historical figures such as Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Emperor Godaigo and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Accommodation: Hounkan or similar in Yoshino
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 8: Nara – Asuka – Mount Kōya (from 2027)
Travel to Asuka on the southern edge of Yamato Province. This peaceful community is an ideal location to experience Japanese rural life. Visit sites such as the Ishibutai Kofun, which are scattered, allowing visitors to enjoy the traditional scenery while walking around. After take the train ride to Mount Koya, located in a bowl-shaped valley in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, filled with cedar trees. Mount Koya is a place of religious devotion and ceremony, with more than a hundred monasteries, many of which have shukubo temple lodgings. Stay in one of these temples and dine on shojin ryori, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Visit Kongobu-ji Temple and walk through the vast Okunoin cemetery. In the morning, there is the opportunity to rise early and join the Buddhist morning service.
- Accommodation at a shukubo in Mount Koya
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 9: Yoshino – Mount Koya
Begin the day with a scenic train ride to Mount Koya, located in a bowl-shaped valley in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, filled with cedar trees. Mount Koya is a place of religious devotion and ceremony, with more than a hundred monasteries, many of which have shukubo temple lodgings. Stay in one of these temples and dine on shojin ryori, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Visit Kongobu-ji Temple and walk through the vast Okunoin cemetery. In the morning, there is the opportunity to rise early and join the Buddhist morning service.
- Accommodation: Yochi-in or similar in Koyasan
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 9: Explore Mount Koya (from 2027)
In the morning, visit Kongobu-ji, the main temple at the heart of Mount Koya. After exploring the temple, you can take a short break at nearby shops or tea houses while surrounded by the mountain atmosphere. In the afternoon, head to Okunoin, Mount Kōya’s atmospheric graveyard. Walk along the cedar-lined path and visit sacred sites and historic grave markers dedicated to Kōbō Daishi.
- Accommodation at a shukubo in Mount Koya (*Please note that our 12 November 2027 departure will instead feature a stay at a Western-style hotel in the old capital of Kyōto)
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 10: Mount Koya – Kyoto
Take the train to Kyoto, the final city on the tour. Kyoto was Japan’s capital for many centuries and is still regarded as the country’s cultural heart. In the evening, take a walk through Gion, Kyoto’s Geisha District, where you may see a geiko (qualified geisha) or maiko (apprentice geisha) making their way through the narrow streets.
- Accommodation: Nohga Kyoto or similar in Kyoto
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 11: Rest day in Kyoto
Today there is an optional half-day walking tour, on which you can visit the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, the western end of the Nakasendo Trail and Nanzen-ji Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple dating back to the mid-13th century. Finally, stroll along the Philosopher’s Path in the Higashiyama District, with craft shops, cafes, shrines, and temples. The path ends near Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion. Spend the afternoon relaxing before a farewell dinner in the evening.
- Accommodation: Nohga Kyoto or similar in Kyoto
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 12: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
- Meals included: breakfast
What to expect
Accommodation
The following types of accommodation are used on this tour: please note that, in Japan, it is common for accommodations to have twin rooms rather than double. If you prefer a double bed, we will happily request this at time of booking, however it can’t always be guaranteed.
- Hotels: A modern western-style hotel is used in Tokyo and Kyoto. The rooms are generally smaller than equivalent hotels in the west. All have en-suite facilities, air-conditioning and TV and most have fridges in rooms.
- Ryokans and minshukus (Takijiri, Yunomine or Kawayu, Chikatsuyu or Nachi-San): ryokans and minshukus are traditional Japanese-style inns. They may be in modern concrete or older wooden buildings, but the rooms are always in the Japanese style with tatami (straw) matting and futon bedding. At a ryokan, the futons are laid out for you in the evening. In a minshuku, you may need to arrange your own futon with the provided bedding. Dinners are served together, usually in the dining room, and are exquisitely prepared multi-course meals. Some ryokans have en-suite bathrooms, although older buildings generally offer shared facilities. Smaller inns offer normal baths used privately in turn by guests; larger inns offer communal spa-style baths, segregated by gender. Read more in our blog on Japanese baths.
Click to view example accommodations
- Shiba Park Hotel (Tokyo)
- Iseya (Narai)
- Komanoyu (Kiso-Fukushima)
- Tsutamuraya (O-Tsumago)
- Hotel Nikko Nara (Nara)
- Hounkan (Yoshino)
- Yochi-in (Koyasan)
- Nohga Kyoto (Kyoto)
In the event of a particular hotel or guesthouse being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Daily breakfasts and seven dinners are included. Most meals are Japanese cuisine and vegetarian options are available but limited. Strict vegetarian diets, vegan diets, or gluten-free diets will be difficult to accommodate due to the pervasiveness of the fish-based stock dashi and the use of soy sauce and miso in Japanese cuisine.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is rated easy to moderate and is suitable for most people in good health, holidays at this level include limited activity (read more about difficulty grades). This holiday features four days of walking and hiking with two to five hours per day on flat paths and mountain trails with some short climbs, and is suitable for those who are in reasonable shape and can walk over rough ground for up to five hours. Whilst on the trail you will need to carry a small to medium daypack.
When to go
This small group tour (4-13 people) can start on any of the pre-scheduled dates:
- 28 September 2026
- 06 October 2026
- 16 October 2026
- 19 October 2026
- 27 October 2026
- 13 November 2026
- 17 November 2026
- 05 April 2027
- 19 April 2027
- 10 May 2027
- 24 May 2027
- 07 June 2027
- 27 September 2027
- 06 October 2027
- 17 October 2027
- 23 October 2027
- 01 November 2027
- 12 November 2027
- 19 November 2027
This trip needs a minimum of four people to operate. Therefore, if your booking has fewer than three travellers, please note that confirmation is dependent on the group size coming up to at least four.
For more information, see our blog on the Best time to go to Japan.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended arrival airports for this tour are Haneda Airport( HND) and Narita Airport (NRT) in Tokyo and the recommended departure airport is Kansai Airport(KIX) in Osaka.
By train or bus
Arrive in Tokyo:
There are regular trains from Haneda Airport and Narita Airport to Tokyo. For timetables and further information, visit Navitime or use the Omio planner above.
Departure from Osaka:
There are regular trains from Kyoto to Kansai Airport in Osaka. For timetables and further information, visit Navitime or use the Omio planner above.
Inclusions
Included
- Full-time services of an English-speaking tour guide
- 11 nights accommodation
- 11 breakfasts and 7 dinners
- All transportation between tour locations
- Entrance to Tokyo National Museum, Nara temples and Shrines, Yoshimizu Shrine in Yoshino, Kongo-buji temple in Mount Koya, and Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto
- Luggage transfer (one piece per person): From Tokyo to Kiso-Fukushima – overnight in Narai with daypack only; From Kiso-Fukushima to Nara – overnight in Tsumago with a daypack only; From Nara to Kyoto – overnight in Yoshino and Mount Koya with a daypack only
Excluded
- Airfare to and from Japan
- Airport transfers
- Drinks and meals not included in the itinerary
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Entrance fees to museums, temples etc. not mentioned in the itinerary
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- A supplement applies to members of a group who require a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers. At the Japanese inns on the tour, tatami mat rooms are culturally less intimate spaces than western bedrooms and Japanese guests travelling with acquaintances are accustomed to sharing. We follow this Japanese custom and will ask our solo travellers to share a tatami-mat room with another group member of the same gender.
