Visiting a post town offers insight into Japan’s Edo-period history. These towns maintain traditional architecture and streetscapes that provide an immersive, historically authentic atmosphere largely untouched by modern development. For visitors, post towns also offer a slower pace of travel, combining cultural enrichment with scenic surroundings and local hospitality.
But with 53 post towns along the Tokaido and 69 along the Nakasendo, there are a lot of locations to choose from. In this guide we go over our recommended post towns along the Nakasendo Trail.
What is a "Post Town"?
Japan, post towns, known as shukuba, were established during the Edo period (1603–1868) along major highways such as the Nakasendo and Tokaido Trails.
These towns served as official stopping points where travelers could rest, eat, and stay overnight. They typically offered inns, food stalls, stables for horses, and shops selling supplies. Post towns were also places where travelers could receive travel permits or arrange transportation.
Today, some former post towns, typically ending in the word "juku" or "shuku", have been carefully preserved while others have blended into the cities that have grown around them. In the most historic post towns, visitors can walk streets lined with traditional wooden buildings and experience what travel in Japan was like hundreds of years ago, making post towns a popular destinations and one of the biggest reasons to travel along the Nakasendo Trail.
Best Post Towns to Visit Along the Nakasendo Trail
While the Nakasendo is composed of 69 post towns altogether, currently only a fraction of that number maintain the look and feel of their original history.
Magome-juku
One of the best-preserved postal towns on the Nakasendo, Magome is known for its steep incline and beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. The historic town center has been extensively restored including a broad stone walkway with a daytime ban on the entry of vehicles. Guesthouses, restaurants, cafes and stores line the road, with plenty to explore and enjoy during the day. Visitors staying overnight at one of Magome’s ‘ryokan’ (traditional guesthouses), should opt to include dinner and breakfast as local restaurants do not stay open at night.
Located only 15 minutes drive from Nakatsugawa Station, Magome is a popular starting point for walking the Nakasendo, with the approximate 7.5km walk to Tsumago being the most popular section of the trail. Taking between 2.5 to 3 hour, the walk takes you through an undulating landscape of rice paddies, farm fields, streams, forests and even some waterfalls and onto the next famous post town.
New Tour
[START FROM NAGOYA] Rural Japan in Magome & the Kiso Valley Private Tour
- Spots:
- NagoyaKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagoya
- Drop-off:
- Nagoya
Tsumago-juku
Tsumago is perhaps the best preserved and most popular for post towns on the Nakasendo. Home to some great restaurants and traditional guesthouses, Tsumago is extremely popular and can be busy during the peak seasons of spring and autumn. While in town, the beautifully reconstructed honjin and original wakihonjin should be visited, with English tours available at the later. Strolling the streets of Tsumago, past guesthouses, family homes, restaurants, stores and temples transports you back to Edo Period and the Japan of your imagination. It is an experience best enjoyed on foot, enhanced by arrival in each town following passage through forest and farmlands much-like people did hundreds of years before.
Recommended Tour: Step into the past and experience life in rural Japan as you hike the Nakasendo trail from Tsumago-juku to Magome-juku on Snow Monkey Resort's highly rated 1-Day Tour from Nagoya: Hiking the Historic Nakasendo Trail.
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1-Day Tour from Nagoya: Hiking the Historic Nakasendo Trail
- Spots:
- NagoyaKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagoya
- Drop-off:
- Nagoya
You also have the option of joining this tour from Nagano or Matsumoto in addition to Nagoya. We can even start the tour in Nagoya and end in Nagano or Matsumoto as these tours are part of our unique connectable tour system.
Popular
1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto: Step into the Past on the Nakasendo
- Spots:
- NaganoMatsumotoKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
- Drop-off:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
Narai-juku
Located deep in the Kiso Valley, Narai is less visited than Magome or Tsumago and our recommendation of post towns in the Kiso Valley. Located at the midpoint between Kyoto and Edo, Narai was the wealthiest of the 69 towns that marked-out the Nakasendo. Today, much of the town remains and visitors relish the extent of the preservation. Historic buildings stretch on much further than any of the other extant postal towns which now serve as guesthouses, restaurants, and craft and antique shops. Once known as ‘Narai of a Thousand Houses’, visitors to the town will get a strong sense of its past significance with the area preservation extending 1 kilometer in length and 200 meters in width. The Nakamura Residence and Kamidonya Shiryokan are beautifully preserved residences, welcoming visitors to enter and further their understanding of life during the Edo Period.
Located just outside the town’s historic centre, Narai Station makes the town immediately accessible with some visitors choosing to walk either to or from Yabuhara. Though this walk is notably shorter than the trail from Magome to Tsumago, it is much steeper and more demanding and should only be attempted by those with a good level of fitness and mobility. In summer, the heat and humidity can make this walk challenging so make sure you are suitably prepared and take your time.
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1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto: Experience Matsumoto Castle and Narai-juku
- Spots:
- NaganoMatsumotoKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
- Drop-off:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
Want to join a trek on the Nakasendo Trail?
Based in Central Japan and operating much of the year, we offer multiple highly entertaining group and private tours of the Nakasendo that are sure to please.
All tours are led by locally-based guides and include a visit to the towns of Magome and Tsumago as well as an 8km hike on the Nakasendo itself through beautiful forest. Our tours are fun, interactive and family-friendly. For more information, or to book a tour, click on either of the banners below.
Best Selling
1-Day Tour from Nagoya: Hiking the Historic Nakasendo Trail
- Spots:
- NagoyaKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagoya
- Drop-off:
- Nagoya
You also have the option of joining this tour from Nagano or Matsumoto in addition to Nagoya. We can even start the tour in Nagoya and end in Nagano or Matsumoto (or vice-versa) as these tours are part of our unique connectable tour system.
Popular
1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto: Step into the Past on the Nakasendo
- Spots:
- NaganoMatsumotoKiso Valley
- Pick-up:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
- Drop-off:
- Nagano CityMatsumoto
Of course, we also offer private charters and transport in and around the Nakasendo trail and Kiso Valley area, as well as other regional destinations.
Our drivers and vehicles are fully certified, allowing us to transport you to and from your preferred destinations in combination with any activity that suits your schedule. All vehicles are well-maintained and in good condition, allowing you to relax and enjoy your ride to wherever you are going.
NAGOYA → NAKASENDO TRAIL (5HRS) → NAGOYA
- Duration:
- 9-10 Hours
- Spots:
- Nagoya, Kiso Valley
