Magone-juku is a historic post town – known as ‘juku’ or ‘shukubamachi’ –  that once serviced a 70km trade route through the Kiso Valley, part of the greater 500km ‘Nakasendo Road’ that connected Kyoto and Edo – now called Tokyo. As one of five official highways between Kyoto and Edo, the road was busy with government officials, merchants and pilgrims, typically forced by the shogunate to move on foot.  As a result, post towns developed along the road to service the needs of travelers.

The town center has been extensively restored including a broad stone walkway and ban on vehicles entering during the day. Magome is spread along a steeply ascending road, lined with guesthouses, restaurants and cafes, museum, and traditional craft stores – one of the most charming towns along the Nakasendo Trail. For detailed information regarding the trail, please refer to our ‘Walk the Nakasendo Trail’ page.  Walking the trail from Magome-juku to nearby Tsumago-juku – approximately 7.5km and between 2 to 3 hours depending on your pace – is a highlight of any visit to Central Japan.

For accommodation listings in or nearby Magome, see our ‘Magome, Tsumago & Kiso-Fukushima Area’ hotel page. We also recommend considering to stay to the north of Magome, in the more centrally and conveniently located area around Kiso-Fukushima – pictured below.

It has the greatest variety of accommodation in the Kiso Valley and as a stop on all Limited Express Shinano services running between Nagano, Matsumoto and Nagoya, it is the most convenient point from where to explore the region including the nearby Kiso Ontake Mountain Range. For accommodation listings in the area, see our ‘Kiso-Fukushima & Narai Area’ hotel page.