This is part five of our Nakasendo Way Trek. Go back to parts one, two, three, or four.
Tsumago to Magome
We were out the door early in the morning. Heavy frost covered the ground in the shady valley. We bundled up against the cold.
The trail led into the forest, and then along a road past some houses. Past here there was a spur-trail to a pair of side-by-side waterfalls: male falls and female falls. Fall is a dry time of the year, so not much water was coming down.
As we climbed higher, the first rays of light started to reach the treetops.
Soon, the sun cast sideways shadows in the second-growth hinoki cypress forest.
Hiking upward.
Suddenly we entered a clearing. In the clearing was a tea house, and the friendly men who ran the place greeted us with smiles. They were just opening up their shop as we arrived. “Free tea, please come in”, they said.
We recognized the place immediately. It had been featured in a BBC travel show called Joanna Lumley’s Japan (see 28:00 mark).
It was neat to have found this place. Joanna Lumley’s three-episode series had been one of the inspirations for us to come to Japan. And here we were, walking in her footsteps. We donned some pilgrim hats and drank a few cups of tea. We were grateful for the kind hospitality these two men provided. Soon, other hikers started arriving and we said sayonara (goodbye) and continued on the trail.
Past the teahouse it’s just a little bit more uphill to the pass. At the pass the hiking trail met up with a road, and we walked along the road in a downhill direction. In various places along the trail were bear-bells. You ring the bell loudly to warn bears of your approach.
Ahead were some maple trees that still held their burnt-orange and red leaves.
As we descended towards Magome we passed a pretty bamboo grove.
On the outskirts of Magome we passed some farms. In light of the heavy overnight frosts, farmers were busy pulling up their remaining vegetables.
Chili peppers drying in the sun.
Magome
Magome is another very pretty post-town. Here I am walking down the main street.
Magome’s main street.
The sky lit up at sunset.
A woman walks her dog at blue hour.
A delicious meal at Guesthouse Tajimaya.
Magome to Nakatsugawa
The trail to Nakatsugawa is a much less traveled section of the Nakasendo, but it is interesting and rewarding. Signage is sparse to non-existent. We obtained a map from the Magome tourist information center prior to our hike.
The start of the trail is easy to find. It is an extension of Magome’s main walking street. The Nakasendo generally heads in a downhill direction.
The road goes through a village. Here, a torii gate leads into a sacred spot in a thick patch of forest.
We continued down the road.
There were some pretty gardens along the way.
A short distance after the garden shown in the last pictures, a hiking trail heads downhill, away from the road. This is the Nakasendo. This turnoff is not obvious and is not signed. After 100 m, the Nakasendo crosses the road just after the road makes a hairpin turn. The trail then heads off into the forest.
Here, some of the original paving stones of the ancient Nakasendo Way are preserved. This is called the Ochiai Pavement.
I’m sure the Edo-era engineers meant well, but the stones were extremely slimy and slick, and walking across them was treacherous. Thank goodness for the hiking poles.
Eventually the trail pops out of the forest and meets up with a road. Turn left on the road and head downhill on a series of switchbacks. The road heads for a bridge with a view of a weir.
Across the bridge is the village of Ochiai. Navigating is a bit confusing here. The trick is to make your way west while staying south of the main highway. After climbing out of the river valley we crossed a main road on a crosswalk and entered the village. The village road heads towards the highway. Just before the highway we turned left (west). We weaved around a bit to keep a westerly direction. The way starts heading uphill towards a ridgecrest, where there is a cafe (closed for the season when we passed it).
There is some pretty foliage at the cafe.
Navigation of the next bit is a bit simpler. Head steeply downhill on the road and cross a stream on a bridge. It then crosses a lower ridge to another stream – there are public toilets here, and there is some signage. Keep going to a third bridge. Shortly after the third bridge, turn right. This turn is signed. 100 m ahead is the main highway, which can be crossed using an underpass.
Beyond the underpass, a road leads straight west into Nakatsugawa. We stopped at a small shrine.
Beyond the shrine, the road heads downhill on a switchback. Rather than trying to retrace the old Nakasendo, from this point we started heading to the Nakatsugawa train station.
Diana spotted some flowering trees beside the road, and stopped to take some pictures. A man with a white bandana came out and started talking to us in Japanese. He broke off two branches off of the tree, proceeded to remove most of the leaves and flowers, leaving only the flower buds. Diana took them all the way to Kyoto where she put them into a vase (well, actually a used water bottle) and sure enough the flower buds opened up. There are so many kind people here in Japan. Everyone has been so nice to us.
Logistics
Tsumago to Magome is about 7.8 km.
Magome to Nakatsugawa is about 8.7 km.
There is a bus service from Magome to Nakatsugawa. There is also a bus from Magome to Tsumago. There is same-day luggage service from Magome to Tsumago and vice versa – ask at your guesthouse. From Nakatsugawa we caught a train to Nagoya. There are also trains from Nakatsugawa to the Kiso Valley.
- In 2017 we stayed at Tajimaya, a guesthouse in Magome. The futons here were four inches thick and provided lots of padding. The owners were friendly and they fed us huge and delicious meals. Bathroom facilities were not private, but there were many sinks and toilets. Downstairs was the onsen (spa), which consisted of a traditional wooden bathtub made out of local cypress wood. Highly recommended.
- When we stayed in Magome in 2023, Tajimaya was fully booked. Instead we stayed at Guesthouse Nedoko. It is a cheerful but basic hostel. No meals are provided. The staff at Nedoko booked is into Restaurant Haginoya, where we enjoyed a Kaiseki tasting menu.