I’m working out the details of my itinerary for a trip next month and I’m debating which portion of the Nakasendo people found most rewarding; specifically Magome-Tsumago v. Yabuhara-Narai.
I fell in love with the area from a youtube video that explores both areas but more specifically Narai. After research I had decided to “settle” for the Magome-Tsumago portion of the trail as it’s what’s most recommended online and closer to Nagoya.
I am having a hard time letting go of Narai-Juku, though, thich is why I’m wondering if Yabuhara-Narai is worth consideration. I only have time for a day trip as I have a hotel in Nagoya that night and tickets to the Ghibli park the next day.
Has anyone done both trails and preferred one over the other? Or would anyone recommend foregoing the hike altogether in favor of just visiting Narai?
I am considering trying to make both happen but I know timing is tricky with trains/busses in that area and I don’t know if I’ll be up for an additional 2 hours of transit just to add the extra stop, esp. since I’m estimating about 6 hours of transit already if I stay on the planned Tokyo-Nagoya-Magome-Tsumago-Nagoya route.
I’d love to hear what everyone thinks so I can weigh out my options since I’m determined to see at least part of the Kiso valley with my limited time.
(I wasn’t sure if this should be tagged under recs or itinerary so pls lmk if I need to change)
1 comment
I have done both, Yabuhara-Narai is more nature in the mountains (and utterly gorgeous in the fall) and less popular especially on weekdays since it is less famous among foreigners. Tsumago-Magome has a bit more variety in terms of the ‘types’ of sceneries you see iirc. Can’t go wrong either way.
Perhaps this shows my lack of culture but all Nakasendo towns (I also went to Kiso-Fukushima on the same trip) look the same after a while, similar to getting ‘templed out’. If you just want to see a line of old buildings you can get that in any of the three.