Nakasendo Walk: Magome to Tsumago in One Day
Ride into the Kiso Valley from Nagoya, climb through Magome, walk the old post road over Magome Pass to Tsumago, and be back in the city by evening.
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Magome to Tsumago
Eight kilometres of Edo-era road, two post towns
For walkers who want a real stretch of the old Nakasendo, cedar forest and waterfalls included, without a night in the valley.
- 1
Nakatsugawa to Magome
Take the JR Shinano limited express from Nagoya to Nakatsugawa, about 50 minutes, then the local bus up to Magome, roughly 30 minutes more. Aim for the early train so you reach Magome around 9:30. The bus stops at the bottom of the village; buy a return-trip IC top-up in Nagoya, since the valley has few machines.
45 MinutesCost: ¥1,500–3,000 
2Magome post town
Magome climbs a stone-paved slope lined with wooden inns, water wheels and shops selling chestnut sweets and gohei-mochi, rice on a stick glazed with walnut miso. Walk up slowly, stop at the viewpoint above the village for the line of the Central Alps, and buy a bag of oyaki dumplings for the trail. Most shops open mid-morning.
1 HourCost: Free
3Magome Pass
The trail leaves the top of Magome and climbs through farmland to the pass, about 800 metres above sea level; it is the steepest part of the day, and done by about 12:00. A small tea house near the pass sometimes offers free tea to walkers. The road is mostly paved or firm earth, with bells to ring against bears in the forest sections.
1.5–2 HoursCost: Free- 4
Odaki and Medaki waterfalls
From the pass the route drops into cedar forest, the loveliest section, and passes the twin waterfalls of Odaki and Medaki, the male and female falls, a good place for the oyaki. Further down is the Ichikokutochi tea house, a restored roadside rest hut where volunteers often keep a fire going. The descent to Tsumago is gentle from here.
1 HourCost: Free - 5
Tsumago post town
Arrive in Tsumago around 14:30. The town has banned visible power lines and modern signs, so the main street looks much as it did two centuries ago; the Waki-honjin, a former officials' inn with a soot-black hearth room, is the one paid ticket worth buying. Eat soba, then take the bus to Nagiso station, about 10 minutes, for the train back to Nagoya.
1.5–2 HoursCost: ¥500–1,500
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥2,000–3,500
- Transport¥6,000–8,000
- Admissions¥500–1,000
Tips
Buses to and from the trail are infrequent: photograph the timetable at Nakatsugawa and at Tsumago before you walk, and plan the walk around the last bus to Nagiso.
Proper walking shoes, not sandals: the descent is stone in places and slippery after rain, and there are no shops between the pass and Tsumago.
Eat in Magome before you set off and again in Tsumago: there is nothing to buy on the trail itself except at the pass tea house, so carry water and a snack.
Shoot Magome from the top looking down, with the Alps behind, and shoot Tsumago in the late afternoon when the day-trippers have thinned and the eaves catch the low light.