1-Day Tour from Matsumoto: Discover Old Japan on the Nakasendo Trail Trek

Embark on a 1-day tour from Matsumoto and discover Old Japan on the Nakasendo Trail Trek. Experience traditional post towns, ancient forests, and mountain passes on this exciting hike.

Duration: 8 hours, 55 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Tsumago Post Office - Our tour will begin in earnest when you and your guide step off the bus at Tsumago-juku Post Town. Once a vital station on a road connecting Tokyo (then called Edo) and Kyoto, the town’s appearance has not changed since its heyday. Here you can find streets lined with traditional wooden buildings that have been meticulously…
What's Included
  • Transport to and from all locations in a dedicated tour vehicle
  • English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Prepare to experience Old Japan on foot with this exciting hike through traditional post towns, ancient forests, and dramatic mountain passes. Starting in Tsumago-juku post town, your guide will explain a bit about what kinds of people traveled the roads in Old Japan, where they were going, and how they lived. You will get a chance to enter some…

Location
Tsumago Post Office
2197-5 Azuma
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(18 Ratings)
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Susananderson2003
Nov 29, 2024
Traditional Nihon - Guide and driver fantastic. Views and walk perfect. Quiet, self reflection opportunity, guidance given as required. Beautiful part of Japan.
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Venture44412857372
Nov 16, 2024
Great day! - This was a great experience! Our guide Kieron was very friendly, took the time to answer all our questions, and he knew a lot of info! The pace of the hike was very manageable for my 70 year old parents, the road was mostly paved with some inclines. We had time to shop and grab food throughout the day, and lots of restroom facilities. The scenery was beautiful and the hike was so peaceful. Thoroughly enjoyed. Very easy to find the meeting spot, and lucky for us it was a small group; just us and another couple. A bit pricey, but worth it for the transportation. We were picked up in a very comfortable van and drove for 2 hrs to get to the starting point. Thank you for a great day!
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Imelda
Nov 11, 2024
Must do! - Shawn was a great guide and we were the only ones on the tour (so i guess it became a private your for us! Horray for us! ). Great trail walk. Not too hard. 2/10. Had fun stops at some post offices. Tourist offices and snacks of venison burger, wagyu sushi. (Note we were the only ones so we had a lot of time) beautiful towns on the edo road.
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V4115bbnancyw
Nov 11, 2024
Amazing hike and tour guide. - The Nakasendo Trail is a beautiful experience that I highly recommend. The 5mile hike, though gradually uphill, is very easy to complete. Our 6 year old who's been an avid hiker didn't have an issues but we did stop several times to check out sites or rest. There are plenty of bathrooms along the way. Our tour guide, Shawn, always made sure our group of 9 didn't get lost. We didn't feel rushed and the pace was great (on the slower side). We had about 45 minutes at the end to explore the cute shops and town. The stop on the way there was at seven-eleven and a clean pit-stop on the way back to grab food so we could eat in the van. The van was clean and our driver, Mr Tanaka, gave us a smooth and safe driving experience. The tour was booked through our tour guide. The only thing was we were informed our guide would be in a snow monkey hat and to look for that at the taxi station, which he wasn't, so unsure where that miscommunication was. Anyway, great times, highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janhw8378pt
Nov 7, 2024
This tour was everything we hoped it would be. - The Nakasendo Trail was a great experience and everything we had hoped it would be. We picked up the tour in Matsumoto and, while it was a bit of a ride to get there, the scenery was marvelous and the bus was on the smaller side and new, modern and comfortable. Our guide, Devin, was friendly and personable and shared a wealth of knowledge about the origins of the trail and post stop structures and history in general. My husband and I hiked at our own pace and connected with our small group at the end of the trail. The scenery was just gorgeous and the time allowed was completely adequate for the hike and browsing shops at the end. It was a great time!
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Kellyk65653
Oct 11, 2024
Highly recommended - Excellent. If you like nature, hiking & and history, then this is a small size group tour for you. Around 3.5 hours of moderate level hiking through picturesque forests and mountain scenery, with lots of nice stops along the way. Our guide was excellent & well versed in the nakasendo history, and local history surrounding nagano. Thank you very much!!
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_h1592cx
Oct 2, 2024
Nakasendo hiking - Everything is mazing and perfect. Nice to walk seeing and feeling forest and fresh air. Also we can have an experience In feel old japanese culture. Also thank you so much for Shawn's (guide for us) efforts and kindness. Also thanks for driver to make us safe trip. Thanks again
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Richmum
Sep 21, 2024
Great day - Great experience start to finish. Guide Shawn was terrific--US ex Pat who spoke great Japanese. Walk was very interesting...and good to get out and get the heart rate pumping. Made pit stops for food, bathroom etc on way there and back. While not inexpensive, on our day it was just the 2 of us, Shawn and a driver (very professional) in a nice mini van...for 9 hours...so an actual bargain. Would recommend as an excursion from Matsumoto without hesitation.
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Meldills
Jul 26, 2024
Knowledgeable, Enchanting Japan, Nature - The walk with our tour guides was lovely, like walking with a very knowledgeable local friend. The young men in our group thought it was “awesome”, “the guides were nice, approachable, knowledgeable”. The slightly older adults loved the pace and conversation about the local customs and sights. The route itself was beautiful. Amazing forests and village buildings and temple. It really transported you back to ancient Japan. You could imagine the people of centuries ago, walking your same path. We had impressive mountain views, roaring yet peaceful waterfalls. My favourite part was the halfway stop tea house, so simple, traditional, authentic. We highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
150marliesv
Jun 23, 2024
WOW! - We enjoyed this great tour with our tourguide Kevin and driver! We highly recommend this tour if you want to see stunning views, some history and een nice day!
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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