Nakasendō: Magome, Tsumago and the Kiso Valley

Narai was the 34th of the 69 Nakasendō stations and the second of eleven on the Kisoji. It sat higher than any other stop on that valley road, and travellers crossing the Torii Pass kept it busy enough to earn the name "Narai of 1,000 buildings". Today the old street is a protected historic district: the preservation area runs about 1 km north to south and 200 m across, along the line of the old route, so the Edo-period houses have been kept much as they were.

場所の精度: The pin marks the village of Narai-juku, not one single building.

Miyanokoshi was the 36th Nakasendō station and the fourth of eleven on the Kisoji. It was the childhood home of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, and the town still holds many ruins and artifacts connected with him. It was also the birthplace of many Kiso-area carpenters.

場所の精度: The pin marks the post town of Miyanokoshi; the sites linked to Yoshinaka are spread through the town.

Fukushima was the 37th station and the seat of an official overseeing one of the four major checkpoints on the Nakasendō. The barrier was founded between 1602 and 1604, with stone walls and a building where officials could inspect travellers for their travel permits and illicit goods. It was abolished in 1868. The east and west gates were rebuilt after archaeological digs in 1975 and now stand in a historical park, a National Historic Site since 1979.

訪問のヒント: About a 15-minute walk from Kiso-Fukushima Station.

Suhara was the 39th Nakasendō station and the seventh of eleven on the Kisoji. Of all the Kisoji post towns it was the first to be established, though not on its present site. After a major flood washed the town away in 1717, it was moved to the place where you find it now.

場所の精度: The pin marks the post town of Suhara; the original pre-flood site is not located here.

Tsumago was the 42nd of the 69 Nakasendō post towns. In 1968 local residents began restoring it; by 1971 some 20 houses had been restored and a charter agreed that no place in Tsumago should be "sold, hired out, or destroyed". The main inn, the honjin, was rebuilt in 1995, while the secondary inn, the waki-honjin, still stands and became an Important Cultural Property in 2001. The town is fully inhabited, with tourist shops as its main business.

訪問のヒント: The honjin and waki-honjin are both open to visitors.

Magome was the 43rd Nakasendō station and the last of the eleven Kisoji stations. Between Magome and Tsumago, travellers had to cross an 800-metre mountain pass. In 1843 the town had 717 people in 69 houses; fires in 1895 and 1915 destroyed many old buildings, and it has since been restored. Magome was the birthplace of the author Shimazaki Tōson. A preserved stretch of the old road leads through forests and past waterfalls to Tsumago.

訪問のヒント: Bus service runs between Magome and Tsumago, so you can walk the old road one way.