Hydrangeas bloom along the Samurai Road from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku!

Hydrangeas bloom along the Samurai Road from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku!

Hello, I’m Ichiro 😊 Today, let’s walk along Samurai Road where hydrangeas are in bloom. June 30, 2025. The Nakasendo Road connecting Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku is called “Samurai Road” and is a popular hiking course for foreign tourists. Today, I was planning to walk to Tsumago-juku, but due to the record heat, I will also use a car.😅 I can see a fire hydrant. Magome-juku is located on a slope, so when a fire breaks out, it spreads quickly. All the buildings were destroyed by fires in 1895 and 1915. Only the stone pavement remains, and the buildings have been restored to their former appearance. From now on, this roadside shrine will protect Magome-juku.😊 This is Masugata. Masugata is a defensive structure that prevents enemies from entering by bending the road at a right angle twice. Oh!😱 He is cutting grass in this intense heat.😱 This is the original road, and the road on the right was built in modern times. At the storefront, I can see all kinds of flowers, which is one of my pleasures. I feel the spirit of “omotenashi” (hospitality).😊 Normally, I would wait until the grass cutting is finished before starting to film, but the sound of the waterway is so loud here that it will soon be drowned out.✌️ This is a typical view of Magome-juku. It looks just like a castle. He is wearing a bamboo hat and cutting the grass. He is covered in sweat.😅 Magome-juku is all slopes.😅 The TV said that the heat waves in Europe and Japan are caused by large meandering westerly winds. I hope this video helps you feel a little cooler. 😊 The sound of the grass cutting has gotten quieter and can’t be heard anymore. ✌️ This sound is the sound of tourists’ suitcases. It’s time for the tourists to leave their lodgings. Due to the record-breaking heat, some areas did not have hydrangeas in bloom, so I was worried, but the hydrangeas here are blooming beautifully. 😊 The hostas are also in bloom. 😊 This place is wonderful because you can always see some kind of flower no matter when you come. But the hydrangea season is definitely the best time to visit. 😊 Petunias. 😊 I love the cobblestone streets and old townscape, so I’ve been here many times, but this winter was my first time visiting during the “Ice Candle Festival.” I’ll post a link in the description, so please check out the video I took at that time.🙏 At that time, I was able to capture the best blue moment on video! Magome Post Office. Tourist Information Center. The tourist information center is located in the middle of the 600-meter-long Magome-juku. The uphill climb continues😅 It is 8 km from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku, about a 3-hour walk. Fast walkers can do it in about 2 hours. Next time, I’m going to walk to Tsumago-juku✌️ The blue sky is beautiful😃 The samurai must have seen this view too.👍 Beautiful hydrangeas under a lovely pine tree.😊 Dokudami flowers are also blooming. 😊 A pond with a waterwheel and lanterns, typical of Japan. This is a pond with irises in bloom. Water is being drawn from the canal into the pond. Moss ball decoration? 🤔 Next to the hydrangeas are fig marigolds. Just a little further to the Magome Viewing Platform. Fire hydrant. There are carp in the pond. I didn’t expect to see roses here.😊 Kosatsuba. This is where the shogunate posted prohibitions and laws for the common people. That concludes our tour of Magome-juku. This is the Magome Viewing Platform. This is Mt. Ena. Elevation: 2,191 m. This is the southernmost mountain in the Central Alps. Magome-juku. Magome Pass is in this direction. Let’s walk a little further. Let’s imagine walking along the Samurai Road to Tsumago-juku.😊 The characters for Nakasendo. 7.6 km to Tsumago-juku. Approximately 2 km of uphill continues until Magome Pass, after which it is downhill. The Nakasendo Trail is the road on the right. There are some downhill sections, but it is mostly uphill until Magome Pass. I can hear the sounds of wild birds now.😊 How about this? This is the Samurai Road. This time, I’ll walk only up to this point and take a car for the rest of the way. In the video, I’ll edit it to look like I’m walking along Samurai Road to Tsumago-juku.😉 Bear warning sign 😱 Vivid blue 😊 The watermill house is coming into view. Let’s ring the bear bell 😊 It’s difficult 😅 The climb continues. We’ve reached Magome Pass. The altitude of Magome Pass is 790 meters. Magome-juku is at an altitude of 600 m, so we climbed 190 m. Tsumago-juku is at an altitude of 430 m, so we descend 360 m. 5.5 km to Tsumago-juku. It seems that a bear was spotted here recently.😱 There is a sign warning people to carry a bear bell while walking. 😅 Ikkokutochi-tateba Tea house. The building of a tea house from the mid-Edo period remains. There is nothing written on the blackboard, so it seems that no tourists have come yet. This is a free rest area where you can enjoy tea on a self-service basis. A volunteer guide is opening the door. The water looks cold.😊 There’s a ladle, so I guess you can drink it.✌️ It’s a Toyota sewing machine. Toyota started out making sewing machines. The remains of a guard post. This is where they checked for illegally cut trees. Male Waterfall and Female Waterfall. Today is a record hot day for June, but it cooled down quickly when we went down to the stream.😃 I recall descending these stairs by clearing away snow during the February Ice Candle Festival this year. Female Waterfall. It’s so cool, it’s unbelievable.😊 This is Male Waterfall. Someone stacked pebbles. It’s so cool! ✌️ It’s energizing! 😊 We’re almost at Tsumago-juku😊 There is Otsumago in front of Tsumago-juku. Otsumago is a small post town located between two post towns. 2.3 km to Tsumago-juku. The Samurai Road (Nakasendo) crosses the street multiple times. Drinkable?! 😮 It’s super cold!😃 Mountain water is definitely cold. The mountain path ends and a gentle road continues. The characters for “Otsumago.” Otsumago is a district within the Tsumago-juku Preservation Area, where old buildings remain. In Tsumago-juku, there is not much sense of everyday life, but here, there is an atmosphere of people living. This sound is not from cutting grass, but from cutting trees. Two hours after leaving Magome-juku, we finally arrived at Tsumago-juku. First, a straw horse welcomes us.😊 You can buy this small straw horse.✌️ The water looks cold😊 We are now walking along the southern edge of Tsumago-juku, and we will walk about 800 meters to Carp Rock at the northern edge. Let’s enjoy the flowers under the eaves as we walk. Huh? A Jizo statue is sleeping 😮 This is the first time I’ve seen a Jizo statue sleeping under a blanket 😅 The Art Deco-style building on the left is a power plant. The color was chosen to match the scenery of Tsumago-juku. The morning glories are already blooming. 😊 A butterfly. 😊 The townscape of Terashita. Terashita was the first place in Japan where a preservation project for a post town was carried out. This townscape is the starting point of the preservation of Tsumago-juku. This is a valuable landscape that retains the atmosphere of the Edo period. A bamboo hat, a straw coat, and straw sandals. Next to them is a basket. A small bamboo hat and straw coat😊 The preservation project began in 1968. As old townscapes were disappearing throughout Japan, the residents of Tsumago-juku took the initiative to preserve their town. The residents established three principles: “Don’t sell, don’t rent, and don’t destroy.” The entire community is working together to preserve the town. Let’s take a look inside the stable. Stables were essential in post towns for resting horses. Like Magome-juku, there is a Masugata. The road on the right was built in modern times. The water must be cold.😊 Tourists are walking over, so I’ll point the camera up. 😅 It’s hot, but the breeze is nice. I have received comments asking when is the best time to visit Tsumago-juku. I recommend the Bunka Bunsei Fuzoku Emaki no Gyōretsu (Costume Parade) held every year on November 23. 150 people reenact the travelers who walked along Nakasendo during the Bunka-Bunsei period. That day is the busiest day in Tsumago-juku. The travelers will begin their walk from the top of this hill. Oh, “Wachino-ya” isn’t open yet.😅 I was feeling a little hungry, so I wanted to eat some oyaki, but I’ll eat something at the next shop. Tourist information center. No trash on the ground. Trains arriving right on time. Friendly tourist information center. These are things Japan can be proud of to the world. Let’s have some gohei mochi at “Omote” 😊 I tried to film the gohei mochi, but I didn’t press the record button.😅 The footage from earlier was filmed after I thought I had stopped. I try to be careful, but I keep making this mistake.😅 That’s a big pot! 😊 There are dokudami flowers decorating it. 😊 Okame and Hyottoko. Teru Teru Bozu (sunshine doll) Sometimes I get worried that the video isn’t recording properly, so I check the screen. 😅 Another common thing is that people talk to me while I’m filming. I guess no one thinks that the real sounds are being used in the video. I thought about eating something, but I decided to keep walking. 😅 There are fruits on the wisteria trellis. 😮 They look like broad beans, but they’re poisonous, so you can’t eat them.😅 Watermill. Kosatsuba. Fig marigold. In the past, there was a checkpoint here. Our walk is finally coming to an end. This is Carp Rock. Carp Rock was once said to be shaped like a large carp, but its form was altered by an earthquake. If you follow the stream below Carp Rock, it feels like you could travel back in time.✌️ Finally, let’s wrap up with the Kumagai House, built over 200 years ago. Let’s imagine the lives of people long ago.😃 Thank you for watching the video all the way to the end. See you in the next video! 😊

Today, I filmed Magome-juku, Tsumago-juku, and the old Nakasendo Road between them.
The hydrangeas along the road were in full bloom.
The old Nakasendo Road connecting Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku is called “Samurai Road” and is a popular hiking course for foreign tourists.

00:00 Opening
01:24 Entrance to Magome-juku
04:16 Representative view of Magome-juku
21:05 Magome Viewing Platform
26:57 Watermill
28:56 Magome Pass
30:32 Ikkokutochi-tateba Tea House – Shiraki Checkpoint Ruins
33:50 Male Waterfall and Female Waterfall
38:05 Otsumago(post town)
42:29 Entrance to Tsumago-juku
48:24 Terashita Townscape
51:49 Masugata
01:00:17 Wisteria fruit
01:00:36 Watermill

Shooting date: June 30, 2025

Official website
Magome-juku https://kiso-magome.com/
Tsumago-juku https://tsumago.jp/

Watch more:
🔴Magome-juku, Ice Candlel Festival https://youtu.be/I0ORjfZPDrA
　 Tsumago-juku, Ice Candlel Festival https://youtu.be/xewF1dFE4S8

*Google Translate was used for the translation. The translation may not be accurate.
*The information in the video may not be 100% accurate.

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