Tsumago (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Kiso Valley is home to stunning landscapes, featuring the majestic Japanese Alps, clean rivers, and impressive villages made up of old traditional buildings, homes, temples and shrines.
For Kanto base residents, Nagano Prefecture’s Kiso Valley is an easy 3.5-hour drive away, making it a great one-day or overnight destination.
At Narai, Tsumago and Magome villages, you can see the picturesque folk houses up close without the crowds.
In early September, my wife and I escaped the hot and steamy city to visit the classical-looking villages in search of the early signs of fall. We fell in love with the sweeping views only a day trip to this area can provide.
Narai
Narai (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Narai is an old station town on the old Nakasendo Highway, which connected Tokyo and Kyoto in the Edo Era (1603-1867). This spacious town has a main street lined with hundreds of shops and inns housed inside well-maintained traditional folk houses.
Tsumago
Tsumago (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
When we arrived at Tsumago, we noticed that cars were prohibited from entering the village. So, we had to park our car in a public parking lot over the Araragi River, then walk for 15 minutes across the bridge and along the steep slope with stairs to get into the village.
Much smaller than Narai in size, Tsumago accommodates fewer folk houses along narrow streets with several staircases. This village was more attractive since it preserves a more rustic, pristine, mountain village feel. While Narai’s houses were kept well-maintained with repairs and renovations, the old black wooden houses in Tsumago seemed untouched for hundreds of years.
Magome
Magome (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Magome (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Another station village, Magome (or Magome-juku), is connected with Tsumago by an eight-kilometer-long trail and a short 15-minute drive.
Among the three Kiso villages, we found Magome is the best in terms of the great, open view of the Kiso Valley.
We saw that folk houses in Magome have had some modern renovations and decorations, just like Narai. We saw their embellished preservation contrasts with the rugged authenticity of Tsumago.
Narai
Address (Narai Tourist Center): 497-3 Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture (a 3.5-hour drive from most Kanto bases)
Website: www.naraijuku.com/
Phone: 0264-57-3123
Tsumago
Address (Tsumago Tourist Center): 2196-1 Agatsuma, Minamikiso Town, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture (a one-hour drive from Narai)
Website: https://tsumago.jp/
Phone: 0264-24-0024
Magome
Address (Shimazaki Toson Museum): 4256-1 Magome, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture (a 15-minute drive from Tsumago)
Website: https://kiso-magome.com/
Phone: 0573-69-2047
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