This is part 2 of our 夏休み (summer break) cycling trip from Kanazawa (金沢) in Ishikawa Prefecture to Matsumoto (松本) and back again. It was 430 miles (692km) and 33,192 ft (10,117m) total over one week.
This part is about days 3 & 4 riding from Kanayama (in Gifu Prefecture) along the Nakasendo to Tsumago-Juku (in Nagano Prefecture) and then to Matsumoto!
Day 2: Kanayama (飛騨金山) to Tsumago-Juku (妻籠宿) in Nagano Prefecture
56 miles (90km) + 1555m (5100 feet) elevation
Ride and Route info: https://www.strava.com/activities/9643084738
Day 4: Tsumago-juku to Matsumoto (松本市)
64 miles (103km) + 1687m (5534 feet) elevation
Ride and Route info: https://www.strava.com/activities/9649367134
In this part, we ride along a 7.5 kilometer section of the Nakasendo (中山道) from Magome to Tsumago-juku, which is one of the best preserved and most famous sections. The Nakasendo is one of the 5 routes that was used to connect old Edo to Kyoto in the Edo period. The name means “central mountain route”and there are 69 stations or postal towns along the route. Though it was mountainous, it was one of the most popular ways between the two cities because you didn’t have to ford any huge rivers. It runs through the modern-day prefectures of Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu and Shiga, with a total distance of about 534 km.
More about the Nakasendo: https://www.go-nagano.net/en/trip-idea/id16492
More about Tsumago-Juku: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6077.html
More about Matsumoto: https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/
🎙️ Want to keep up with the rest of our adventures? We have a podcast! : https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com
More videos about Japan Cycling here:
Riding from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go: https://youtu.be/f-j3oMr7LEE
Kanazawa cherry blossom tour on a mamachari bike: https://youtu.be/Xjn89S64iXE
Biking the Highlands of Japan in Nagano: https://youtu.be/gdDsRhyQUPo?si=laJ0etHK0QaQKRdB
Noto Peninsula Cycling Tour: https://youtu.be/AtgQuM1PLaI
#japancycling #roadcycling #fromwhereiride #japanlife #jetprogramme #lifeinjapan #gravelride #cyclingroute #ramblingramsbothams #cycling #cyclinginjapan #自転車 ＃サイクリング #biketouring #gifucycling #nagano #naganoprefecture #飛騨金山 #nakasendo #松本市 #妻籠宿 #中山道
7 Comments
Surely the best way to enjoy a beer, alcoholic or otherwise! Great vid with informative commentary.
Super as always!
Nice ride! You guys should ride Mt. Norikura or Utsushigahara also in Matsumoto next time! ✌️
Fine trip. NAGANO is wonderland. you have ridden hardly ancient road. pretty good. your video makes me happy. thanks.
What a great trip! Looks like you encountered a wide variety of road surfaces. The landscapes are stunning and the villages look charming!
Absolutely loved the places in this video! Added the Nakasendo town to the mental list of places I gotta visit when I go to Japan. It feels like you're back in historic Japan; I can see why this was one of your favorite places so far. Since I'm pretty big on hiking, maybe I'll instead just try hiking the Nakasendo someday? That would be a pretty cool experience.
Man you guys are really livin’ it! Such awesome videos.. thanks!!