Hiking Japan's MOST Beautiful Trail, The Nakasendo

If you're looking to be immersed in rich Japanese history and beautiful lush nature then look no further than the Nakasendo trail a historic route that used to cut through the middle of the country These days you can hike a small untouched section to experience beautiful Japanese towns, tea houses and vibrant forests All right we are ready to start the hike for today We left the van at Nakatsugawa station and then we caught the train to Nagiso station and from there we're going to hike to Tsumago-juku and then finally after about three to four hours we'll arrive at Magome-juku If you're coming by transport then you'll probably come up from Nagoya and if you are stopping in at Nakatsugawa station we would definitely recommend stopping in at the tourist information center We were just there before and there's so many great resources like English maps They've also got info on baggage delivery, they've got baggage storage there They've got bus timetables so definitely stop in there But now it is time to get going We're so excited to just like immerse ourselves in the history of this trail We're excited hopefully to stop in some tea houses so let's go So here we are at the start of the I don't know what you call this the walk to Tsumago-juku I like the Japanese it says Rekishi no Michi which basically just means like the path of history and so oh my god I can't believe What the hell I thought this was a walking path There's a freaking old lady just like fanging down What the hell I think it's really cool that it's like the path of history because hopefully we'll be seeing these like a bunch of different like historical things But I love the look of this path behind us here They're like it's just so vibes you know It's like what's around that corner what are we going to see What history are we going to learn today? Let's go find out This area is just popping off like it is peak Japan vibes It's like we're not in like the designated like post town area But like it's got everything it's got the water wheel It's got this beautiful house and we're just walking through it And people are just kind of like living here just as per normal It's not like a tourist attraction Oh we're really pulling into it It's cool how the houses on the outskirts just kind of start blending into the real kind of like designated post town So we've just finished up lunch that was a really nice way to recharge the batteries It's kind of actually putting me to sleep I should actually say It's quite the opposite We are at not Magome the other one Keep getting mixed up in my head But I'm really enjoying this place You can see these beautiful vibrant greens like in the hills behind Which has created such a pretty setting But from now we're going to actually start the trail which connects Tsumago and Magome-juku And Amy said we're not allowed to have sweets until we get there So let's get going as fast as possible So we are leaving the town of Tsumago behind And we're about to go and start the trail And the Nakasendo trail It's one of the five major roads back you know two three hundred years ago That used to connect Kyoto to Edo or Tokyo as it's called now And it used to be feudal lords and all of their household that would travel along these roads And that's why they needed these towns like Tsumago and Magome-juku Which is the one we'll be at next So that they could stay along their trip So now we should be getting into like the cobblestone through the forest Really excited for that, let's go This is what I thought we were going to be going along This feels uh Seven kilometers A couple hours My legs are sore Ganbare You can do it Ganbaranai One thing I like is how hidden the path is Like it's just along a road here And then suddenly it's just like just goes off next to someone's house And then it just goes up into the scrub where the mountain goat Amy is It really is just so funny Just so like hidden tucked away in the trees Let's go That's super cute Don't you think like the little cobblestone path Like the tiny narrow path The little budding flowers and the little river and the waterwheel in the back Oh there's a waterwheel yeah I think that's the best thing about this trail Is all of like everywhere you look There's just these tiny details that you can appreciate Beautiful Yeah a ring-a-ding-a-ding-a I went to ring-a-ding-a and it's got no ring-a-ding-a I was so sad And I don't know it kind of looks like a bear bell as well so Because we can't ring it we're probably going to get eaten Right? Well as this video comes out we haven't been Or maybe the bear just edited the footage for us This one actually has a ding-a Put the thing on it Bears are not coming It's so loud I would like to open up the room for a discussion What's that? There have been many people we've met Going the other way We're the only mob going this way Why would that be? Why do you think that is? I think a lot of websites Recommend different routes You can do either You can go the way that we've gone Or you can start at Marble Major Street And go back towards Tsunoko So you know it's up to what you want Another thing is before we came on this I was promised two hours Two hours walk And mostly downhill is what I was promised And you know we're the only mob going this way And it's been uphill the entire way It's gonna get to downhill I see You sure about that? Many many minutes later I am a weary traveler I wish to rest my legs One thing that Amy did promise Is sweets and a treat Well we arrived at this super super cute tea house On the route about halfway And do you want to say the bad news? Don't talk to me Today is the worst day of my life I want to go home No that's pretty disappointing though But lucky we got a backup onigiri in the backpack But you didn't say what actually happened What do you mean? The last customer just left and they're closing What's the time? About 3pm I think? Yeah So maybe be aware of that Start early if you come on the Nakasendo trail Learn from our mistakes Tea houses like this one have been here for a few hundred years And were a place for travelers to stop and rest in between the towns Something that we were unfortunately not as lucky to do Walking along the Nakasendo One of the most interesting things Is trying to imagine what it would have been like Walking the same path all those years ago Here's what annoys me It's like we started here Tsumagojuku right? And we're here now And this is where we're going to And from here to here is the longer side right? It's very obvious And it's been uphill the whole way And then it's going to be downhill from here to here But she promised me so much downhill She's like bro it's like all downhill It's just bullshit I feel ripped off I want my time back Come on there's a rest house over here that's open They've got shaved ice This better be good All is well because even though the other tea house was already closed There's one at Mahome Pass Which we're here now And it's the highest point of the Nakasendo trail that we're doing today And don't worry We have shaved ice Maybe not as traditional as you know Japanese sweets But I'm pretty happy with this Moderately Yeah no We did actually get gohei mochi There's fantastic facilities here We've got the toilet and a beautiful rest spot And over here free wi-fi There you go Didn't have that back in the day 300 years ago Yeah the times have changed We've come up out of the forest I'm being met by the beautiful valley view Where I think 500 meters from Mahomejuku I'm really excited to get to the end Let's go We're here above all the water But holy moly this is beautiful Right on this like afternoon lighting It's just gorgeous Just in front of this beautiful water wheel feature Is this guest house here Which stayed here once before It was like super cheap and like really cute Would recommend Two for me none for Amy But he finally got those sweets that he wanted So we got ice cream So I'd call the end of this day an absolute success It is chestnut and vanilla flavor And chestnut is a flavor that is quite renowned I guess Or local to this area So we suggest trying that out It's really delicious actually And then there's also oyaki Which is something that is famous here As well as all over Nagano And gohei mochi Which was the one that we had at the Mahome Pass Little cafe rest stop So those are some things that you should try out When you come here And it's so relaxing And so beautiful To finally be here at the end of the trail I think Mahomejuku really just It just kind of wins Especially in this afternoon light Like you've got this beautiful cobblestone hill Going down through the town With all of the traditional buildings You've got like the water trickling down through as well With the water wheels And just all of the flowers and the greenery It's honestly just idyllic Like I don't think you can find a more beautiful setting In all of Japan perhaps It's so beautiful So yeah Let's finish up this ice cream I already ate some because I couldn't wait So after finishing the hike A couple of points that we could say is Firstly as you saw We went from Tsumagojuku to Mahomejuku But if you are looking for the route With the least amount of uphill Then doing it the opposite way would be better However the way that we did it I do think that you end in the prettiest part in Mahomejuku That's just my personal opinion But yeah otherwise you know Maybe less uphill is better Secondly what we had both imagined Was that there was going to be a lot of Cobblestone paths through the forest Which of course there was But also this hike involved quite a bit of Just walking through the countryside as well Which was really lovely But not something that we had expected And finally you probably saw that from Nagiso station Where we started to Tsumagojuku We walked for about an hour But you could replace that with a bus However if you do want to walk Just maybe have your google maps out Because it wasn't that well signposted So I think that that wraps it up for this one Honestly this was beautiful Obviously the towns are beautiful And it's also a hike that almost anyone can do So really really recommend it Leave any questions that you have down in the comments And thank you so much for watching We will see you in the next one Bye bye