Magome - Tsumago walk - with kids

Hi, I'm planning to do the Magome - Tsumago walk in early April, and we'll have 2 kids (1yo & 3yo) with us. How long does it take approximately to complete the walk?

Initially, I was thinking of to stay 1 night in Magome, do the walk the next day and then stay in Tsumago. But I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble of travelling with the luggage (from Hiroshima) to Magome, and then from Tsumago (to Hakone).

Instead, I'm thinking to base in Nagoya, and then do the walk as a day trip.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

The walk is about 2-3hrs and maybe more with kids. There is a bus connecting the two so you can return to either town by bus. There is also baggage forwarding service. Read more here
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6078.html

You should be ok. Some of the path surface is very rough and it is worth being aware that the villages close very early. I "might" stay one night in Magome and do the walk the next day & get the bus back. The accomodation in Magome will hold your bags. As it's between an hour & an hour and a half from Nagoya I would probably do it as a day trip from there.

You mean carry one of your kids and the other one walk or be in a stroller? I think you'd struggle. The walk is easier from Magome to Tsumago, but the first kilometre or so is quite steep, I think you'd be knackered by the end of that part and the kids would be whingeing. Also there are a fair few stairs there. The rest mainly slopes down to Tsumago. And I wouldnt really have a toddler running free on the track, part of it has quite sheer drops on one side into the forest, and some bridges have no or barely there rails. I dunno...really, I wouldnt. And if you are going to stay the night in both towns, I'd probably do it on the weekend. I stayed at Hotel Kosoji and did the walk the following day (Monday). Tsumago was absolutely dead when I got there - no restauarants, virtually no signs of life at all. I think it only gets hopping on the weekend.

Obviously the 1yo can't walk the whole distance. Strollers are out due to the terrain and steps, but it isn't a difficult walk so a carrier/sling would be ok. Although, if it's been raining, I would be nervous about it being slippery in places whilst carrying an infant.

Too hard for the 3yo to walk it all too and at 3yo pace it would take an age. There are also sections dangerous for a 3yo imho (unprotected drops, steepish inclines, rough steps, and trip hazards). But in other places should be ok to have a walk and wander in the woods. You'd be ok with a hiking backpack carrier. But if you're not so used to hiking carrying a 3yo, it might be a bit tiring for you. It is a nice walk though and easy for adults. I would say though it's not worth it for you if you are going to struggle with the kids. Maybe just visit one of the towns, which are really special and walk the first bit of the road and return.

If you're staying in Nagoya, although not an authentic post town, Inuyama nearby has some nice period buildings and the castle is an original building, in a nice setting, and manageable; nearby is Meji Mura in a wooded park that might be better for the kids to walk about in, with nice views and an interesting collection of buildings from the Meji period. Might be a better day trip from Nagoya as Magome - Tsumago in a day with kids could be a bit of a mission.

I did this walk in February last year with two or 3 inches of snow and ice on the ground, walking from Magome to Tsumago. The walk is 10 km and it took me about four hours, dawdling and taking photographs. In my opinion the trail is not as horrific as described by previous postings, this is not a goat Trail in the mountains! It is basically a walk and not a scramble, I am 70 and had no problems. You could do it in one day out of Nagoya but I would not recommend it. Better to take the train from Nagoya to Nakatsugawa (1Hr) and the bus to the start of the trail (1Hr depending on connections). Then do the walk from Magome to Tsumago and stay in a ryokan in Tsumago, which you can research through a website called Japanese guesthouses. Leaving Tsumago, take a bus to Minamiskaemachi and from there train will take you via Nakatsugawa back to Nagoya. Obviously the one-year-old will be carried all the way and my guess is that the three-year-old will walk 30 to 50% of the way. This walk is a pleasant respite from the oppressive concrete jungle that exists in most of Japan.