Guide to full Nakasendo Way in English

I can’t find any info in English about walking the full Nakasendo Way, beyond the very short stroll o Magome. Yet I hear that lots of people do the full 500 kilometres hike. Where can I find details and maps in English? All my searches just come up with adverts for guided walks.

https://www.nakasendoway.com/

fifth option down on a google search

Thank you, yes I had already seen this. Although there is a lot of information I’m not happy I could navigate from their descriptions. Also, isn’t this also a tour organiser? I’d like to know if there are way markers along the route, like on the Kumano Kodo for example, or is it no longer a precisely designated route?

Hi, Julia.

Yet I hear that lots of people do the full 500 kilometres hike.

Lots of people? Where did you hear that?

I've lived in Nagano Prefecture for decades. I've walked select parts of the Nakasendo in this area, and I can tell you that large stretches of the old Kaido no longer exist except as paved highway. And walking some of the busier highway stretches would not be all that pleasant.

There are detailed books written in Japanese about the Nakasendo, and our local library has quite a few. How's your Japanese? You could try writing to one of the more active tourist associations in the area, and asking for some advice. They could probably put you in touch with a local historian who could lead to the types of materials you're seeking.

Magome Web Message Form:
http://www.kiso-magome.com/toiawase-form.html

Their Postal Address and Telephone:
馬籠観光協会　
〒508-0502 岐阜県中津川市馬籠4300-1　
TEL 0573-69-2336

If you're in Japan, go to you local library and ask the reference librarian to help. Through Interlibrary Loan you should be able to get many items.

Hi Julia

You're correct in saying that lots of people walk the Nakasendo, but of course the vast majority of them are Japanese, so the guides that exist (and they can be found in bookstores in Japan) are in Japanese. Shinshu Resident is also correct when they say that most of the kaido no longer exists in its original form, and following it involves walking for long stretches along busy roads. The good news is that most of these busy roads have sidewalks, so the walking is not what I would call "unpleasant."

The description at the Nakasendo Way website is really informative (I used it when I walked the Nakasendo in 2007) but the map is not very detailed and you are correct in thinking they alone would not be enough to navigate the route. Luckily there are some more detailed maps available online. The websites below are in Japanese, but you should still be able to use the maps. On the first one, just click on the links on the right with orange circles on them and you will be taken to a separate page with the route for that section. On the second one, the links to the maps are conveniently labelled "map" in purple.

https://www.jinriki.info/kaidolist/nakasendo/

http://www.masupage.com/nakasendo/index.html

If you have an iPhone, there's also at least one app you can get to help you navigate the Nakasendo. I used one made by the same company when I walked the Oshu Kaido last year. The below link is to the page on my blog where I introduce the app. On the same blog you'll also find a diary of my 2007 walk along the Nakasendo from Kyoto to Tokyo.

http://thewalkingfool.blogspot.co.nz/2017/04/theres-app-for-that.html

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I walked both the Kumano Kodo as well as the Nakasendo ( partially ). The Nakasendo, IMHO, is nothing like the Kumano Kodo. If you are "picturing" anything like the Kumana Kodo, you are in for a big disappointment.