Tsumago to Magome - which way?

Im staying at a ryokan in Nakatsugawa the night before the walk. In the morning should I start in Tsumago or Magome? I also plan to go on to Kyoto that evening, so which place would be easier to access the train after?

I would go to Tsumago and go to Magome. I have walked the other way twice, and this is why I would go the other way next time:

1. Tsumago isnt anywhere near as interesting as Magome, so it is a bit of a let down after the walk;
2. the closer train station to Tsumago is Narai which has spotty service (more relevant if you are staying at Kiso Fukushima or Nagoya);
3. Magome on the other hand has really good bus service back to Nakatsugawa and is a pretty lively town, on weekends at least;
4. the walk up Magome is quite steep and pretty hard going. Personally I would rather the gentle rise from the Tsumago direction, followed by a steep walk down for the last km or two.

The waterfalls are closer to Tsumago, they are really nice. Look in the creeks and get gold fever like I did (it is mica, not gold). Then there is a nice little cafe closer to Magome that serves horsemeat sashimi (not my cuppa) and chestnut rice (surprisingly excellent)

Tsumago has less bus and train access, so if you want to get to Kyoto as quickly as possible after you finish, I'd start in Tsumago and walk to Magome.

The closest station to Tsumago is NAGISO Station, not Narai. Narai is very far from Tsumago.

As far as which is "better", I personally liked Tsumago a lot more. I found it to be a lot more attractive visually. It has a lot more historic and nostalgic feel. Magome is nice, too, but it's a lot more touristy.

ahhh correct, Nagiso, good correction.

Narai is like 40 minutes away, another little town a bit like Tsumago. Super pretty but not touristy enough for me.

I've done the walk twice spring 2023 and started in Nagiso both times because the access there was pretty reasonable and the bus from Magome to Nakatsugawa worked better (I was staying in Matsumoto - the connections worked better). If I was going to do it again, I would do the same thing, mainly for the more regular bus service from Magome.
However, the people I walked the route with the last time thought Magome to Tsumago would have been better as they did not like the length/duration of the trail and thought the shorter steeper section at the beginning would have been easier. That might have been a factor due to their fitness, or their not understanding the transport at either end of that section. If there was a better bus service from Tsumago or trains from Nagiso, then the choice might be different.

I will be visiting Japan and August and the Hike is on my List. Can anyoneplease recommend a hotel? I am also thinking of starting the hike at Tsuago and head to Magome/ After the hike i am headed to Tokyo. Or would it be better to do this hike after tokyo on my way to Osaka? Thanks!

Hi Ella. Nakatsugawa would be a pretty convenient place to stay if you are there for the walk, you could leave your luggage at the hotel, go to Tsumago, do the walk to Magome and then bus to Nakatsugawa for your luggage.

I havent stayed there, but I did stay at Hotel Kisoji (quite an odd onsen resort close to Tsumago) and then at a few places at Kiso Fukushima that I really liked, Iwaya and Kaido Roman both of which were great but in different ways.

Thanks for your help. I looked up the Hotel and it looks pretty nice. I also looked up the kiso Fukishima. That also looks very nice. Have you done the Hike? I am wondering now which one is better.