中津川

Nakatsugawa is a mountain-edged city in southeastern Gifu Prefecture, where the plains of central Japan climb into the Kiso Valley. It is the western gateway to the Nakasendo post towns, and among Japanese sweets lovers it is famous as the home of chestnut confectionery.

Magome, the stone-paved highlight of the old highway, lies inside the city limits, and the trail over Magome Pass to Tsumago remains the classic Nakasendo walk. In the forest at Ochiai, a stretch of original Edo-period stone paving survives underfoot, and the ruins of Naegi Castle cling to granite boulders above the Kiso River.

Autumn lines the shops with kuri kinton, a simple confection of pressed chestnut and sugar that draws pilgrims of its own. The JR Chuo line links Nakatsugawa directly with Nagoya, and buses continue to Magome. Walk the highway in spring or autumn for the kindest weather.