Magome

Magome is a tiny post town on a stone-paved slope in the Kiso Valley of Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. In the Edo period it lodged travelers walking the Nakasendo, the inland highway between Kyoto and Edo, and its restored inns and water wheels recreate that world convincingly.

The main street climbs steeply between wooden buildings, with the peak of Mount Ena rising beyond the rooftops. The old highway itself is the main event: the trail over Magome Pass to neighboring Tsumago remains the classic Nakasendo walk, well marked and gentle enough for most hikers.

Snack on gohei mochi, grilled rice skewers with sweet walnut miso, before you set out, and consider staying in a minshuku inn once the day-trippers leave. Buses connect Magome with Nakatsugawa station on the Chuo line. Spring and autumn give the walk its best light and coolest air.