Nakasendo Way - Trip Planning

I recently walked the Nakasendo Way in Japan. I did it as a solo, independent traveller. In this episode I talk through the logistics of organising the trip from transport, accommodation, itinerary, what to pack and what to expect on the trail. 

EPISODE NOTES:

Transport:

·        Klook app – pre booking major train trips

·        JR Central Official - Shinkansen Travel Site

Cash:

·        711 convenience stores

Esim:

·        Buy eSIMs for international travel - Airalo | Airalo. I have a code that gets you $5 AUD off (roughly $3 USD) which is REBECC7542.

Packing list:

 ·        Two sets of complete hiking clothes – tshirt, long sleeve top, long/convertible pants, two pairs of hiking socks, underwear – I wore one and carried one set.

·        One puffer vest and one rain jacket – both compact. You might need a warmer jacket depending on the time of year but even on a cold day (11 degrees Celsius) I was warm enough with four layers.

·        One cap/hat.

·        Hiking trail shoes (you don’t really need boots unless it suits you – just some good grip soles).

·        Slides (although these were at the hotels/guest houses) and a spare pair of lightweight socks.

·        One pair of plain pyjamas/lightweight loungewear– I also wore them to dinner at night with a vest or jacket over top. Some guest houses provide pyjamas/robes to wear at dinner.

·        One small towel – just in case it rained but also because it can be humid and you might appreciate it to dip in water and cool off with.

·        Hiking poles – I appreciated these on the down hills – mine are foldable in my back pack so I didn’t always use them.

·        2 litre bladder for drinking water – I refilled this at every town – cold bottles of water are readily available in vending machines at the train stations or on the side of the road in towns and are cheap to buy.

·        Food – I didn’t take any and just bought along the way as there was plenty of little shops but I would caution that restaurants closed early so maybe stow a pack of instant noodles if you wanted a back up – hot water was readily available. I did take a few black tea bags and some UHT milks as I just love my cup of tea in the morning. 

·        My phone and a charger with an ebook on board to read along the way. I used an eSIM from Airalo and had good coverage almost the whole way. 

·        Coin purse – you need coins for some local trains and buses as well as smaller shops and to enter temples and museums.

·        Travel size bathroom items and a small first aid kit. There was soap, shampoo, towels including hand towels and lots of other bathroom items in the hotels/guest rooms.

·        Small plastic bags for food rubbish and wet clothes – bins are really hard to find along the way!

Itinerary outline:

Day 1 – Matsumoto to Kiso Fukushima (via Yabuhara to Narai trail)

Day 2 – Kiso Fukushima to Agematsu and return 

Day 3 – Kiso Fukushima to Magome (via Nagiso – Tsumago – Magome trail)

Day 4 – Magome to Nakatsugawa/Nagoya

If I had one more day I would have made Day 3 – Nojiri to Nagiso and stayed the night in Nagiso. This is a 15km walk and is much quieter than the others mentioned here but accommodation is hard to find in Nagiso.

Accommodation (see Episode 2 notes)

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