Itinerary

Day 1 : Hiking the Chuma-kaido

On Day 1, guests will hike on historical trails through beautiful hamlets, meet the locals and try making their traditional food. Starting from Hirugami Onsen, guests will start the hike on the Tosando, one of Japan’s oldest known roads dating all the way back to the 8th century. Then the hike will transfer to the Chuma-kaido, an ancient road used by horses and peasants dating back to the Edo period (1603-1867).

Every day hundreds, sometimes thousands of horses transporting heavy cargo on their backs once walked along this road in ancient times. Being
able to walk on two ancient paths in one day is a luxury quite unique to Achi Village which has long been a transport hub for travelers and goods. At the Komanba-juku, one of the largest “ekiya” (horse station towns) on Chuma-kaido, you will meet the locals. They will teach you how to make “gohei-mochi,” grilled rice dumplings, which you will eat it for lunch along with a few dishes to share from a local restaurant. Your day finishes with a walking tour of Komanba-juku with a friendly local guide.

Meal / Accomodation

Lunch, dinner. Stay at Keigetsu

Day 2 : Hiking the Seinaiji-kaido

On Day 2, guests will hike the Seinaiji-kaido, a road that once connected Tsumago-juku on the Nakasendo with the southern end of the Ina Valley.
It was the shortest route and traversed over the Nashino Pass. During the Edo period (1603-1867), the path was used by the government officials,
and pilgrims en route to sacred Mt. Ontake and Zenkoji Temple, as well as the transportation of daily goods.

The hike starts at Shimo-Seinaiji, a small village nestled deep in the mountains, where a checkpoint on the ancient road used to be. There
wasn’t very much farmland and so the locals used what land there was to cultivate tobacco. In the winter they made wooden combs for a
supplementary income. With abundant forests, timber was used to pay taxes instead of rice. Seinaiji is famous for its handmade fireworks (designated as an intangible folk cultural property by Nagano Prefecture), a culture handed down for about 300 years by the festival-loving villagers.

These are the only locally handmade gunpowder fireworks in Japan and were used in the finale of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Today, the route is all but forgotten. It is a relaxing day of hiking through forests of cedar, cypress, and red pines while listening to the soothing sounds of mountain streams. The route is full of ancient relics and local folk tales that travelers of yesteryear would have told one another.

Meal / Accomodation

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Stay at Keigetsu

Day 3: Hiking the Tosando

On Day 3, guests walk from Sonohara to the Misaka Pass on the Tosando, a road developed about 1,300 years ago. At about 1,000 km long, the Tosando
was an extremely long inland road that lead from the former capital of Omi, in modern-day Shiga Prefecture, to Mutsu in present-day Miyagi Prefecture. The path was traveled by officials responsible for the expansion of the Imperial Court’s influence in the north of the Japanese mainland, as well as “sakimori” warriors sent to defend northern Kyushu, people delivering taxes and tribute to the Imperial Court, and horses raised in Shinano (now Nagano Prefecture) and used in the capital.

On this tour, guests will hike on the old Tosando from Sonohara in Achi Village to the Misaka Pass. In ancient times crossing the Misaka Pass was known as the hardest section of the Tosando. Not only was the road steep, long, and mountainous, but the weather was also extremely volatile, with sudden dense fog and thunderstorms making it difficult for travelers to get around. Sonohara, located on the eastern side of the mountain range, is a village with beautiful views and a nostalgic rural Japanese atmosphere. Many an ancient tale of Sonohara and the Misaka Pass has been told by travelers on the Tosando.

The area, with its harsh yet beautiful nature, has been written about in several Japanese historical documents since the early 8th century, as well as in waka poems composed by travelers. The area also captured the imagination of people far away in the Imperial Courts and has been written about in prominent classical Japanese literature. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (said to be the world’s oldest full-length novel) and The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon are both works of art written by female authors of the Imperial Court in the early 11th century and both feature the Misaka Pass.
After climbing to the top of the Misaka Pass, with stunning views on a clear day, guests will take chairlifts and a ropeway down the mountain to finish. Enjoy over 1,300 years of history, culture, and nature on this beautiful hike.

Meal / Accomodation

Breakfast, lunch. Stay N/A

Accommodation for the tour (2 nights)

Keigetsu, Hirugami Onsen Your accommodation for the tour is at Keigetsu in Hirugami Onsen, the largest onsen resort in Southern Nagano. Hirugami Onsen is known for its peach blossoms. In spring some 5,000 peach trees burst into blooms of pink, red, and white. Achi Village is also famous for its night sky and is ranked no.1 for star-gazing in all of Japan. Before breakfast you can enjoy Hirugami’s morning market with local agricultural products and handmade souvenirs. At Keigetsu, you can enjoa y spacious room, a large public hot spring bath made using wood from Japanese hinoki trees, and cuisine with seasonal local ingredients.

Cancellation Policy

■ Fees in case of cancellation on behalf of the customer

• Cancellation on or after the 10th day from the day immediately preceding the starting day of the tour: 20% of the tour price.
• Cancellation on or after the 7th day from the day immediately preceding the starting day of the tour: 30% of the tour price.
• Cancellation the day immediately before the starting day of the tour: 40% of the tour price.
• In cases where the contract is cancelled on the starting day of the Tour: 50% of the tour price.
• Cancellation after the start of the tour or the traveler does not participate in the tour without notice (no show): 100% of the tour price.

■ Cancellation at the discretion of the organizer

• In the case of the tour being cancelled by the organizer, no cancellation fees will apply.
• In case of cancellation due to bad weather, we will contact you the day before the tour.
• The itinerary may be changed or the tour maybe cancelled after the program has started. In this case, we will pay an indemnity in accordance with the Standard General Conditions of Travel Agency Business, except in a case of force major (natural disaster).