Tsumago-juku

A guide to walk through some of the most well preserved post towns along the Nakasendo. The Nakasendo is the former highway that connected Kyoto to Tokyo during the Edo period (1603-1868). At this time the Feudal lords were forced to do a multi-week commute between the two cities. The ruling family forced the lords to spend every other year in Tokyo with their entire household. This was a nightmare of a yearly commute! The Nakasendo is a 540km route with 69 post towns along the route. Commuting lords and samurai would stop at the post towns to rest and eat during their long journey. Currently, many of the post towns have been modernized with the introduction of the railway line. A lot of the original paths used by the lords and samurai have been converted into roads.

Japan is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations. There are many itineraries for 15-20 days that cover major stops such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka... In this article, I write about the destinations that I liked the most out of the ordinary routes. Historical cities, mountains, sea, good food... a bit of everything.