Walking the Nakasendo trail between Kyoto and Tokyo VLOG

[@yoshitomosaito8879]

Wow, you guys are meticulous, I love it! I'm Japanese but only visited one section of Nakasendo in my life before that's all... So I mildly envy you and your youthful but cultural adventure spirit. Good for you~ and I thank you for up loading your precious Japan trip image.

[@laura7murray]

Thanks! I'd love to see more sections of the Nakasendo.

[@Youtubediys]

The mountain road between Magome and Tsumago is one of the highways of the Edo period. 　I've been there before, and there were also Western tourists walking around.

[@laura7murray]

Yeah many of the people we saw walking the route were western

[@bogeyandruby]

Watching this was like a peaceful walking meditation (except the rushing for the train part!). Lovely footage. Looking forward to the next instalment! 😊

[@laura7murray]

hah! Trains are very relaxing once you get on them but getting to them can sometimes be very stressful!

[@grahamwallace7933]

Thanks for sharing your journey, I loved the scenery, comments and music. Lovely video!

[@laura7murray]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@fumioshimura9102]

What are beautiful music ! Japanese Route 66 ? Beautiful sceneries , typical Japanese beautiful mountain scene. nicely done ! Thank you.

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! ❤

[@ClarisseDeGuzman]

Another beautiful vlog! Even in the rain, the views were beautiful

[@laura7murray]

Thanks Bae!

[@JC-uz3ey]

Amazing. The Nakasendo way is a place that few know of in Japan, and I'm glad that more attention is being drawn to the route. General tip: A light folding bicycle that you can mount on your backpack would be useful to have. It would be awesome to see someone cover the Kyoto > Azuchi Castle > Sekihagara Museum/Battlefield > Gifu Castle > Nakasendo Way > Mount Fuji > Izu > Tokyo Route for the true old school travel route. Great work, loved the vid!

[@laura7murray]

Thank you! Those are some really cool spots you mention. I hope I get the chance to check them out for myself

[@prajwal_1402]

Great vid 😁.... really good editing Glad got this video on my recommendation feed Subscribed👍 Binge all the vlogs

[@laura7murray]

Thank you so much!

[@robhenzen3045]

The full 500 km takes 7 days to complete? That's more than 70 km of walking per day... incredible!!

[@laura7murray]

Some of the sections between post towns are very long. We definitely did the shortest part 😅 7 days would be hard walking every day

[@MinasanKonnichiwa777]

@@laura7murray Yea no way one can do the entire walk in 7 days. Most people just walk the famous segments and a few of them spend 5-7 days doing a longer segment such as the kiso valley. And a very very small fraction of people do the entire thing which takes them more than a month. I know someone who did it slowly over a period of 4 months.

[@laura7murray]

@@MinasanKonnichiwa777 wow 4 months! Yeah, the route is massive.

[@hori166]

Most people skip the Nakatsugawa-Ochiai entry to the Nakasendo and head straight for Magome. On one trip, I got off the train at Ochiai but got lost heading in totally the wrong direction. Eventually, I found a bus stop that took me back to Nakatsugawa and then on to Magome. But yes, the Ochiai-Magome route is very nice. After I got to Magome, I backtracked on the Ochiai section. Natural springs dot parts of the Nakasendo which people avoid even though this was the water source during the Edo period. The water is incredibly cold and sweet, much safer than a Red Bull. One other thing is that palanquin bearers transported single passengers along the route. They must have been incredibly fit to have done this, not wearing Nikes, but straw sandals. You can get these sandals at a shop in Magome to get an "authentic" Nakasendo trekking experience.

[@marcuslew523]

We walked there 2.5 weeks ago. It remains the 'special bit' throughout our entire trip to Japan. Thank you for your video. 😊

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! Yes it was definitely a super memorable walk!

[@thejkatt]

❤ I hope you two had a wonderful time! I hiked the trail recently and your video is bringing back very fond memories. You even have footage of the 2nd ryokan I stayed at 😁 Thank you so much for posting!

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! I'm so eager to go back and walk more of the nakasendo!

[@AmbientWalking]

Wow! I really enjoyed this! Thank you!

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching!

[@yokohara358]

I live in NYC but it’s my hometown until I was 17. My mother still lives there but I haven’t been there during the fall season for many years. So, thank you so much for the beautiful vlog. I loved the music and camera work. I thought that it was very poetic.

[@laura7murray]

I hope you get a chance to go back and visit during autumn! Such a lovely season. Thank you for watching!

[@brianchar-bow3273]

Even as time passes and the surface of the city changes, nothing remains the same in terms of what lies at the root of Japan's unique culture. The common root of the originality of Japanese culture is the uniqueness of its geopolitical isolated location and the influence of its special natural environment. Even if culture and knowledge are imported from abroad, it is not dominated by them, but rather, after a certain period of time, it is able to select and discard the content, integrate it with its own culture, make repeated improvements to fit its environment, and eventually create its own new style. This is due to the influence of Japan's unique natural environment, which is both rich and harsh, and is very different from the natural environment on the continent. Japan's original country name "NIPPON" means "the country under the sun," but its other name is "YAMATO (WA, DaiWa)," which means "peaceful harmony between people and nature.　In other words, the name of Japan is "the country under the sun," meaning the country of "great harmony between people and nature. The history of Japan is very old, about 2,000 years since the reign of the Emperor, but it was during the "Jomon Pottery" culture about 14,000 years ago that humans began to form villages and communities and live in this island nation. (It was about 30,000 years ago if the Neolithic Age is included.) Surrounded on all sides by the sea and geographically isolated from the Eurasian continent in the Pacific Ocean, this island nation has a warm and humid climate, and because it is a volcanic island, it is blessed with abundant underground clear water resources, diverse vegetation, and fishery resources. For this reason, people have lived here for tens of thousands of years, enjoying the abundant nature and living in peace with nature. However, while the natural environment of this island nation is rich, it is also harsh and has both light and dark sides. Since ancient times, the people of this land have respected human harmony and have lived in peace by working together as a group. They have shared and enjoyed the blessings of nature by pooling their wisdom and collectively overcoming numerous severe and harsh natural disasters, such as frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, summer typhoons, and heavy snowfall in winter. This is because this island nation has a harsh natural environment that cannot be overcome by a single person. Individual power is too weak to face the onslaught of nature, which can destroy the wealth we have built overnight. Therefore, many people should suppress their egos, dislike confrontation, and work together to create a livable environment and maintain cleanliness, and then work together to prevent disasters before they occur and to restore the environment after they have occurred. This is the most wise, efficient, and rational way to maintain peace and harmony in each other's lives, rather than to create more chaos by insisting on each other's selfishness, which has given rise to Japan's unique teachings, culture, and behavior. The ancient name of Japan, "YAMATO" or "WA" (peaceful harmony between people and nature), represents the wishes and reality of the people who have been trying to survive in the rich and harsh natural environment unique to island countries, which is different from the dry and stable land of the Eurasian continent. And it is in this ancient Japanese country name "WA YAMATO" that the essence of Japanese culture, the origin and secret of its unique culture, which is very different from the cultures of other Asian countries on the continent, is hidden.

[@matirex12]

I did the same route as you guys and little bit more - Nagiso to Nojiri and from Yabuhara to Narai this year. 27 to 30 of march. I can cofnirm, there is planty of cherry trees on the hills but... spring was late this year I saw shit - just naked trees 🥲 probably you could spot blooming in like half of april And imo Narai juku is the best

[@TYup-cr5pk]

THIS. IS. SO. BEAUTIFUL!!! thank u for bringing us along 🥺

[@laura7murray]

Thank you for joining me!

[@hasuwasu]

Love that you used Violet Evergarden ost for this ❤

[@laura7murray]

Ian picked that song! It definitely fits well. Thank you for watching!

[@nowgaku]

とっても素晴らしい旅でした。

[@laura7murray]

ありがとうございました

[@hmarouli]

WOW😲! Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience. 🙏 Would you happen to have the route on google Maps to share it? Based on your experience, could anyone do this route alone? How easily can you communicate with locals there? Do they speak English?

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! I don't have it on google maps but we walked from Ochiai-juku (goo.gl/maps/uCL5kZg2SJPnJobe9) along the Old Nakasendo all the way to Nagiso (goo.gl/maps/TYGxm2rq2ES1aj579). We passed through Magome-juku (goo.gl/maps/XdhjJ5pZYtFwXwP86) and Tsumago-juku (goo.gl/maps/NqivAHMtgenYo6Ti8) which are the two main touristy towns. It is not a wheel chair accessible path. There is a decent amount of uphill walking on uneven pathways. But it isn't extremely strenuous. I think an able bodied person could do this route. Some of the areas are very deeply wooded, and it could be scary to walk alone if you aren't used to being in a forest. Most of the local shops had at least one person who spoke English and all places had English menus. I still tried to make an effort to speak Japanese, even though I was terrible at it! Locals are very polite and usually an 'ohayo' or 'konnichiwa' is all you need.

[@MsDeleeuw]

may i ask how do you do this, do you speak japanes or not. i want to go next year to Japan, but i struggle with language, i don,t speak japanes don,t understand it can,t read it. only English german and mother language Dutch

[@laura7murray]

I knew a couple words but I definitely wasn’t fluent. Google translate has a camera app that is super helpful for signs and menus. If you stick to the big cities usually you can find someone who speaks English. Other languages might be harder to find though.

[@didindodon8251]

I LOVE❤ BEAUTIFUL KYOTO' JAPAN❤ FROM JAKARTA CITY" BANDUNG CITY" SURABAYA CITY" YOGYAKARTA CITY" JAWA ISLANDS" INDONESIA..❤💖💜💕

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching!

[@ShnNar1000x]

Great video! I'm collecting clips of where I want to travel in Japan and this makes the list. I also like the music from Violet Evergarden, one of my favourite anime!

[@laura7murray]

Nakasendo is a must visit! It's a very magical experience. Thanks for watching! The BViolet Evergarden music fits in so well!

[@arnoldrimmer9161]

Lovely! I believe Japan is my spiritual home even though I’m British. The peace and tranquillity is heaven. You’re so lucky to have visited, even though I’m 52 one day I will do it.🙏

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! 52 is still young, you have plenty of time to explore Japan! I hope you have a wonderful time once you get a chance to visit.

[@arnoldrimmer9161]

@@laura7murray 🙏

[@evasossnitza]

Thank you so much for this lovely video! I hiked the Nakasendo from Magome to Tsumago in 2018, and i had tears in my eyes when I recognized the places I walked myself. I would really like to walk the Nakasendo again, but the way you did it was certainly the better option, with a sleepover in Tsumago. I walked slowlier than you and stopped very often to take pictures, therefore I was almost runnning the second half, because I was afraid I might miss the last bus to the train station in late afternoon. Spending more time in Tsumago would have been nice.

[@laura7murray]

I'm glad I was able to help you remember such a special experience! Yes, waking up in Tsumago was very relaxing and nice. If I ever got a chance to do the walk again, I would want to try staying in Magome! It'd be very cool to see it at night/early morning. There is definitely so much to stop and look at along the walk. I wish we had had time to stop at the tea house. Thanks for watching!

[@evasossnitza]

@@laura7murray The tea house I can highly recommend! They even make live traditional music there!

[@tietcd]

Great Video Laura, Can you share approx dates when you were there. Planning to go in November so wanted to check dates when you saw fall colors on your hike. Thanks.

[@laura7murray]

Thanks! This video was shot November 13-14. Looks like fall foliage in the mountains are mid November and lower areas like cities are late November.

[@tietcd]

Thanks,@@laura7murray We are also heading there just couple of days before your dates !

[@lilith-in-the-dark]

Thank you for sharing. This video is really helpful. I've got a plan to go there this year. First I planned to start walking at Magome-juku, but after watching your video I want to start at Ochiai-juku too. But I have to finish at Nagiso-juku in a day to take a train to the accommodation. I don't know if there're enough time? So may I ask that how much time you took from Tsumago-juku to Nagiso-juku? Thank you

[@laura7murray]

Tsumago to Nagiso was about 1.5 hrs. You could do the full hike between Ochiai and Nagiso in about 5-6 hrs. But it wouldn't give you much time to stop and eat. Maybe you could pack a convenience store lunch and eat on the way. You also have the option to catch a bus from Tsumago to Nagiso if you run out of time. Hope that helps!

[@lilith-in-the-dark]

@@laura7murray wow, I just know I can catch a bus from Tsumago to Nagiso. Thank you so much.

[@laura7murray]

@@lilith-in-the-dark You're welcome! You'll have a wonderful time!

[@jdn7823]

Thank you for this vlog, Laura. There is a dearth of info regarding planning for walking the Nakasendo. Ive been wanting to walk the Nakasendo, which is the Camino de Santiago de Compostela of Japan. I just finished doing the camino and i want to do the Nakasendo soon. May i ask how you arranged for the accommodations along your walk? Did uou use any maps for a self guided walk? Any tour agencies to help with the planning? Also, the paths well marked so as not to get lost? I apologize for my numerous questions, its just that your nakasendo vlog has been the most helpful on youtube about the topic. Thank You!!!

[@laura7murray]

Hi! We only did the two day/one night section of the Nakasendo. Its the shortest stretch between major post towns. I was very set on going to Fujioto Ryokan so we reserved a room over email 10 months before we were planning on going. They speak fluent spanish/english/japanese so they are very accommodating. That was the only place we stayed in on the Nakasendo. We had the unlimited data sim cards so we were able to fully access google maps. The old Nakasendo shows up on google maps so it was easy to see where we were. The ryokan did give us a hand drawn map of places to go see nearby, which was amazing. Also the café we stopped at in Tsumago gave us a pamphlet with a map. The path it's self is very well marked. Beautiful signs say "中山道" all along the path and there are also ones that just say "Tsumago" and "Magome". We only struggled getting into Tsumago because there were two ways to get into the town. We didn't use any tour agencies. The road is very straight and key landmarks are well marked so they are easy to discover. We just left our main luggage in Nagoya but you can forward your luggage very easily. All of the towns have very helpful tourist information centers and they will send your luggage to the next town at a low cost. Hopefully that answered all of your questions!

[@jdn7823]

@@laura7murray thank you very much for the quick reply. I already subscribed to your channel and i hope you will post more of your trips. Have u walked the Camino de Santiago? I think you would enjoy it…

[@laura7murray]

@@jdn7823 Thanks for subscribing! I have a few more japan videos coming up. I haven't actually been to Spain! The Camino de Santiago looks amazing. If I ever end up there, I'll definitely check it out. Have you heard of the Kumano Kodo in Japan? I didn't do it but it also looks very fun.

[@marionbooth8103]

This was great! Thank you!!! Now I'm planning on doing this trail 2024. ❤ btw, which music was playing between 3 to 5 minutes into your video? I love your choice of music!

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching! You'll have a lot of fun hiking it next year! I'm planning on doing the hike to Narai-juku next year. The song is Lost in a Dream by Nostalgiabeats kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqmpe3eJqpyro5o

[@marionbooth8103]

@@laura7murray - did you need to be able to speak much japanese to be able to get around?

[@laura7murray]

Not too much Japanese, the simple excuse me, thank you, and please was what I mostly used. Other than that its just hand gestures. When I wanted to say a full sentence I would use google translate, but I only used that twice in two weeks. @@marionbooth8103

[@hanzli2623]

perfect time, you had the roads and path to yourself, the less tourist the better

[@laura7murray]

Yes, it was lovely! I wonder how busy the walk would be during the cherry blossom season. There are a lot of cherry trees, it would be so beautiful!

[@D_L_J_83]

Can I ask what backpack Ian was using? Looks like a good one

[@laura7murray]

Osprey Radial! It works really well for carrying a lot stuff, but there's a frame on it so its hard to squish it into small spaces (like under the airplane seat). www.osprey.com/us/en/product/radial-RADIALF19.html

[@putraappm]

*_mantabb djiwa👍_*

[@laura7murray]

🥰🥰

[@ふじおさん]

日本に来ていただきありがとうございます😊 美しい映像も嬉しいです😆

[@laura7murray]

ありがとうございます!

[@PatrickSchraner]

What gear do you use for filming?

[@laura7murray]

Everything was filmed on my iPhone 13 pro. Filmed in 4k 60fps with only the built in stabilization.

[@meilinlee9745]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. I will be in Nagoya for a week (3/8 - 3/15/2023,) is it safe to hike along? What’s name of hotel(s) during your 7-day hike? Much appreciated!

[@laura7murray]

@@meilinlee9745 Hi! I only did a two day hike, with one night in Tsumago at the Fujioto Ryokan. It is very safe to walk along. There are bears in the area but the bells keep them away.

[@meilinlee9745]

@@laura7murray thanks!

[@nikeetaL]

Hi.. did you start your journey from Kyoto? A few of us are doing this trail in March but starting from Tokyo.

[@nikeetaL]

also do you have a site with info regarding doing the 20km walk? it's pretty confusing to figure all the buses and trains alone. thank you!

[@laura7murray]

Hi! There isn't really a main site that explains everything. I used google maps to figure it out. Their bus and train timetable is pretty accurate. We started in Tokyo, and took the 6am Hikari to Nagoya, then transferred to a train going to Nakatsugawa, it comes every hour. We got to Nakatsugawa around 9am. From there you can walk to Magome along the Nakasendo which would take about 2-3 hours. Or you can take a bus (the "M" Magome bus). The bus takes 25 mins and comes every hour, if you get car sick easily you will probably struggle on it. They go FAST with lots of turns. We took the bus to Ochiai-juku and walked to Magome which was just under 2 hours. We spent about an hour in Magome, and then hiked to Tsumago which took another 2.5 hours because we were stopping a lot. We did have to rush through the last part of it, so I'd suggest giving yourself 3.5 hours to be able to fully enjoy everything along the hike. You are able to take a bus between Magome and Tsumago that takes 30 minutes and comes every 2 hours. A note about the busses - you need to pay in cash once you get off. The suica card doesn't work here. This site here has the time table for the bus departures but it's all in Japanese. I found just going through google maps was the easiest way for me. www.town.nagiso.nagano.jp/gennkinamatidukuri/tiikisinnkoukyougikai/busdia.html

[@nikeetaL]

@@laura7murray this is amazing!! Thank you so much Laura. Your vlog is beautiful and can’t wait to experience it all. 💛

[@laura7murray]

@@nikeetaL You will love it! There are so many small things to discover along the way. Thank you for watching!

[@kentjones8008]

Thank you Laura. Well done!

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching!

[@AnywhereButHome_PinoyAko]

Wow! The autumn color is beautiful.

[@laura7murray]

Yes! It looks best in cloudy rainy weather in my opinion. So we were able to get such great shots even though we were soaking wet!

[@AnywhereButHome_PinoyAko]

Same thoughts with me. Rainy weather gives more drama to these old places and onsen towns.

[@laura7murray]

The sound of rain on the traditional roofs is magical.

[@boworna7629]

very relaxing vlog :)

[@laura7murray]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@FluffyBunny9002]

Im going to swing over to Magome from Kyoto when I'm there in April to check out some of this trail, but this makes me wish I would have went in the fall.

[@laura7murray]

April will be so beautiful too! I hope you get to see some cherry blossoms. The mountains had a lot of cherry trees so you might get lucky!

[@FluffyBunny9002]

@laura7murray I hope so too, but unfortunately I'm going in the second half of April, and I worry the cherry blossoms will be gone.

[@laura7murray]

@@FluffyBunny9002 Awe! I hope it works out. Green Japanese foliage is still very beautiful. Maybe the wisteria will be blooming!

[@matirex12]

​@@laura7murray I did the same route as you guys and little bit more - Nagiso to Nojiri and from Yabuhara to Narai this year. 27 to 30 of march. I can cofnirm, there is planty of cherry trees on the hills but... spring was late this year I saw shit - just naked trees 🥲 probably you could spot blooming in like half of april

[@laura7murray]

@@matirex12 aweee I'm sorry you missed the good spring flush! The Nagiso to Nojiri hike looks really cool! I'm doing the hike from Narai to Yabuhara this year in fall! I'm very excited to explore more of the trail.

[@jeremyfooter5080]

Wow, magical

[@laura7murray]

Thanks for watching!

[@takeru2702]

Great video! From japan

[@laura7murray]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it