Hi - My 19 year old son and I are traveling to Japan for two weeks. We would appreciate your advice with some questions on our itinerary. This is what we have:
1. Tokyo 4 nights. (including day trip to Katsuura to go surfing with Splash surf school. I know it's a long day. Teenage son says we can do it!)
2. Get to Magome to hike the Magome-Tsumago section of the Nakasendo Trail.
a. Do we go from Tokyo to Matsumoto, stay overnight there, then get to the trail, walk it to Tsumago then take bus/train back to Matsumoto (we've been to Matsumoto previously) OR
b. Do we go from Tokyo to Magome, walk to Tsumago and stay overnight in a ryokan. Next day walk/bus to Nagiso to train station.
This feels like a lot for one day but my son says "we're waking up early and doing as much as we can all day so we don't waste a minute." Haha.
3. Kanazawa 3 nights
4. Takayama 2 nights (or should we see Takayama first and then Kanazawa)?
5. Kyoto 3 nights. On our checkout day we take train to Tokyo for 6 p.m. flight home.
Thank you!

1. Tokyo 4 nights. (including day trip to Katsuura to go surfing with Splash surf school. I know it's a long day. Teenage son says we can do it!)

He is correct. It is in Chiba about 90 minutes from Tokyo station by JR limited express.

2. Get to Magome
Both options work. I like the second option better. The first option has the benefit of you leaving all your stuff in Matsumoto. The second option has the benefit of staying overnight in Magome.the night before the walk.

4. Takayama 2 nights (or should we see Takayama first and then Kanazawa)?

Yes, you should.

3. Kanazawa 3 nights

Ok, good.

You should consider visitng Kamikochi on your way to Takayama Would be Kiso Valley to Matsumoto by JR then bus to Kamikpochi and on to Takayama. Outdoor pursuits include casual walking on up to serious hiking in/around Kamikochi.

5. Kyoto 3 nights.
Kind of short. You couild skip Kyoto (or Kanazawa). Take a look at Kamikochi, Okuhida, Shirakawago and see if you might want to spend more time in the J-Alps region. Maybe stay another night in Kiso Valley and visit Naraijuku.

>> On our checkout day we take train to Tokyo for 6 p.m. flight home.
Ok, that is doable from any of the cities mentioned. Do you mean Tokyo Haneda or Tokyo Narita Airport?

..>> You couild skip Kyoto
That statement is a bit blasphemous, considering the place it the cultural capital of Japan. It is very popular and some people spend a week there and it is not enough for them Two full days would allow you to see the highlights - all of which are World Heritage Sites (with WH sites left over for next time). Kanazawa is long been referred to as a "little Kyoto" and you can take that either way. It has gained in popularity over the last few years because of shinkansen access. In that way, popularity, maybe it is more like Kyoto than before but it is still smaller and thus easier to manage.

Thank you, mrwunrfl. First time forum user and I can't figure out how to reply to your messages. I looked at FAQs and I'm still stuck. We're returning to Narita. Wonderful suggestions about towns in the mountains. They're gorgeous. I'll ask my son - he may be ready for some big city stuff after our mountain hikes.

You found the best way to reply.

I am going to take that back. I thought that it would be a shorter trip but it is not. The route would be south in Kiso Valley and then west and then north on Takayama Line.

It can take less time to travel to Kanazawa. You make your way from Tsumago to JR Nagiso station and then only 4h 17min to Kanazawa with one train change.
This is the transit route of the search result from Nagiso to Kanazawa - Japan Transit Planner | Norikae Annai (jorudan.co.jp)

That would tend to favor the overnighr in Tsumago. From Nagiso you get on a limited express train that goes all the way to Nagano. I remember the ride from Matsumoto to Nagano as being scenic, at least as it was approaching Nagano (it rode on a ridge and you get a good view of the valley and city).

From Nagano you get the shinkansen to Kanazawa. But not right away. Stop in Nagano to visit the amazing: Zenkoji Temple - Nagano Travel (japan-guide.com)

(That webpage mentions a walk through an "underground passage". I remember it as a (frightening) crawl through a tunnel.)

Thanks for the detailed travel info on the benefits of Kanazawa first, then Takayama. Kamikochi looks amazing. I also remember that beautiful train ride from Matsumoto to Nagano!

My son keeps sending me things he wants to see, which mostly are things like teamlabplanets in Tokyo which looks super fun! And canyoning in Minakami. So I think he'll be ok with one or two nights stay in a little town on the Nakasendo. He'll get bored with any more.

So... I think you're suggesting: Tokyo to Magome (Google maps showing it's 4 1/2 hours). We can (maybe?) send our bags from Tokyo to our hotel in Kanazawa? If so, we could leave Tokyo (with just small backpacks) at 8:30 a.m. getting to Magome at about 1 p.m. or leave 10:40 getting there at 3. I'm wondering if we can do that, and then on the same day hike to Tsumago, stay overnight in Tsumago then the next morning get to JR Nagiso station and then only 4h 17min to Kanazawa with one train change (stop in Nagano to see the Zenkoji temple). My son and I are fit and that section of trail looks to be only 8 km/4 miles and not steep.

But then how do we work in Kamikochi? And Shirakawago? How and where would we stay a second night before Kanazawa?

Thank you!!

Oops, you noted how to see Kamikochi in your earlier post. My apologies. "You should consider visitng Kamikochi on your way to Takayama Would be Kiso Valley to Matsumoto by JR then bus to Kamikpochi and on to Takayama. Outdoor pursuits include casual walking on up to serious hiking in/around Kamikochi." Thank you.

If you have two days, I'd do:

• First day) Tokyo > Nagoya (with shinkansen) > Nakatsugawa > Bus to Magome. Visit Magome town (walk around + Waki-Honjin Museum), stay overnight.
• Second day) Magome to Tsumago walk, visit Tsumago town. Bus/walk to Nagiso station. Train to Takayama (from 2h40 to 3h20) or Kanazawa (some 3h20), times not including transfer waits or stopping anywhere along the way. Zenkoji is a nice temple.

The nice thing about the area is taking the time to walk around both towns. Arriving to Magome only to start the hike right away would be a bit of a shame, in my opinion. The sun sets in Japan quite early (at least compared to Europe), so definitely check the sunset time for the month you're visiting. You don't want to start the walk at 4pm if you're travelling in winter! Note that this is a rural area, so a 4h trip can turn into a 5 or 6 hour trip without proper planning. You'll want to check the bullet train, train and bus timetables and match them properly.

Japan Guide has a list of what to see in each town: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6077.html

Shirakawa-go can be visited as a day trip from either Kanazawa or Takayama. Most people stop in Shirakawa-go when moving between the two cities (Kanazawa > Shirakawa-go > Takayama, or vice versa).

Looking at a map, your route would be something like this:

1. Tokyo > Nakasendo > Matsumoto
2. From Matsumoto, bus through Japanese Alps (Kamikochi / Great Hida Cave / Shirahone Hot Spring) and onto Takayama
3. Takayama (+ half day trip to Hida Furukawa?)
4. Bus from Takayama to Kanazawa, stopping by Shirakawa-go and/or Gokayama
5. Kanazawa (+ day trip to Yamanaka onsen?)
6. Express onto Kyoto

Hi Peter_T, Thank you for this terrific map! And your detailed suggestions. So it looks like we can visit both suggested itineraries/towns. We've visited Matsumoto before so we might skip it to have more time in the other places. The kids were little so all we did was tour the castle (which was amazing).

Taking mrwunrfl and your advice into account, I think it looks something like this!
1. Tokyo to Magome. Check on train schedule and sunset time to decide whether to start hike right away and stay in Tsumago, or stay overnight Magome (walk around Magome).
2. Walk Magome to Tsumago. (possible overnight in Tsumago depending on train schedule that I'll review)
3. Train to Kanazawa or Takayama, depending on train schedule. In either case, stops in Kamikochi / Great Hida Cave / Shirahone Hot Spring. And Shirakawa-Go
3. During our stay in Takayama 2 nights (+ half day trip to Hida Furukawa?)
4. We've got Kanazawa set - son has tons of things on our itinerary. First time in our travels he's taken such an active role so I want to encourage it.
5. On to Kyoto (son says we're going there so that's what we'll do!)
I'm going to print out this map and both itinerary suggestions. I'm wondering if we should hire a guide for our day hike on the Nakasendo path. Not that it's complicated - all reviews show that it's very well marked. It might be nice to have someone explain the history and tell some stories about the area. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!!

The more I research the Japan Alps, the more I want to stay for an entire week and just hike around. So beautiful!

Thanks again for all of your time. Warm regards.

>> 3. Train to Kanazawa or Takayama, depending on train schedule. In either case, stops in Kamikochi / Great Hida Cave / Shirahone Hot Spring. And Shirakawa-Go

Maybe you are not clear on a couple of points. You won't be taking the train to Takayama if you want to make those stops. I mean, you can but probably would not want to.

The map that Peter_T shows the most effiicient route. As Peter_T mentioned, the trip from Matsumoto via Takayama to Kanazawa is all by bus. The first three stops are all east of Takayama with S-go to the west.

Take a look at that map and draw some lines between Matsumoto - Nagano - Toyama - Kanazawa. That is all JR (the route I mentioned earlier with the almost mandatory stop to see Zenkoji). There is also a JR line (Takayama Line) between Toyama - Takayama - Nagoya.

You can visit any/all/none of those four stops (Kamikochi / Great Hida Cave / Shirahone Hot Spring, Shirakawa-Go) by bus route from Takayama. Or S-go by bus from Kanazawa. You can go from Takayama via Nagoya to Kyoto by JR.

Maybe am over-explaining. JNTO has/had a great Practical Travel Guide for the region with a nice transport map. The PTGs were pdfs.

>> The more I research the Japan Alps, the more I want to stay for an entire week and just hike around. So beautiful!

You've got that right, for sure. We didn't mention Okuhida or Hirayu Onsen, both near Takayama.

And then there is this: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route Travel Guide - What to do along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Route (japan-guide.com)

Maybe I should dp this (except for Day 9)
Japan Travel Itinerary - Best of Central Japan (japan-guide.com)

Oh wow, there's more! Thanks for the tips and links.

Yea, I was confused about train/bus. In my 20s I would show up at the train/bus station and figure it out there. But we have so little time that I'm feeling the need to plan out these two nights, including exact train/bus locations and times. I did see the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine route and, after an hour or two, decided to pretend it doesn't exist so my FOMO doesn't go completely crazy on me.

You're not over explaining. It's really helpful; every additional layer of information gives me new insight. I'll take both yours and Peter_T's advice on the route, then dig into the bus schedule. Obviously, it's an adventure so we'll be open to the unexpected when we're there!

Thanks so much!

this is what I am so worried about too in looking at the Alpine route via bus/train so I eliminated it from our plans but really want to see it. It just seems so confusing on getting from one place to anohter, especially with the langauge barriers. Good luck!

Thanks! Best wishes on your trip too.

>> >> show up at the train/bus station and figure it out there

That can be done in Japan. It is a good idea to take a look at the schedule for limited express and shinkansen trains and at least know when the last departure is. And get an idea of the frequency of the trains, otherwise you get to the station (Nagiso) and end up on a local train train.

Getting seat reservations on a train is a good idea but not often not necessary. This is not like getting airline reservations. Getting seat reservations on (highway) buses is a very good idea and often necessary.

On that trip from Tsumago to Kamikochi (if that is your chosen route) I would not be concerned at all about getting seats on the Shinano Limited Express from Nagiso to Matsumoto. I would be concerned about bus seat reservations for Matsumoto to Kamikochi.

plambers can pretty much just show up at the station and get on the next train or the one after that.Their itinerary is all shinkansen and the JR limited express on the Takayama Line. Just thought of something to post on plambers' thread.