Traditional Streets/Houses Spots in Kisoji Area

  • Tsumago-juku
    Travel / Tourism
    Nagano Pref. Kisogunnagisomachi Aduma 2159-2
    One of the Nakasendo (old route from Tokyo to Kyoto) post towns which still retains the appearance of a post town from the Edo period. Tsumago-juku is known as the first post town in Japan to preserve its old town atmosphere and it has been designated as an important architectural preservation site and a regional conservation area. The town is full of places to see such as Koi-iwa (Carp rock), one of the three famous rocks, the Waki-Honjin Okuya (a National Important Cultural Property), Nagiso Museum of History with displays on the history of Nagiso Town and the Kisoji Road, and the preservation of Tsumago-juku.
  • Magome Pass Village
    Travel / Tourism
    Gifu Nakatsugawa-shi Magome
    The name of a village along the Nakasendo Road connecting Tsumago and Magome inns, located on the Magome side of Magome Pass at an elevation of 790 m. Until the Edo period, many people who lived in the village used oxen to transport goods, and the village was crowded with people called "Ushikata" (cattlemen). Even today, about 20 houses still stand side by side, and many people stop by on their way to hike over Magome Pass.
  • Kisohirasawa
    Travel / Tourism
    Nagano Shiojiri-shi Kisohirasawa
    This town, located in the center of Nagano Prefecture, developed on the large curve of the Narai River's flood plain in the south-central part of what is now Shiojiri City crisscrossed by the river and the Nakasendo Road. People have lived in the region since ancient times, but it began being maintained as a part of the Nakasendo Road by the Tokugawa shogunate government in 1602. The many highly distinctive buildings in the area speak of its history as a center for lacquer work. The town's main street is occupied by many store buildings and is connected directly to the Kinsai-cho neighborhood where artisans gathered, resulting in a townscape deeply colored by a history as a location where the entire lacquer work process, from production to sale, was conducted.

Nagano Areas

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Nagano prefecture is an exciting mix of mountains, hot spring monkeys, and preserved Edo history. At the heart of the Japanese Alps, Nagano is one of the country’s most popular destinations, whether in winter for its snow sports and the much-loved Jigokudani Monkey Park or in the warmer months for discovering the undulating hills on foot. For fantastic Edo architecture, head to the Kiso Valley for a 60-kilometer stretch of quaint wooden buildings that marked the Nakasendo route 200 years ago.

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