Ben Skute
Leave modern Japan behind and discover this ancient road through the mountains. The Nakasendo Trail is a 17th-century walking route that linked Kyoto to Tokyo and was traveled by samurai, merchants, pilgrims, and nobility.. It had 69 ‘post towns’ where travelers could rest, which were used for hundreds of years until railroads made the once-buzzing towns obsolete. Several have now been authentically restored for modern travelers. While many people visit these towns as day trips from Tokyo or Kyoto, hiking through the serene countryside and staying in the family-run guesthouses (as ancient travelers would have done) is a much more immersive historical and cultural experience.
Contributors: Kristen Bernarsky from Boundless Journeys
