Magome & the Nakasendo

Magome-juku, a post town on the old Nakasendo road, is in Nakatsugawa, the same city as Tokiwa-za. Here is what we know about combining the two.

The Magome–Tsumago walk

The Nakasendo hike from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku is 9 km long and takes about 2.5 to 3 hours on foot. On the way it crosses Magome Pass (790 m), on the border between Gifu and Nagano.

In fiscal 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), a record 79,050 hikers crossed Magome Pass. 82.2% of them came from outside Japan, from 125 countries, with Europe accounting for about half. The count was made by the Tsumago wo Aisuru Kai foundation and reported by the Shimin Times on May 13, 2026.

Getting between Magome and Tokiwa-za

We have not found a direct bus. The public-transport route we could confirm changes at Nakatsugawa Station: the Kitaena Kōtsū Magome Line links Magome and Nakatsugawa Station (about 25 minutes), and the Tsukechikyō Line runs from the station to the Takayama stop (about 19 minutes), followed by a walk of about 1.6 km.

We have not checked other options, such as shared or sightseeing taxis and tours. Ask at Magome-juku BASE or the Nakatsugawa City Tourist Information Center, both of which offer tourist information.

For a worked example and the times of the last buses, see Getting here.

Luggage

Magome-juku BASE (8:30–17:00) offers tourist information, stores luggage for a flat ¥500 and can send bags on for ¥1,000–3,000 depending on the destination. The Nakatsugawa City Tourist Information Center next to JR Nakatsugawa Station also stores luggage (¥700 per item, ¥500 for up to 2 hours). Luggage transfer between Magome and Tsumago runs from March 20 to November 30 and costs ¥1,000 per item.

For longer stretches, the Nakasendo Luggage Transfer Service (NLTS) covers Nakatsugawa Station to the Matsumoto area and has English support.

Suggestion: Tokiwa-za in the morning, Magome in the afternoon

This is a suggestion, not a tested itinerary. Times are from the weekday timetables revised on October 1, 2025.

1. Leave your bags at the tourist information center next to Nakatsugawa Station.
2. Take the 10:45 bus from Nakatsugawa Station to Takayama (arrives 11:04), then walk to Tokiwa-za (15–20 min).
3. Walk back for the 12:41 bus from Takayama to Nakatsugawa Station (arrives 13:02) and collect your bags.
4. Take the 13:15 Magome Line bus and arrive in Magome at 13:40.

That leaves about an hour at Tokiwa-za. Visiting hours there are still to be confirmed and experiences cannot be booked yet, so check before you plan around a visit.

Sources

• Shimin Times, May 13, 2026: Magome Pass hiker numbers (Japanese)
• Tsumago-juku official site: Walking the Nakasendo (Japanese)
• Magome Tourist Association: Magome-juku BASE (Japanese)
• Nakatsugawa City: Luggage storage and transfer services (Japanese)
• Kitaena Kōtsū: bus routes and timetables (Japanese)

All sources were checked on September 27, 2026. Most of them are in Japanese.