Next year I will be quitting my job that I’ve been doing for the past 13 years to go back to school to study something different. And I planned on celebrating that shift in life with a solo trip to Japan and this has been at the top of my list of something to do. I’ve done a lot of mountainous rural backpacking trips (not like city backpack traveling) but I’ve never done a trail quite like this. I almost feel like it would be a walk through time. Seeing the preserved small villages in stark contrast to the cities
Hey, there's been a few people that asked for the gpx file and I did find one before the walk but seems like it's off the grid now, I can't seem to find it either :( However, you will occasionally find the nakasendo signs on the road and more importantly, I don't think you need to follow the path precisely. Make your own way!
I hate this only has 2.2k views... My man walked from Kyoto tot Tokyo... Meanwhile a dog barking at a Duck gets 4 million views. I plan om doing a very long trek next year myself. Don't know yet whether i want to do the same route as you or do South Korea from Seoul to busan. Thank you for sharing this was amazing.
Haha well, I don't want to advertize nor promote any of these documentations so it's totally fine. Anyway, I just finished a walk around the peninsula of South Korea (Not completely on foot for the most part) from Oct - Dec this year which was pretty nice as well. I guess you can plan out your trip depending on how days you can allocate for a trek like this. But first of all, this lame Covid needs to come to an end.. 😓
If you don’t get a chance to do this, I highly recommend South Korea. There is the very popular 4 River Trail from Seoul to Busan and the East Coast trail from the DMZ to Busan… both are amazing. I plan to do Japan in November. Best of luck to you and your adventure!
@@raetast how would you compare your experience in Japan vs Korea? Thanks for you video! I plan to do this in November… debating between this one and the Tokaido trail… did two in Korea and can’t wait to do this in Japan! Thank you!!
@@SeoulMan2020 Hello! Thanks for your kind words. At first I was looking into Tokaido but I found out that Nakasendo's got more nature on the way than Tokaido so I decided to take this path. I also did the walk in Korea for a few months in 2020 and I really liked both! The only concern I have in Japan for you is that maybe the language barrier in the countryside..? (esp. for booking your accomodation) 😅 I just saw some videos of your walk and wow they're so professionally shot! Were you carrying a drone the whole time?
@@raetastThank you for the information! Prior to covid I wanted to walk across rural Japan so I’ve been studying Japanese for a few years now. My Japanese is not great, but hopefully it’s enough to get me though on the walk. Thank you again for your video. It really got me excited to try this. Just booked my ticket!! Thank you for your kind words and safe travels in any upcoming adventures!
@ 4:21 going up to Magome...@ 6:35 Narai! @ 7:12 Seba? @ 9:17 Oiwake, almost at Karuizawa, @ 9:42 going up over the pass...very difficult and scary! @12:55 I bought wagashi at 新月堂. From Saitama to Tokyo the Nakasendo is not very interesting, almost nothing remains of the 本陣, many parts are on the modern Nakasendo so there are cars, noise, heat. I want to try the Oi-Okute-Hosokute-Mitake segment this year...
Amazing !! I have some questions 🙂 were did you spent your nights along the trail ? and if you stayed in a Ryokan or hotels did you booked it a long time before ? And do you have the list of the places ? I hope you can answer to my questions, i'm planning to do also this trail !!!!!
Think i will do this. But it feels like i wont miss much of i start in karuisawa. As ive been to Tokyo before. The guy here had a very small backpack. Slept in inns every night ?
I plan yo walk from Tokyo to Kyoto this year 2024. Ive dine the Camino Frances and the shikoku 88 temples in 2023. Will certainly need help in route planning, especially accommodations along the way as i dont speak Japanese.
I’d looked for a Nakasendo video in Japanese, but I couldn’t find a good one. Now I’ve searched in English and found this. You’re amazing! You’ve done this by yourself!! My hometown is close from “Mitake”, but I never tried to enter a trail part of Nakasendo. I had hiked from Magome to Tsumago several times on school field trip activities, but that all I had. I’d love to try hike/run one day.
Hi sorry for the late reply. If you mean the entirety of Nakasendo path, I would say it's more like 90:10 (90 being paved and if not, more). If you're looking for the wilderness trails, they're mostly in Gifu and Nagano prefecture and you'll find trails through the mountains. Most people just walk those paths instead of the whole Nakasendo like I did.
Bells were installed along some paths in the woods, which kind of alerted me but made out with all limbs intact! 😅 I made reservations over the phone pretty much every day, for a place within my daily walking distance.
I really enjoy the video. Very inspiring. Just wonder how did you do the map? Are you using certain software? or App? Thanks. I am planning to bike this route when Japan opens for tourists again, hopefully soon.
Hi, I used google map with the bookmark someone roughly had created but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyway with that I was able to tell the route roughly but I kinda decided to walk on any path I wanted to based on the scenery etc. Plus you will find the nakasendo signs every once in a while so you won't be that off the track!
Best video of the nakasendo i've seen so far. I am planning on walking it aswell, so I was wondering how you handled accomodation. Did you stay in hotels troughout the whole trail or did you camp aswell? Which map did you use to not get lost? Are bears an issue (especially in the nagano prefecture and in the wilderness areas)?
Thank you for the kind words! I stayed mostly at local inns + a few business hotels that I found on google maps. I can't recall where I found the map but ther were a couple of reliable ones online. But you can always use the signs that are along the way to stay on track. I didn't stay completely on track in North Nagoya because I wanted to swing by a few places. For 🐻, I did notice bells installed on some paths in the woods but I haven't encounted one, fortunately 😅
How beautiful. Thank you for this.
No, thank you!
What a great achievement! Thank you for sharing it with us. 👍🏼🙏🏻
It’s an amazing video! Thanks for the peace that you have brought for me
Thank you for watching! 🤗
Fantastic documentary of your walk. It has truly inspired me
Damn that one awesome walk.
How did you sleep ?
Next year I will be quitting my job that I’ve been doing for the past 13 years to go back to school to study something different. And I planned on celebrating that shift in life with a solo trip to Japan and this has been at the top of my list of something to do. I’ve done a lot of mountainous rural backpacking trips (not like city backpack traveling) but I’ve never done a trail quite like this. I almost feel like it would be a walk through time. Seeing the preserved small villages in stark contrast to the cities
You are so lucky, that's my dream. Looks amazing.
I'm biking this trail in august 2022 was looking for a video showing some highlights and such great video
Sounds fun! Hopefully we will be free from Covid by then 🤞🏼
@@raetast do you happen to have a map or .gpx to follow I've been trying to find one that doesn't just follow the new highway?
Hey, there's been a few people that asked for the gpx file and I did find one before the walk but seems like it's off the grid now, I can't seem to find it either :( However, you will occasionally find the nakasendo signs on the road and more importantly, I don't think you need to follow the path precisely. Make your own way!
I hate this only has 2.2k views... My man walked from Kyoto tot Tokyo...
Meanwhile a dog barking at a Duck gets 4 million views.
I plan om doing a very long trek next year myself.
Don't know yet whether i want to do the same route as you or do South Korea from Seoul to busan. Thank you for sharing this was amazing.
Haha well, I don't want to advertize nor promote any of these documentations so it's totally fine.
Anyway, I just finished a walk around the peninsula of South Korea (Not completely on foot for the most part) from Oct - Dec this year which was pretty nice as well. I guess you can plan out your trip depending on how days you can allocate for a trek like this. But first of all, this lame Covid needs to come to an end.. 😓
If you don’t get a chance to do this, I highly recommend South Korea. There is the very popular 4 River Trail from Seoul
to Busan and the East Coast trail from the DMZ to Busan… both are amazing. I plan to do Japan in November. Best of luck to you and your adventure!
@@raetast how would you compare your experience in Japan vs Korea? Thanks for you video! I plan to do this in November… debating between this one and the Tokaido trail… did two in Korea and can’t wait to do this in Japan! Thank you!!
@@SeoulMan2020 Hello! Thanks for your kind words. At first I was looking into Tokaido but I found out that Nakasendo's got more nature on the way than Tokaido so I decided to take this path. I also did the walk in Korea for a few months in 2020 and I really liked both! The only concern I have in Japan for you is that maybe the language barrier in the countryside..? (esp. for booking your accomodation) 😅
I just saw some videos of your walk and wow they're so professionally shot! Were you carrying a drone the whole time?
@@raetastThank you for the information! Prior to covid I wanted to walk across rural Japan so I’ve been studying Japanese for a few years now. My Japanese is not great, but hopefully it’s enough to get me though on the walk. Thank you again for your video. It really got me excited to try this. Just booked my ticket!! Thank you for your kind words and safe travels in any upcoming adventures!
@ 4:21 going up to Magome...@ 6:35 Narai! @ 7:12 Seba? @ 9:17 Oiwake, almost at Karuizawa, @ 9:42 going up over the pass...very difficult and scary! @12:55 I bought wagashi at 新月堂. From Saitama to Tokyo the Nakasendo is not very interesting, almost nothing remains of the 本陣, many parts are on the modern Nakasendo so there are cars, noise, heat. I want to try the Oi-Okute-Hosokute-Mitake segment this year...
Awesome
Amazing !! I have some questions 🙂 were did you spent your nights along the trail ? and if you stayed in a Ryokan or hotels did you booked it a long time before ? And do you have the list of the places ?
I hope you can answer to my questions, i'm planning to do also this trail !!!!!
Think i will do this. But it feels like i wont miss much of i start in karuisawa. As ive been to Tokyo before. The guy here had a very small backpack. Slept in inns every night ?
Yes I did. And of course you don't necessarily have to walk the whole thing. I just wanted to complete the entire route.
Cant wait to do it myself,
Where did you crash to sleep?
Awesome doc
Thank you! I stayed mostly at local inns!
I plan yo walk from Tokyo to Kyoto this year 2024. Ive dine the Camino Frances and the shikoku 88 temples in 2023. Will certainly need help in route planning, especially accommodations along the way as i dont speak Japanese.
so beautiful, great job, I will do it in 2-3 years :)
I’d looked for a Nakasendo video in Japanese, but I couldn’t find a good one. Now I’ve searched in English and found this. You’re amazing! You’ve done this by yourself!!
My hometown is close from “Mitake”, but I never tried to enter a trail part of Nakasendo. I had hiked from Magome to Tsumago several times on school field trip activities, but that all I had. I’d love to try hike/run one day.
Thanks for the kind words!
This is beautiful. I'd love to walk this when borders open! Was it quite 50/50 between wilderness trail and walking the roads?
Hi sorry for the late reply. If you mean the entirety of Nakasendo path, I would say it's more like 90:10 (90 being paved and if not, more). If you're looking for the wilderness trails, they're mostly in Gifu and Nagano prefecture and you'll find trails through the mountains. Most people just walk those paths instead of the whole Nakasendo like I did.
Awesome! Any risk to encounter bears? Do you find accommodation easily through all the path?
Bells were installed along some paths in the woods, which kind of alerted me but made out with all limbs intact! 😅 I made reservations over the phone pretty much every day, for a place within my daily walking distance.
I really enjoy the video. Very inspiring. Just wonder how did you do the map? Are you using certain software? or App? Thanks. I
am planning to bike this route when Japan opens for tourists again, hopefully soon.
Hi, I used google map with the bookmark someone roughly had created but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyway with that I was able to tell the route roughly but I kinda decided to walk on any path I wanted to based on the scenery etc. Plus you will find the nakasendo signs every once in a while so you won't be that off the track!
Best video of the nakasendo i've seen so far. I am planning on walking it aswell, so I was wondering how you handled accomodation. Did you stay in hotels troughout the whole trail or did you camp aswell? Which map did you use to not get lost? Are bears an issue (especially in the nagano prefecture and in the wilderness areas)?
Thank you for the kind words! I stayed mostly at local inns + a few business hotels that I found on google maps. I can't recall where I found the map but ther were a couple of reliable ones online. But you can always use the signs that are along the way to stay on track. I didn't stay completely on track in North Nagoya because I wanted to swing by a few places. For 🐻, I did notice bells installed on some paths in the woods but I haven't encounted one, fortunately 😅
@@raetast Thanks for the respons wish you luck in your next adventures
Fantastic video. I’m going to walk the Nakasendo next month. Still looking for a map. Can you suggest one?
Loved the video!! how much were the hotels throughout the hike?
Hi, thank you! I stayed mostly at the local inns. The price varied from 4,000 to 7,000
Wow! How many hours/km did you walk per day and where did you stay?
Hi, I walked about 25-35km per day based on the terrain and I stayed mostly at the inns!
Thanks for the reply! That sounds intense, but this trail is gonna go on my bucket list. Gotta start training!
I am doing this also
Making walking videos of each station!