Since we’ve passed Higan, the observance of the autumnal equinox, the temperature has gradually dropped and the scenery is starting to transform across Japan. The refreshing autumn winds may be inviting enough for a nice early seasonal trip.

For Kanto base residents, Nagano Prefecture’s Kiso Valley is an easy 3.5-hour drive away, making it a great one-day or overnight destination.

Kiso Valley is home to stunning landscapes, featuring the majestic Japanese Alps, clean rivers, and impressive villages made up of old traditional buildings, homes, temples and shrines.

At Narai, Tsumago and Magome villages, you can see the picturesque folk houses up close without the crowds.

In early September, my wife and I escaped the hot and steamy city to visit the classical-looking villages in search of the early signs of fall. We fell in love with the sweeping views only a day trip to this area can provide.

The Kiso villages and valley will soon be colored with gorgeous autumn colors. So, why not visit them on a day trip? Or, you can stay at one of them, as there are many minshuku and ryokan inns located in these villages!

Narai

Narai is an old station town on the old Nakasendo Highway, which connected Tokyo and Kyoto in the Edo Era (1603-1867). This spacious town has a main street lined with hundreds of shops and inns housed inside well-maintained traditional folk houses.

With our car parked at a public parking lot near JR Narai Station in the early morning, my wife and I started the village-hopping by strolling through the quaint town. Though many of the shops and restaurants were still closed, we enjoyed the quiet walk with no crowds.

Elegant wooden houses and roads remain in their original condition, and the townscape was a perfect spot for photos. Since Narai’s two-story wooden houses were built in so-called “Dashibari-style,” using cantilevers to build the upper part larger than the first floor, the lined houses look uniquely elegant and majestic.

There were many architectural and structural elements in the village that transported us back in time. The traditional lanterns, the lattice-patterned doors and wooden features were like walking with other travelers across the ages.

At Shizume Jinja, a Shinto shrine that enshrines a god of warding off evil and epidemic, at the edge of town, we remembered the days with COVID-19 and could not help but stop by for prayers.

After we bought some bottles of sake and honey for souvenirs, we left the large station town to continue our Kiso village-hopping.

Tsumago

From Narai, we had a one-hour drive to Tsumago. On the way, we stopped at Nezame no Toko, a valley with countless white rock formations, the deep turquoise water of the Kiso River and the thick green forestland.

When we arrived at Tsumago, we noticed that cars were prohibited from entering the village. So, we had to park our car in a public parking lot over the Araragi River, then walk for 15 minutes across the bridge and along the steep slope with stairs to get into the village.

Much smaller than Narai in size, Tsumago accommodates fewer folk houses along narrow streets with several staircases. This village was more attractive since it preserves a more rustic, pristine, mountain village feel. While Narai’s houses were kept well-maintained with repairs and renovations, the old black wooden houses in Tsumago seemed untouched for hundreds of years.

We walked through a narrow mountainous street and checked out dozens of souvenir shops selling various handicrafts, sake and wagashi, with some inn facilities for travelers.

While my wife took a short rest on a bench at the Tsumago Post Office veranda, I enjoyed chatting with an old storekeeper at a small grocery store nearby. The old man repeatedly told me how life in the Kiso village is calm and peaceful, away from the city’s bonds and headaches.

We left the mountain village after we bought a couple of local miso packs at his store.

Magome

Another station village, Magome (or Magome-juku), is connected with Tsumago by an eight-kilometer-long trail and a short 15-minute drive. On the way, we saw some foreign travelers walking through the trail while enjoying the beautiful Kiso forests and mountains.

When we parked our car near an observation point, we were impressed with the splendid panoramic view of the Japanese Alps.

Among the three Kiso villages, we found Magome is the best in terms of the great, open view of the Kiso Valley.

Since the village was built along a steep slope, you can look down at the village below with the surrounding tall mountains while walking down along the street. Although the slope is fairly steep and winding, the stone-paved street is well-maintained and you can stroll without worrying about tipping over.

We saw that folk houses in Magome have had some modern renovations and decorations, just like Narai. We saw their embellished preservation contrasts with the rugged authenticity of Tsumago.

Waterways pass through on both sides of the sloped street and dozens of windmills here and there throughout the village, which gave us nice photo ops while strolling through the elegant village.

Magome is known as the birthplace of a renowned, historical writer and poet, Toson Shimazaki (1872 – 1943), and his birth house is preserved in the center of the village as a museum.

Narai

• Address (Narai Tourist Center): 497-3 Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture (a 3.5-hour drive from most Kanto bases)

• Website: www.naraijuku.com/

• Phone: 0264-57-3123

Tsumago

• Address (Tsumago Tourist Center): 2196-1 Agatsuma, Minamikiso Town, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture (a one-hour drive from Narai)

• Website: https://tsumago.jp/

• Phone: 0264-24-0024

Magome

• Address (Shimazaki Toson Museum): 4256-1 Magome, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture (a 15-minute drive from Tsumago)

• Website: https://kiso-magome.com/

• Phone: 0573-69-2047