11 Post Towns and Hot Spring Traditions to Experience in Shinshu: Walk Through the Good Old Days of Japan

The Nakasendo Trail, one of the highways that connected Edo and Kyoto, is a historic route where nature and townscapes flow together. The section from Karuizawa to Tsumago is especially rich in highlights, with grand natural scenery as well as historic buildings and streets.
Along the route, the scenery shifts from Karuizawa’s cultured townscape to post towns nestled in the mountains of the Kisoji area, with local flavors such as soba and gohei-mochi rice cakes found along the way. Linking different landscapes from section to section, this is a route worth working into your itinerary.

Tsumago-juku is lined with streetscapes that retain their Edo-period appearance. Known as the first place in Japan to launch a townscape preservation movement, it offers a valuable historic setting that still conveys the mood of the Edo period.
Along streets where utility lines and signboards have been removed, old inns and townhouses stand side by side, with the honjin former official inn and museums also dotted throughout the area. There are teahouses where you can taste gohei-mochi rice cakes and soba, and simply spending time walking here brings out the feeling of travel.

This post town stretches for about 1 km and prospered as a key point along the Kisoji route. Along the highway, it is divided from south to north into three areas: Kamimachi, Nakamachi, and Shimomachi. At the time, Nakamachi, the center of the town, was home to the honjin, waki-honjin secondary inn, and wholesaler’s office.
Even today, houses with senbon-goshi latticework line the street, and the town’s layout, with its shrines, water sources, and temples, remains intact. Defensive features such as right-angle bends and masu-gata square bends are also among the highlights.
As you visit the shops along the street, take a walk that lets you experience how a post town functioned.

Unno-juku is a quiet post town street that preserves traces of the Hokkoku Kaido, a road that connected the Sea of Japan side with the Pacific side. The roughly 650-meter post town road, with a water channel flowing down the center and attractive rows of houses with lattice doors on both sides, has a nostalgic atmosphere that evokes the passage of time.
The townscape is characterized by the coexistence of Edo-period inn architecture and sericulture-house structures from the Meiji period onward. Be sure to notice the detailed design elements such as udatsu fire walls and latticework.

This local cuisine restaurant was created by renovating a farmhouse in Ogawa Village. Inside, in a space resembling a pit dwelling modeled after a Jomon-period home, you can taste oyaki, a local food that has long been made in the area.
Around the irori hearth, oyaki filled with a variety of ingredients such as nozawana greens, mushrooms, and sweet bean paste are lined up. Spending time in the horigotatsu-style sunken seating area while drinking soba tea is another part of the appeal. Oyaki-making experiences are also offered.

This popular soba restaurant is known for the pairing of wasabi and soba. A favorite dish ordered by many visitors is the “Wasabi Flower Bud Yakumi Zaru Soba,” served with wasabi flower buds as a condiment. It brings together the fresh aroma of the flower buds and firm, chewy soba.
In the garden, Fureai no Komichi, mountain hydrangeas and soba flowers spread out, making it ideal for a stroll after your meal. Visit with the idea of enjoying the time you spend here, including any wait.

Here, the style is to enjoy a cup of sake sold by measure at the brewery counter. “Teppa” is a local dialect word referring to drinking sake by measure on the spot.
Since you can try multiple labels starting from a single small sake cup, you can compare the differences in flavor right there. Snacks such as hitashi-mame simmered beans and matsumae-zuke pickles are also available, so enjoy them together with the atmosphere of the brewery. It is also nice that you can take home the label you like.

This hot spring town is rooted in a culture of public baths and retains an atmosphere of public baths, footbaths, and restaurants lining the streets. One of Nozawa Onsen’s main attractions is “sotoyu meguri,” visiting 13 natural hot spring baths that have been protected since the Edo period and are all 100% free-flowing from the source.
Going from bath to bath, each with different benefits, and finding your favorite water is one way to spend time here. The hot spring town also has 27 stamp stations; buy a stamp book and collect 10 or more stamps to receive a nice gift.

Awanoyu is a long-established hot spring inn in Shirahone Onsen, located in the mountains of the Northern Alps. Its signature feature is the large open-air bath. You can enjoy a relaxing moment soaking in a bath filled with milky-white water.
The open-air bath is shared, but the entrances are thoughtfully separated for men and women. Couples, married pairs, and groups can enjoy the same bath while easing away the fatigue of travel.

This shrine, with four precincts around Lake Suwa, carries ancient beliefs into the present day. It is the head shrine of Suwa shrines found throughout Japan and is considered one of the oldest shrines in the country.
Its distinctive structure has no main sanctuary, instead taking the form of worshiping sacred mountains and sacred trees. Each of the four shrines has its own highlights and is connected to events such as the Onbashira Festival. It is worth visiting together with nearby shrines.

Zenkoji is a major temple that has drawn the faith of people regardless of Buddhist sect. It is also famous for the legend expressed in the saying, “Led by an ox to Zenkoji,” and even today about 6 million worshippers visit each year.
In addition to worship, you can add several experiences such as visiting the National Treasure main hall and taking part in the Okaidan Meguri passage walk, so your stay naturally becomes longer. It is easy to include as part of a walk through the temple town.