Best Trails near Nakatsugawa Shi, Gifu, Japan

Hiked this trail in September of 2015 and it was one of the most beautiful 4 hours of my life (we took our time and tons of pictures). I highly recommend this trail to anyone.

We hiked the section from Magome to Tsumago. From the Magome Pass to Tsumago is the highlight. It’s not difficult and we completed the walk in the rain (in winter) which was great because we had the trail to ourselves and it was misty and peaceful. We worried that the bear bells were dinner bells and not warning bells but rang them anyway and did not see any wildlife. Lovely trail and the villages at either end are worth exploring too although I imagine they would be very busy in summer.

I went up Mount Ena, and it’s like walking in the sky. These are the clouds you can see in the summer. It’s summer in Japan now. There will be thunder and lightning this afternoon. So, seeing so much greenery makes me feel refreshed. Ah, I am so happy when I’m hiking. These are some pictures I took at hiking. A lot of flowers are blooming at the mountain Seeing flowers of the mountain is one of interesting thing of the hiking.

We did the full hike from Nakatsugawa to Tsumago via Magome. The first 4-5km were all on roads in built up areas and not really worth doing, but then the paved area around Ociaigawa was very pretty. The best section was Magome to Tsumago where you go through woods with beautiful rivers and bamboo, really beautiful with the sunlight coming through the trees. The two villages are very pretty and traditional too. I’d probably stick to the recommendation of getting the bus to Magome rather than walking next time as the first part was nowhere near as nice as the second.

We walked from Nakatsugawa Station to Magome, but up to the first paved steps in Ochiai isn’t great but is pretty from the Ochiai steps to Magome. More of a walk than a hike.

Nothing to add to the previous description. Definitely an awesome day-hike. I would love to do it again during the Spring or Fall for the colors.