Nakasendo Way: Yabuhara to Narai via Torii Pass Walking Route Guide

Yabuhara to Narai Hiking Trail Video

This video shows you the route from Yabuhara to Narai. In this video, you can see how to walk the route and the highlights of the one. The video does not show the exact route of the Nakasendo Way, but shows a shortcut to Torii Pass. See the article for the exact route of the Nakasendo Way from Yabuhara Station to Narai Station via Torii Pass.

Giving the directions from Yabuhara to Narai via Torii Pass

This article shows you the way from Yabuhara Station to Narai Station via Torii Pass with the photos. The way is part of the Nakasendo Way and also popular among foreign tourists. The total length is about 6.4 km. It takes about 1 hour 45 minutes on foot without stopping on the way.

Note

In this article, you can enjoy virtual hiking.
"Intersection", "Crossroad", "T in the road", and "Fork in the road" are all called "Juncture" in this article.
The time it takes to get to each point is just a reference.
Go straight at all the junctures that aren't described below.
Reproducing all or any part of the contents is prohibited.

Yabuhara Station

Walk a little southward on the road in front of Yabuhara Station. Then you'll find a downhill. Go down the hill. (FYI: Though you deviate from the Nakasendo Way, you can take a shortcut as follows： Walk 2 minutes 30 seconds northward on the road in front of Yabuhara Station. Then, you'll find a underpass. Go through the underpass, turn right, and walk 1 minutes 30 seconds. After that, you'll come to Yabuhara Juncture 6 described below.)

Yabuhara Station

The vicinity of Yabuhara Station

Yabuhara Juncture 2

2-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn right and go under the railroad bridge.

Yabuhara Juncture 2

Yabuhara Juncture 3

It's close to the railroad bridge.
Turn right.

Yabuhara Juncture 3

Yabuhara Juncture 4

4-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn right. (FYI: If you turn left and walk a little, you'll find Yabuhara Milestone in front of a stream locomotive.)

Yabuhara Juncture 4

Yabuhara Milestone

Yabuhara Juncture 5

5-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Cross the bridge, turn left, and turn right immediately. Then, you'll find a cemetery on your left. Go along the road in front of the cemetery.

Yabuhara Juncture 5

Yabuhara Juncture 6

8-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn left.
There is a site of Kosatsuba (former site of public notice display) on the left of the following photo.

Yabuhara Juncture 6

Oroku Comb Shop

10-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
"Oroku Comb" is a specialty of Yabuhara-Juku.

Oroku Comb Shop

Yabuhara Juncture 7

It's close to the shop of "Oroku Comb".
Go straight.

Yabuhara Juncture 7

Lacquerware Shop

It's near "Yabuhara Juncture 7".

Lacquerware Shop

Warankan

12-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
This is a rest house.

Warankan

Yabuhara Juncture 8

It's near Warankan.
Go straight.

Yabuhara Juncture 8

Yabuhara Juncture 9

13-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight. (FYI: Though you deviate from the Nakasendo Way, you can take a shortcut as follows: Turn right at the corner close to the crosswalk and walk a little. Then, you'll find a railroad bridge. Go under the railroad bridge, turn left, and walk 3 minutes. After that, you'll come to the vicinity of the site of Falconer's Office described below.)
After walking 1 minutes from here, you'll find the site of Yabuhara Honjin. Only a signboard is there, but a soba restaurant is close by.

Yabuhara Juncture 9

The vicinity of the site of Yabuhara Honjin

Yabuhara Overpass

16-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Cross the overpass and walk a little along the path. Then, you'll find a hill. Go up the hill.

Yabuhara Overpass

The vicinity of the site of Falconer's Office

18-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Bear right.
The site of Falconer's office is on the left of the following photo. Only a signboard is there, but the view from there is wonderful.

The vicinity of the site of Falconer's Office

The view from the site of Falconer's Office

Tenko-Shrine's Large Mapple

21-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

Tenko-Shrine's Large Mapple

Yabuhara Juncture 10

It's close to Tenko-Shrine's Large Mapple.
Go straight.

Yabuhara Juncture 10

Torii Pass Entrance

24-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight.
There is a fire station on the left of the following photo.

Torii Pass Entrance

Torii Pass Juncture 1

28-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight.

Torii Pass Juncture 1

Stone-paved Path

30-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

Stone-paved path

Torii Pass Juncture 2

32-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go along the path in the middle of the following photo.

Torii Pass Juncture 2

Torii Pass Juncture 3

39-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight.
You can also turn left towards the site of Woodland Weather Station.

Torii Pass Juncture 3

Torii Pass Juncture 4

41-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Bear right.
If you go up the left hill a little, you'll find the site of Woodland Weather Station.
There is a rest house and a white birch forest there.

Torii Pass Juncture 4

The site of Woodland Weather Station 1

The site of Woodland Weather Station 2

The vicinity of the observatory

42-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Bear right.
You can see Yabuhara-Juku from the observatory in the center of the following photo.

The vicinity of the observatory

The view from the observatory

The vicinity of Maruyama Park

44-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

The vicinity of Maruyama Park

The following photo of this place was taken from a different angle.
Maruyama Park is near here. There are stone monuments in the park, including a haiku monument of Basho Matsuo. Basho is a famous haiku poet in the Edo Period.

The vicinity of Maruyama Park (from a different angle)

Basho Hike Monument

The following photo of this place was also taken from a different angle.
Go up the hill next to Ontake Washbasin.
(FYI: You can also go along the path on the right of the following photo towards the vicinity of Ontake-Shrine's Torii.)

The vicinity of Maruyama Park (from a different angle)

Ontake Washbasin

Yoshinaka Suzurimizu

It's close to the vicinity of Maruyama Park.
This is the water used to pray for the victory of Yoshinaka Kiso. Yoshinaka is a famous samurai lord.

Yoshinaka Suzurimizu

The following photo is the stairs next to Yoshinaka-Suzurimizu.
Go up the stairs. These stairs are very steep. If you would like to avoid the steep stairs, return to the vicinity of Maruyama Park and go along the right path, which is not very steep, towards the vicinity of Ontake-Shrine's Torii.

The vicinity of Yoshinaka Suzurimizu

The vicinity of Ontake Shrine

46-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Walk next to the shrine and pass through the Torii gate.
There is a view point of Mt.Ontake on the left of the following photo. From the view point, you can see Mt.Ontake if it's not hidden by clouds.

The vicinity of Ontake Shrine

View Point of Mt.Ontake

Mt.Ontake

Stone buddhas

Ontake Shrine

Ontake-Shrine's Torii

The vicinity of Ontake-Shrine's Torii

It's close to Ontake Shrine.
Go along the path on the left of the following photo.

The vicinity of Ontake-Shrine's Torii

Baby-bearing Horse Chestnut

50-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
There are many horse chestnut trees around here.

Baby-bearing Horse Chestnut

Torii Pass Juncture 5

52-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn right and immediately go up the right hill.

Torii Pass Juncture 5

Torii Pass Juncture 5 (from a different angle)

Torii Pass Juncture 6

54-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn off the paved hill onto the left path next to the signboard.

Torii Pass Juncture 6

The monument to Emperor Meiji's visit

It's close to Torii Pass Juncture 6.

The monument to Emperor Meiji's visit

The monument to the Ontake-ko

56-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

The monument to the Ontake-ko

Mine-no-Chaya

58-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight on the road in front of Mine-no-Chaya.
Mine-no-Chaya has a restroom.

Mine-no-Chaya

Torii Pass Juncture 7

59-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Bear right and go down the hill.

Torii Pass Juncture 7

Torii Pass Milestone

63-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

Torii Pass Milestone

Naka-no-Chaya

73-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

Naka-no-Chaya

Torii Pass Juncture 8

77-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Go straight. (FYI: If you go up the right hill a little, you'll find an observatory.)

Torii Pass Juncture 8

Torii Pass Juncture 9

85-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn left.

Torii Pass Juncture 9

Torii Pass Juncture 10

It's close to Torii Pass Juncture 9.
Go straight. (The road curves sharply southward.)

Torii Pass Juncture 10

Torii Pass Juncture 11

87-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn off the road onto the downhill in the middle of following photo and go down the hill.

Torii Pass Juncture 11

Torii Pass Juncture 12

89-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
Turn onto the road and go straight.

Torii Pass Juncture 12

Shizume Shrine

90-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.

Shizume Shrine

Nakamura House

92-minute walk from Yabuhara Station.
This is a typical traditional Japanese-style house. It's a former comb wholesaler and is open to the public as a museum.