How Do You Get to Narai-juku and Get Around the Nakasendo Post Town?
This guide is for visitors who want to reach Narai-juku, the preserved post town on the old Nakasendo road in Nagano Prefecture. It uses English pages from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and from Go! Nagano, the official travel guide run by Nagano Prefecture and the Nagano Tourism Organization. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Train times and fares are not given on these pages, so check them with the railway.
The short answer
Take the JR Chuo Line to Narai Station. JNTO says Narai-juku is accessible via the local train on the JR Chuo Line, and Go! Nagano says the station is just a three-minute walk from the post town. The town's address is Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, postal code 399-6303.
From Tokyo
JNTO says it is about three hours from Shinjuku in Tokyo on the Azusa train, changing trains in Shiojiri. Another JNTO page gives the same figure for the Limited Express Azusa from JR Shinjuku Station to Narai Station, changing in Shiojiri. Go! Nagano adds that the Limited Express Azusa and Super Azusa connect with trains for the Kiso Valley at Shiojiri.
From Nagoya and Matsumoto
JNTO says the town is about 50 minutes south of Matsumoto. From Nagoya it gives a journey of two and a half hours in its page on Narai, changing from the Shinano Express to the local line at Kiso Fukushima. Another JNTO page gives 2 hours 3 minutes for the same change at Kiso Fukushima. The pages do not explain the difference, so allow the longer figure. Go! Nagano also notes that not all express trains stop at all the Kiso Valley stations, so changing to a local train may be required.
By car
Go! Nagano says Route 19 parallels the Nakasendo through the Kiso Valley, connecting with the Chuo Expressway at the Shiojiri Interchange to the north. JNTO says cars are prohibited in Narai-juku, so you cannot drive along the main street. The pages we read do not say where visitors leave a car, so ask the tourist information center.
Getting around on foot
JNTO says the main street stretches over a kilometer, while Go! Nagano's Kiso Valley page says the row of historical homes stretches 1.2 km. Either way it is a walk, not a ride. Go! Nagano's walking guide says a stroll through Narai alone is plenty of exercise at one kilometer in length. The post town is described as an easy walk or a day trip to the Kiso Valley.
Walking in over the pass
For a more memorable arrival, JNTO says you can walk the Nakasendo Trail over the Torii-toge Pass from the post town of Yabuhara, five kilometers to the south. Go! Nagano's guides describe the same walk as about 6 kilometers and say it takes about 3 to 3.5 hours, calling it one of the most difficult sections of the Nakasendo Trail in Kiso. The pass is at an altitude of 1,197 meters. Go! Nagano recommends starting from Yabuhara Station and finishing at Narai.
Other post towns by the same line
The Go! Nagano guide says the JR Chuo line runs parallel to the Nakasendo, so stations are close to the major post towns. Kiso-Fukushima's Uenodan area is within a ten-minute walk of its station, and Tsumago is reached by a bus from Nagiso Station. JNTO says the Limited Express Shinano from Nagoya to Kiso Fukushima takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Another route from Tokyo
A JNTO page about staying in a refurbished inn in Narai-juku gives a second route from Tokyo: take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano Station, then the Shinonoi Line to Shiojiri, and continue on the Chuo Line to Narai-juku Station. The same page says that inn is a 5-minute walk from the station, so even with luggage the walk from the platform into the post town is short.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Train timetables and fares to Narai Station.
- Where visitors can leave luggage or a car near the post town.
- The exact length of the main street, since the pages give about 1 km and 1.2 km.
Related guides
- What is Narai-juku? The longest post town on the Nakasendo and "Narai of a Thousand Houses"
- What is Narai like through the year? The Lacquerware Festival and the Torii Pass walk
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Narai (Nakasendo) (JNTO) — (access, pass)
- The Nakasendo Rail Trail (JNTO) — (address, times, cars)
- The Nakasendo Trail [Guide] (Go! Nagano) — (station, hike)
- The Best Walks along the Nakasendo (Go! Nagano) — (stroll, pass)
- Kiso Valley and the Nakasendo Road (Go! Nagano) — (trains, Route 19)