Historic Japanese Post Towns Preserve Edo Era Charm
Source:
@japan_web_magazine
8 landmarks in Japan: Tsumago-juku, Narai-juku, Magome, and 5 more. Every place is verified on Google Maps, featured in an Instagram post by Japan Web Magazine | Discover Japan 🇯🇵.
Tsumago-juku
Landmark
4.3
Step back 150 years in time at this best-preserved post town on the old Nakasendō highway. Walk a street free of cars, lined with traditional wooden latticed townhouses. Follow the old trail over the Magome Pass, retracing Edo-era travelers' footsteps.
Narai-juku
Historical landmark
4.3
Explore one of the wealthiest Kiso Road post towns, once nicknamed 'Narai of a Thousand Houses.' Discover a beautifully preserved kilometer of lattice-fronted wooden merchant houses. Travelers historically rested here before tackling the steep Torii Pass.
Magome
Place
Walk a stone-paved post town climbing a hillside with sweeping views of the Kiso Valley and Mt. Ena. Explore traditional inns, teahouses, and craft shops along the historic main street. This is a classic starting point for the scenic Magome-Tsumago walk.
Ouchi-juku
Landmark
4.2
Experience a thatched-roof post town frozen in time for 300 years, with no power lines or modern signs. Climb the hill for a panoramic village view, and savor negi-soba, a local buckwheat noodle dish eaten with a single spring onion.
Kumagawa juku
Landmark
3.8
Wander through a kilometer of well-preserved townhouses, plastered white storehouses, and latticed windows. This Japan Heritage site offers a glimpse into a centuries-old 'food-provisioning province' for the imperial court.
Seki Post Town
Historical landmark
4.0
Discover the only post town on the old Tokaido highway to survive with its historic streetscape intact. Over 200 merchant houses from the Edo and Meiji eras line a 1.8 km stretch. This town is a National Important Preservation District.
Yakage
Place
Discover western Japan's charming day-trip destination with a walkable old street. Explore unique coffee stands, gelato shops, and townhouse cafes. Experience the rare honjin and wakihonjin lodgings, perfect for an authentic stay.
Kusatsu-juku
Historical landmark
4.1
Visit the historic junction where Japan's two great highways, the Tokaido and Nakasendo, met. Explore Kusatsu Honjin, one of the largest and most complete feudal lord lodgings left in Japan. Discover its guest register, bearing names from Shinsengumi warriors to German scholar Siebold.
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