Lucky Day Travel · Inuyama and the Kiso Valley
A coach day from Nagoya Station to Inuyama Castle, whose 16th-century keep you can climb, then up into the Kiso Valley for the old post towns of Magome and Tsumago. Nagoya's keep is closed; this one is a National Treasure, and the ticket is in the price.
Lucky Day Travel runs this as a 10-hour shared coach day, with commentary in English, Chinese and Japanese. You meet at 08:30 at the MINISTOP behind BIC CAMERA on the West Exit side of Nagoya Station; look for the yellow flag and arrive 15 minutes early. First stop: Inuyama Castle, admission included. Its keep is one of twelve in Japan that survive from before 1868 and one of five listed as National Treasures, and it dates its origins to 1537. Inside, steep wooden stairs climb four storeys to a balcony over the Kiso River.
Then the coach heads into Gifu for the Ena Gorge observatory, over a stretch of the Kiso River known for its rock formations, and on to Magome-juku, a post town on the old Nakasendo road between Edo and Kyoto, built along a steep stone-paved slope. Lunch there is free time and not included. The last stop is Tsumago-juku across the border in Nagano, one of the best-preserved post towns in Japan, with wooden inns and no power lines in sight on the main street.
The fine print: a minimum of 4 participants, and you get a refund if the minimum isn't met. With fewer than 13 guests, the guide also drives the coach and the commentary is brief. The paths in the post towns and the castle stairs are steep. It is a cross-sell on this site: it doesn't visit Nagoya Castle at all, but it is the closest original keep you can climb from Nagoya.
The MINISTOP behind BIC CAMERA at the West Exit. Look for the yellow flag; departure is at 08:30.
Climb the original keep, admission included, and look out over the Kiso River.
A stop at the observatory over the gorge.
Free time on the stone-paved slope for lunch, not included.
The preserved post town with its wooden inns, before the coach back to Nagoya.
★★★★★Our live guide Tomika was very attentive to our needs.
★★★★★It was a wonderfully beautiful tour in the company of a very pleasant tour guide.
★★★★★Nice, well-organized day trip. The postal towns are definitely worth a trip!
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Yes. Inuyama's keep is original, not a rebuild, and visitors climb the steep inner stairs to the top floor. Admission is included on this tour.
No. It goes to Inuyama Castle, Ena Gorge, Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku. Nagoya Castle's keep is closed, which is why Inuyama is the usual choice for climbing an original keep. See Nagoya vs Osaka for the other option.
The tour needs at least 4 participants. If the minimum isn't met, you get a refund.
No. You get free time for lunch in Magome-juku and pay there.
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Climb Inuyama's original keep, then walk the Nakasendo post towns of Magome and Tsumago. Castle ticket included.
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