Visiting Narai-juku, Japan: things to do, where to stay and how to get there

Although I’d visited Japan a couple of times before, our most recent trip last autumn was the first time I’d spent over a month in the country - which meant I had plenty of time to explore beyond the popular spots like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

We did a 5-day trip to Nagano prefecture and I knew it was the perfect time to visit one of the most spectacularly preserved Edo towns in Japan - Narai-juku.

So if you’re planning to visit Narai-juku, here’s all the information you need to know including how to get to Naraijuku from Tokyo, from Nagano and from Matsumoto. Plus the best things to do and see in Narai-juku.

A quick note, I was visiting in late November/early December so while some autumn colours were still out, we were essentially visiting Narai Juku in winter (or the start of winter!) and it was SO COLD. The temperature was -8C - around 15C colder than it had been in Tokyo just 2 days earlier - so definitely prefer appropriately if you’re planning to visit in winter!

A small street through the centre of a well-preserved Edo period Japanese village, each side of the street is lined with wooden houses two storeys high. There are wooden signs with Japanese writing hanging outside some. The street is empty — The main street in Narai-juku

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Where is Narai Juku?

Naraijuku is located in Nagano prefecture, around 3 hours northwest of Tokyo by car. It is considered part of Shiojiri city.

It’s a small hamlet village in the mountains which is beautifully preserved in its Edo period style. However it was originally the 34th staging post (stopping point) on the historic Nakasendo Train which linked Tokyo and Kyoto during the Edo period.

It was also the 2nd stop of 11 along the Kisoji trail which linked Nagano prefecture with Gifu prefecture.

What is Narai Juku famous for?

Narai-juku is most famous for being such a well-preserved Edo-period village, giving it status as one of the protected Cultural Properties of Japan in 1978. This means it is maintained by government grants and support. This protection order extends 1km north and south of the village, plus 200m east and west.

Narai-juke was the 34th stop on the Nakasendo highway, ruled by the Edo Shogunate. The Torii Pass just to the south of Narai was considered one of the most difficult sections of the Nakasendo trail, so the town prospered because so many travellers would stop to rest in Narai before starting to cross the pass.

A curving street in a small village lined either side with dark wooden traditional Japanese houses and signage with Japanese writing on them. Two people walk down the street in the distance — Narai-juku, Japan

Is Narai-juku worth it?

Absolutely yes! If you want to see more of traditional Japan and experience Japan beyond the popular tourist spots like Tokyo and Kyoto, then visiting Narai-juku is absolutely worth it!

I know there are quite a few well-preserved towns like this in Japan, but this is by far the easiest one to get to Tokyo and it is so beautiful.

Plus if you choose to visit, you can also spend some time exploring the surrounding Nagano area.

How do you get to Narai-juku?

Getting to Narai-juku from Tokyo by train

There are two main options for reaching Naraijuku by train, either from Tokyo or Nagano.

The first is to leave from Shinjuku Station on the Limited Express bound for Matsumoto. Ride 11 stops and get off at Shiojiri Station, then change to the local Chuo Line and ride 5 stops to Narai Station.

Alternatively if you are travelling to Nagano first, leave from Tokyo Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Once in Nagano, you can take the Shinano line to Shiojiri then change to the local Chuo Line to reach Narai Station.

Getting to Narai-juku from Nagano by train

From Nagano, take the Shinano line Limited Express bound for Nagoya. Ride 3 stops to Shiojiri station then change to the local Chuo Line and ride 5 stops to Narai Station.

A train station sign which reads "Narai" — Narai Station

Getting to Narai-juku by car

Driving in the Japanese countryside is much more straightforward than in the cities! If you are hiring a car, Narai is just 3 hours from Tokyo or 1 hour 45 from Nagano.

Narai-juku tour from Nagano or Matsumoto

If you would prefer not to drive or negotiate public transport to get to Narai-juku, there are some tours available, however these only leave from Nagano or Matsumoto, not Tokyo.

This tour will pick you up from either Nagano station or Matsumoto Station and take you to Matsumoto Castle as well as Narai-juku.

If you would prefer a more active experience in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture then this guided hiking tour will take you along the Nakasendo Trail including Narai-juku, countryside trails, waterfalls and beautiful scenery.

Things to do in Narai-Juku, Japan

Get a stamp at the station

Ok this is totally a silly thing but we collected dozens and dozens of stamps during our Japan trip this year, usually from JR stations and attractions, so of course had to get one at the Narai Station - it looks like this:

If you’re interested in collecting stamps for souvenirs too, we just picked up this notepad from a stationary store in Japan, or you can bring one with you.

Wander the perfectly preserved Edo main street in Narai

This is honestly what we spent most of our time doing!

Arriving at 8am meant there were only a couple of other people around, especially because it was so cold! So we had plenty of time to explore, admire the Edo architecture (I’ve never seen so much in one place before) and of course, snap plenty of photos!

The main street is around 1km long which is unusual in itself - so be prepared for walking!

Stop at a teahouse for refreshments

This was basically a necessity for us because -8C meant we needed to warm our hands up after wandering up the main street for about an hour!

But the local tea shops here are seriously cute. We stopped at Izumiya Cafe which is seriously cute and the perfect place to warm up and relax inside to escape the cold. Especially with some relaxing jazz music playing in the background!

It’s traditional floor seating and they have amazing coffee, also many of their desserts and blends are made in house.

A traditional wooden Edo building housing a teahouse with an open serving hatch, Japanese cloth signage and menus outside, a wooden bench with pillows to sit on in front of the tea hatch — Naraijuku Teahouse

Get souvenirs at one of the local artisan shops

Even though these stores are obviously there for tourists visiting the town, they just felt far more authentic and unforced than all the touristy stores you see in the popular areas of big cities. Perhaps because there is already such a history of artisan crafts in the town for centuries.

Elderly men sitting watching TV with their shop hatch open, ready to show you their crafts, ceramics and artwork. We stopped at one place and picked up a set of beautiful ornate chopsticks.

There were so many gorgeous furniture shops with amazing wood carved pieces, I wish I had the means (and money!) to ship them back to the UK.

A souvenir shop with open displays out front in a two-storey wooden Japanese house — Naraijuku souvenir stores

Visit the Shizume-jinja shrine

This isn’t a big shrine, but it’s at the top of the village of Narai, right before the Torii Pass trail starts. There is a large orange Torii Gate and a small shrine to wander around. It’s not that big and it’s free to visit.

A red torii gate in a clearing with a shrine and large trees dotted around it, a village and hills can be seen in the distance — Shizume-jinja shrine

Visit the Narakawa History and Folklore Museum

This museum in Narai is right next to the Shizume-jinja shrine.

This is a small museum and it’s only open on Saturdays and Sundays so unfortunately we were not able to visit when we were in Naraijuku. However it displays the tools and artefacts of those who have lived in Narai and the Kiso Valley through the Edo, Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. These are remnants of customs and daily life in the village through the years and although it’s small, it would be interesting to see.

Entry is 300 yen.

A corrugated frontage of a small museum — The Narakawa History and Folklore Museum

Take a walk on the Torii Pass aka Nakasendo Toriitoge Pass hiking trail

This is the Old Nakasendo trail that linked the stations/stops in the valley on the route between Tokyo and Kyoto.

We only walked a couple of hundred metres before realising we were not dressed correctly for a walk in nature (6 months in humid Southeast Asia meant we were woefully underprepared for -8C in November in Japan!).

However this is supposed to be a beautiful walk in the forest, through the valley and there are sign posts and a map at the start of the trail as you leave the village.

An empty street curving away lined either side with wooden two-storey houses in a Japanese edo village. Some houses have signage outside in Japanese, a tree-covered hill in the background — Empty streets of Narai-juku

See the old Steam Locomotive

On the opposite side of the railway line by the car park, there is an old C12 199 steam train in Naraijuku. It was made in 1938 and served the Kiso Valley before being scrapped in 1974.

A decommissioned steam locomotive engine on display in Narai-juku Japan — The steam locomotive

Cross Kiso Bridge

This is a pretty wooden bridge that has been restored and I believe it’s cypress wood. Lots of people came here to take pictures and yes, the view from the bridge is pretty but I was surprised that this area was so crowded!

Worth a quick stop for the view on your walk around the village.

A wooden arched bridge over a small river — Kiso Bridge in Narai-juku

Stop by the Hito-to Antique store

Right opposite the Kiso Bridge is this amazing antique store! We love an antique store and we felt very lucky that this one only opens for five days each month and we happened to be there when it was open!

This really is a treasure trove of antiques, ceramics, home decor and artwork - all beautiful traditional style and there are two floors full of it!

Again I wished we had the means to ship home some of the stunning dark wood cabinets and larger traditional pieces. But they also had plenty of traditional tea sets and sake cups, so we left with a 100 year-old sake cup and a unique cockerel ceramic figurine.

The owner was so lovely and chatted to us about the store and the history - when I win the lottery I’ll be back here to furnish my house for sure ha!

Interior of a wooden antique store with lots of wooden furniture pieces, ceramics and trinkets on display — Hito-to Antique store in Narai-juku

How long to spend in Narai-juku?

The town is honestly pretty small, we arrived around 8am and left at 11.30am so we saw most of the town within 3.5 hours.

During that time we did everything on the list above (things to do in Narai) apart from the Folklore Museum which was closed and we didn’t walk much beyond the first 100m of the Torii Pass since we were not dressed warmly enough for -8C with wind chill!

Where to stay in Narai-juku

Unfortunately we booked our trip too last minute to stay overnight in Narai-juku, a big part of this is that most of the accommodation in the village is limited and is also not listed on popular booking sites like Booking .com so they are very difficult to book and booking direct means there is sometimes a language barrier.

The one I wanted to stay in on Booking.com was sadly not available for our date but it is a gorgeous blend of traditional and contemporary in a 200-year old building in the heart of Naraijuku.

BAYAKU is undoubtedly one of the best places to stay in Naraijuku due to the attention to detail in the restoration of the building and the modern features they’ve included - private open-air bathing tubs, each room comes with a coffee machine, free wifi and private bathroom while many of the rooms come with beautiful views too. Breakfast is also included and they offer additional extras like sake tasting and dining. They’re also an allergen-free property which I thought was a lovely touch!

Minshuku Echigoya is another option for accommodation in the town. It’s a traditional ryokan in Narai-juku which is very authentic and includes your meals. Book on their website here - the site does have an English language toggle option at the top.

I also saw Oyada Iseya had a large number of positive reviews on Google and is another traditional Japanese Inn in the heart of Narai-juku. Your dining, wifi and parking are all included and you can book on their website here.

A traditional Japanese Edo wooden house, two stories with a balcony on the upper story and many glass window panes on the ground floor — Narai-juku hotel

Summary: How to visit Narai-Juku tips and things to do

I hope this guide to Narai has helped you to plan your trip, including how to get to Narai-juku and what to do while you’re there.

This was my first experience of such an extensively preserved Edo town and it really blew me away - I highly recommend it (and staying overnight) for a more authentic experience of rural Japan.

Pin for later to plan your trip!