Kiso Valley Region

Introducing Kiso Valley Region

Thickly forested and alpine, southwest Nagano-ken is traversed by the twisting, craggy former post road, the Nakasendō. Like the more famous Tōkaidō, the Nakasendō connected Edo (present-day Tokyo) with Kyoto, enriching the towns along the way. Today, several small towns feature carefully preserved architecture of those days, making this a highly recommended visit.

It was not always so. Kiso hinoki (cypress) was so prized that it was used in the construction of the Edo and Nagoya castles; it is still used for the reconstruction of Ise Jingū, Shintō’s holiest shrine, every 20 years. To protect this asset, the region was placed under control of the Tokugawa shōgunate, and locals could be put to death for cutting down even their own trees; restrictions remained in effect well after the Meiji Restoration. The resulting lack of maintenance left many local buildings beyond repair or unreconstructed after fires. Further economic decline came with the introduction of new roads and commercial centres to the north; the construction of the Chūō train line effectively cut the region off.

However, the 1960s saw a move to preserve the post towns’ architecture, and tourism has become a major source of income. Even if most of the remaining buildings are technically Meiji- and Taishō-era reconstructions, the streetscapes are pure Edo and the effect is dramatic.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009