How to plan trip Matsumoto - Magome - Tsumago - Takayama

November 3rd we travel at the end of the morning from Matsumoto tot Magome, where I have booked a place with diner/bed/breakfast. After breakfast we want to walk to Tsumago, from there return (by bus?) to Nakatsugawa and travel to Takayama the same day to arrive in the evening.
What can we do best? leave our big travel bags at Nakatsugawa (is there a locker?), and pick it up when we go to Takayama? Or take it with us to Magome and pick it up when we return from Tsumago?
From Nakatsugawa to Takayama we go by train.
Every advice is welcome!

Nakatsugawa is a fairly major station, there are almost certainly lockers there. Alternatively, I'm sure your accommodation in Magome will hold on to your luggage while you hike to Tsumago and back, or find an alternative for you there. So the choice is yours really, both will work.

I imagine Nakastugawa to Takayama is a bit convoluted, but no doubt you'll figure it out.

Thank you very much Giora!!

Nakatsugawa train station DOES have lockers. The bus station might as well if the train stations are full.

Getting from Nakatsugawa will take some time and effort, but it's possible. You might need to change in Nagoya.

Thank you rpbourne.
I checked hyperdia and found :
16:15 begin NAKATSUGAWA [27 Min]through LTD. EXP. (WIDE VIEW) SHINANO 82 16:42
16:53 transfer TAJIMI [29 Min]through JR Taita Line for GIFU17:22
17:35 transfer MINOOTA [108 Min]through LTD. EXP. (WIDE VIEW) HIDA 15
19:23 end TAKAYAMA
I think we will try to do this.

When we do it through Nagoya it is only one transfer but takes more time:
17:10 begin NAKATSUGAWA [55 Min]through LTD. EXP. (WIDE VIEW) SHINANO 18 18:05
18:13 transfer NAGOYA [ Arrival track No.7 / Departure track No.11 ] [156 Min]through LTD. EXP. (WIDE VIEW) HIDA 17
20:49 end TAKAYAMA

We want to hike to Tsumago (4 hours is enough time I presume) and take the bus back to Magome.
Than I don't know the exact times of the bus from Magome to Nakatsugawa and maybe we have to hurry to return to Nakatsugawa, we have to check in before 21.00 at Takayama.

All advice and tips are welcome!

First of all, for any Chinese speakers in this thread, the wonderfully named "JR Taita Line" is in fact the "太多線", which is exactly what you feel when you look at a rail map for the Greater Nagoya area!

To the OP: Tajimi has a really lovely Zen temple, if you're into those things, though with the trains you mention, you won't have time to see it.

All bus times for the Kiso Valley post towns can be seen here: https://www.japan-guide.com/bus/kiso.html

Four hours is enough to hike from Magome to Tsumago, and have a bit of a look around Tsumago itself. More than enough time, in fact, if you're reasonably fit.

My suggestion? Walk early! When I did the hike, I started at 6am, and was able to catch the first bus of the day back from Tsumago to Magome, which in summer leaves at 8:30am. That bus doesn't run in November, so the best you can do is the 10:12 bus. Why not? It should be light at roughly 6:30 am, maybe a little later. Start early, and you'll save yourselves half a day or more. To have a wander around Nakatsugawa, to visit the temple I like in Tajimi, to get to Takayama early, whatever. There's nothing to keep you awake late at night in Magome, so get an early night.

Anyway. That's my advice. At the worst, get up early enough to be able to catch the 12:47 bus back from Tsumago.

And with the train lockers: you always need to check how long you can use them for, and how much it costs, before committing. They have time limits (typically 48 hours, though it varies), and it often costs more if you leave stuff in there longer than a certain period of time (typically 24 hours). Just check, if you plan on using the train lockers overnight.

Hi Giora,
Thanks! You gave me a new idea. Not to start that early but to do the hike on day 1.
I have booked a room with diner and breakfast, and we don't want to miss the breakfast. However, when we start early on day 1, coming from Matsumoto and do the hike, we do have enough time to visit Tsumago and return to the hotel before 18.00. Day 2 breakfast at 07.30 and an early bus to Nakatsugawa. Than we do have plenty of time in Tajimi or Takayama.

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