Tajimaya — Local services in Nakatsugawa

We stayed at Tajimaya one night to break up our Nakasendo walk. (We walked from Nagatsukawa to Magome on the first day, which included a lovely stone-paved stretch through a forest, and then from Magome through Tsumago to Nagiso on the second day from where we caught a train back to Nagastukawa, Nagoya, and Tokyo - no buses required!)||We loved how traditional Tajimaya is -- the owner explained that his great grandfather ("Who was short!") built the inn, and their family had run it for four generations. We arrived, hot and sweaty from our hike, and had showers and baths. Then we changed into our yukata, sipped tea and nibbled cookies in our traditional tatami-floored sitting room, and waited for dinner which was served promptly at 6. ||Dinner was a feast -- we had asked the owners when we booked a couple months before whether they could prepare food for us without beef, chicken, or pork, and they made us an amazing seafood and vegetable dinner that was almost overwhelming. After dinner we strolled around the town, smiling at the other visitors, almost all of whom were also in yukata and sandals. ||The owner had invited us all to learn a traditional samurai song and dance, and a few of us showed up and gamely tried to follow along. We were rewarded with some more history of the house, and offered sake. When a guest asked if it was local sake, he said, "No ... it's my sake ... just rice and mountain water." Yep, he makes his own delicious sake, too. ||We slept soundly on the futons in our bedroom, and then were up and ready for breakfast at 7:30am -- another feast. ||Of the two weeks we spent in Japan, Tajimaya was probably our favorite lodging, and was certainly a destination in itself. Between the beautiful inn, the excellent hospitality, and the amazing food, it was a...

We stayed at Tajimaya one night to break up our Nakasendo walk. (We walked from Nagatsukawa to Magome on the first day, which included a lovely stone-paved stretch through a forest, and then from Magome through Tsumago to Nagiso on the second day from where we caught a train back to Nagastukawa, Nagoya, and Tokyo - no buses required!)||We loved how traditional Tajimaya is -- the owner explained that his great grandfather ("Who was short!") built the inn, and their family had run it for four generations. We arrived, hot and sweaty from our hike, and had showers and baths. Then we changed into our yukata, sipped tea and nibbled cookies in our traditional tatami-floored sitting room, and waited for dinner which was served promptly at 6. ||Dinner was a feast -- we had asked the owners when we booked a couple months before whether they could prepare food for us without beef, chicken, or pork, and they made us an amazing seafood and vegetable dinner that was almost overwhelming. After dinner we strolled around the town, smiling at the other visitors, almost all of whom were also in yukata and sandals. ||The owner had invited us all to learn a traditional samurai song and dance, and a few of us showed up and gamely tried to follow along. We were rewarded with some more history of the house, and offered sake. When a guest asked if it was local sake, he said, "No ... it's my sake ... just rice and mountain water." Yep, he makes his own delicious sake, too. ||We slept soundly on the futons in our bedroom, and then were up and ready for breakfast at 7:30am -- another feast. ||Of the two weeks we spent in Japan, Tajimaya was probably our favorite lodging, and was certainly a destination in itself. Between the beautiful inn, the excellent hospitality, and the amazing food, it was a...

Magome is a beautiful village at the start (or end!) of the Nakasendo trail. Tajimaya guest house was amazing - very friendly and owners try very hard to make the overseas guests feel welcome, including encouraging participation in a cultural dance and song after a truly superb dinner. Our family of 5 stayed here, and has been voted #1 in our travels in Japan 😊.

A lot of people start the walk from Magome to Kiso without spending the night - I can recommend this place and felt it was well worth indulging in before setting out the next morning on the trail.

Aside from the Tajimaya guest house, the people at the visitors center were great, the post office staff were so friendly (they also have an ATM) and the tea house and souvenir shop (that sells locally produced wooden items) were fantastic. We bought a wooden wash bucket same as used in Tajimaya and had no problem bringing it back into Australia through customs.

It is a steep hill if you are dragging suitcases up from the bus stop - there is also a bus stop up the top so you can also walk downhill (found that out too late!).

We sent our luggage on to Kiso via tourist center ¥500 per bag - drop off by 11am and pick up at Kiso by 5pm.

Can't wait to go back - so beautiful 😍. BTW - we organized all Travel ourselves rather than go through walking companies - it was easy enough - contacted the accommodations via phone- paid cash each night. Use HYPERDIA to check ...