Usui Pass Edo Era Walk

At Usui Pass Observation Deck, you’ll receive an introduction to the Nakasendo trail ahead and the iconic landmark Mt. Myogi, a guidepost along the route. Here, you’ll also step across the border between Nagano and Gunma, experiencing the gateway to the Kanto region.

Visit Kumano Shrine, one of Japan’s three great Kumano shrines among 3,500 nationwide. With a history of over 1,900 years, recorded even in the ancient Nihon Shoki, the shrine offers a chance to experience Japan’s deep traditions through a guided explanation and a formal visit.

Our certified guide will lead you along the Usui Pass of the Nakasendo, once walked by shoguns. Along the route, historical sites and landmarks are brought to life through easy-to-understand illustrated storytelling (kamishibai picture cards).

Together with your guide, stroll through the former Sakamoto-juku post town, once a lively stop for travelers crossing Usui Pass, famously depicted in the ukiyo-e series “Kiso Kaidō Rokujūkyū-tsugi.” You will also visit the Nagai Honjin Memorial Hall, where Emperor Meiji once rested, and admire rare cultural treasures such as a ceiling decorated with Karakami gilt leather paper, preserved in only a few places in Japan. Local guides will bring these traces of history to life.

This checkpoint once monitored travelers during the Edo period. Under the shogunate’s decree, it strictly inspected “incoming guns and outgoing women.” Visitors will learn about this unique history through explanations provided by the local preservation society.