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Area of the Kiso river in Nagano, Japan
Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Running beside the central Japan Alps, the Kiso Valley (木曽谷) long has had travellers since before the Edo Period when people would walk the Kisoji though this later formed part of the Nakasendo road connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. Due to the many trips on foot post-towns began appearing as rest points for travellers, many post-towns are still well preserved and attract visitors. The Kiso Valley is one of the best places to visit to experience rural Japan.
By bus
From Tokyo you can also sign up with local motorcoach tours for a one or two-day excursion to the Kiso Valley region. And from Tokyo, the highway bus goes Kiso Fukushima via Shiojiri
Buses of the following two companies serve part of the valley and are good for train connections and returning to your destination after a hike, although they run infrequently.
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Nagiso (南木曾) is a town in Nagano. It is the home to several waterfalls, among which Tadachi Waterfalls (田立の滝) is the most visited.
Nakatsugawa (中津川) is a city of 79,000 people (2018) in Gifu. The post town of Magome is also within Nakatsugawa, but covered in its own article.
Okuwa (大桑村 Ōkuwa-mura) is in Nagano, Japan.
Shiojiri (塩尻 Shiojiri-shi) is a city in Nagano.
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