Magome was the last of three post towns in the Kiso Valley that I visited with my friends. The other two post towns were Narai and Tsumago, and in comparison, Magome wasn’t as impressive as I had envisioned. There are not as many old houses, but Magome is beautifully restored with a broad stone walkway.
Magome is more of a hilly town than Narai, and when you walk to the houses down the street, you can see many of them are located on the street below. There are some different crafts in Magome, like ceramics and colorful toy birds created by various metal designs.
The nature around Magome and other Kiso Valley’s towns is just wonderful. There are mountains and many wooded areas. Maybe in the past, such places seemed scary for people who traveled on foot. I bet modern people can't even imagine traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto on foot!
Magome can be reached by bus from JR Nakatsugawa Station. The one-way trip takes 30 minutes. Or, Magome ican also be reached in a 20 minute walk from the Magome highway bus stop, which is located in the Misaka parking area along the Chuo Expressway.
