Kiso Valley

Kiso Valley is located in the Nagano Prefecture. We went there via the JR Express train from Matsumoto. It's a great place to go to if you're in for a good hike. There are actually five towns, in the valley, though we only went through 2.

Magome is a post town that was preserved from the Edo period. There are shops around the carefully tended town that sell traditional Japanese products.

It says in the tourist information that you can hike from Magome to Tsumago via Nakasendo. It's a 7.7 kilometer hike that we attempted to walk, but we took a bus instead. We saw a sign that said that, though not in season, it is advisable to bring a bell to alert the bears that you are there so that they won't attack you. Afterwhich, the trail ends after the steps below and you find your path. At least, that's how we understood it.
Tsumago is another post town, a bit rugged in structure though also preserved from the Edo period. What I remember most is that this is the place to buy good quality sake.