The old Kōshū road from Nihonbashi in Tokyo over the Kobotoke and Sasago passes to Shimosuwa, in 14 days from station to station along the Keiō and JR Chūō lines.
Best season: Spring and autumn; the Sasago pass road closes in winter. No body manages the old road or publishes a walking season: the month table below is from climate normals. Most of the road is on town streets and main roads; in winter the Sasago pass holds snow and its road is closed to traffic. Before you go
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Fourteen days, each ending at or near a railway station. In the mountains few stations have a place to stay: sleep in Ōtsuki, Kōfu, Kobuchizawa or Kami-Suwa and ride the JR Chūō Line to each day's start. Suggested plans keep each day under 6 hours of walking, so each pass has a day of its own.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 6 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From the Nihonbashi bridge through central Tokyo by Yotsuya and Shinjuku, then west on the old Kōshū road through the suburbs: 19.1 km, +182 m, city streets all the way.
Chitose-Karasuyama Town or village
Chitose-Karasuyama (千歳烏山). A Keiō Line station in the western suburbs of Tokyo. No place to stay is mapped within 1 km: ride the Keiō Line back to Shinjuku, or on to Fuchū, where the next day ends.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: West through the Keiō Line suburbs to the old post town of Fuchū and its Ōkunitama shrine: 12 km, +37 m, flat.
Fuchū Town or village
Fuchū (府中), an old post town by the Ōkunitama shrine, with a Keiō Line station and hotels near it.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 11 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 3: Across the Tama river to Hino and on to Hachiōji: 15.2 km, +86 m, mostly flat. Through Hachiōji the old road is the main road: walk its pavements.
Hachiōji Town or village
Hachiōji (八王子), an old post town and now a city, with JR Chūō Line and Keiō Line stations and business hotels.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 11 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 4: Past Takao and up the old path over the Kobotoke pass (548 m), the first mountain crossing, down to Sagamiko: 18.9 km, +488 m, the day's climb mostly on the pass. Hachiōji city lists these mountains as black bear habitat: carry a bell, and cross in daylight.
Sagamiko Town or village
Sagamiko (相模湖) station on the JR Chūō Line, over the Kobotoke pass from Takao. Two small inns are mapped nearby; Hachiōji, back down the line, has more.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 5: By the old post towns of Yose, Yoshino and Sekino along the Sagami river valley to Uenohara on its terrace: 10.1 km, +239 m.
Uenohara Town or village
Uenohara (上野原), an old post town on its terrace above the Katsura river; the JR Chūō Line station is about 700 m below the road, not counted in the day's distance. One hotel is mapped nearby.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 6: Along the Katsura valley through the old post towns of Tsurukawa, Nodajiri and Inume, over the rise at Inume (about 560 m, the day's high point) and by Torisawa to Saruhashi and its old bridge: 19.6 km, +443 m.
Saruhashi Town or village
Saruhashi (猿橋), named after the old wooden cantilever bridge over the Katsura gorge, with a JR Chūō Line station. No place to stay is mapped within 1 km: stay in Ōtsuki, the next station on (a business hotel and a Toyoko Inn by its station), and take the train.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 7: Through Ōtsuki and up the valley to Sasago at the foot of the pass: 15.2 km, +316 m, climbing gently all day.
Sasago Town or village
Sasago (笹子) station on the JR Chūō Line, at the foot of the Sasago pass. No place to stay is mapped within 1 km: stay in Ōtsuki and take the train to start the pass day here.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Closures at times: km 2–10.2 of stage 8. Prefectural road 212 over the Sasago pass, which this stage follows, is closed every winter to all traffic, walkers included, for 6.3 km between Hikage and the road above the Yatate cedar: in 2025/26 from 10:00 on 15 December 2025 to mid-April 2026 (Kōshū city). Ōtsuki's tourism association says neither cars nor walkers may pass. The 2026/27 dates are not yet published. During the closure, take the JR Chūō Line from Sasago to Kai-Yamato instead.
Stage 8: Over the Sasago pass (1,096 m) on the old road and path, down to Hikage and Kai-Yamato: 11 km, +487 m, over the highest pass of the walk. Yamanashi's historic-roads course from Sasago station to Kai-Yamato station is about 17 km and 6 to 7 hours: its own legs add up to about 3 h 20 of walking (Kuronoda to the Yatate cedar 1 h, on to the tunnel 30 min, down to Komakai 1 h 20), so the rest is breaks and sights. Its listed legs come to about 15.7 km (the course says about 17): 0.75 km from Sasago station to Kuronoda, 4.1 km to the Yatate cedar, 1.8 km to the tunnel, 0.2 km to the pass, 6.4 km down to Komakai and about 2.4 km on to Kai-Yamato station. Our line takes the old path where the course keeps to more of the road, and stops about 800 m before Kai-Yamato station. The road over the pass is closed to walkers too every winter (see the closure notice), and bear-caution signs stand at the start of the old road: carry a bell and cross in daylight.
Kai-Yamato Town or village
Kai-Yamato (甲斐大和) station on the JR Chūō Line, about 800 m from where our line ends after the descent from the Sasago pass (not counted in the day's distance). No place to stay is mapped within 1 km: take the train on to Kōfu or back to Ōtsuki.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 9: Down through the vineyards of Katsunuma and across the Kōfu basin by Isawa to Kōfu: 20.7 km, +27 m, downhill or flat.
Kōfu Town or village
Kōfu (甲府), the castle town and capital of Yamanashi, with hotels near the JR station, about 750 m from the old road (not counted in the day's distance). A good base for the next days by train.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 10 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 10: West across the basin to the old post town of Nirasaki: 14 km, +126 m.
Nirasaki Town or village
Nirasaki (韮崎), an old post town with a JR Chūō Line station. OpenStreetMap maps no place to stay near it, but hotel listings show at least one a short walk from the station: check a booking site, or stay in Kōfu, three stations back.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 11: Up the Kamanashi valley from Nirasaki towards Hinoharu: 13.4 km, +166 m; the station is about 900 m from the road and 120 m up the cliff. Bears are seen near Hinoharu (Hokuto city: late June to late November).
Hinoharu Town or village
Hinoharu (日野春) station on the JR Chūō Line, about 900 m from the road and some 120 m up the Shichiri-iwa cliff (not counted in the day's distance or climb). No place to stay is mapped nearby: ride the train back to Kōfu, or on to Kobuchizawa, which has places to stay. Bears are seen here: Hokuto city recorded one 1.3 km from the station on 9 September 2026.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 12: Through the old post towns of Daigahara and Kyōraishi, into Nagano and through Tsutaki, climbing steadily to Fujimi: 21.8 km, +543 m, the longest of the 14 days, with no place to stay mapped at either end. Bears are seen in these hills: carry a bell.
Fujimi Town or village
Fujimi (富士見) station on the JR Chūō Line, about 1 km from the road (not counted in the day's distance). No place to stay is mapped within 1 km: Kobuchizawa (back down the line) and Kami-Suwa (on towards the end) have places to stay.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 13: Down from the Fujimi plateau past the old post town of Kanazawa to Chino: 13 km, +53 m.
Chino Town or village
Chino (茅野), with a JR Chūō Line station and a few hotels near it; Kami-Suwa, the next station, has many more by Lake Suwa.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 14: By Kami-Suwa to Shimosuwa, where the Kōshū road ends at the Nakasendō: 11.9 km, +97 m.
Longest day: day 12, 5 h 20.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are our estimate from distance and climb: no time is published for these stages. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (1,109 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (1,109 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Poor | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 1/14 | 2/14 | 8/14 | 14/14 | 14/14 | 8/14 | 0/14 | 0/14 | 3/14 | 6/14 | 14/14 | 3/14 |
| High point, day / night | 6°/-3° | 7°/-3° | 10°/-1° | 15°/3° | 19°/8° | 22°/13° | 25°/17° | 27°/18° | 23°/14° | 17°/8° | 13°/3° | 8°/-2° |
| Low point, day / night | 10°/2° | 11°/3° | 14°/6° | 19°/10° | 24°/15° | 26°/19° | 30°/23° | 31°/24° | 27°/21° | 22°/15° | 17°/10° | 13°/4° |
| Rain, mm | 62 | 60 | 109 | 118 | 131 | 172 | 182 | 206 | 217 | 214 | 91 | 65 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Possible |
| Daylight | 9 h 59 | 10 h 53 | 11 h 54 | 13 h 03 | 14 h 01 | 14 h 33 | 14 h 22 | 13 h 33 | 12 h 27 | 11 h 21 | 10 h 19 | 9 h 46 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Every day ends at or near a railway station, but from Saruhashi to Fujimi most of them have no place to stay nearby: base yourself in Ōtsuki for the passes, in Kōfu for the basin, and in Kobuchizawa or Kami-Suwa for the last days, and ride the JR Chūō Line to and from each day's ends. In Tokyo, Fuchū and Hachiōji have hotels by their stations.
Most of the road is urban or follows main roads with traffic: keep to the pavements, and where a road has none, walk facing the traffic. Through Hachiōji the old road is the national highway.
The old road on OpenStreetMapBlack bears live in the mountains along the road: Hachiōji city lists its western mountains, where the Kobotoke pass is, as bear habitat, and Hokuto city recorded a bear 1.3 km from Hinoharu station on 9 September 2026, with sightings from late June to late November. On the pass and hill days carry a bell or radio, walk in company where you can, stay off the paths at dawn, dusk and after dark, and check the cities' sighting pages before you go.
Hachiōji city: bears and hikersMost of the road is asphalt with little shade, and the Kōfu basin (days 9 to 11) is among the hottest places in Japan in July and August. In summer start at first light, carry more water than you think, and rest through midday.
Kōfu (climate table, Wikipedia)The Kobotoke pass (day 4, 548 m) and the Sasago pass (day 8, 1,096 m) are mountain paths and old roads, with no shops between the stations. The prefectural road over the Sasago pass closes every winter to walkers as well as cars (in 2025/26 from 15 December to mid-April): in that season take the train from Sasago to Kai-Yamato.
Kōshū city: winter closure of road 212Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The walk starts at the Nihonbashi bridge in central Tokyo, by Nihombashi and Mitsukoshimae subway stations and a short walk from Tokyo station.
Kōshū Kaidō (Japanese Wikipedia)The JR Chūō Line follows the road from Hachiōji to Shimosuwa, and the Keiō Line in the Tokyo suburbs: every day of this guide ends at or within about 1 km of one of their stations. At the smaller mountain stations, check the timetable before you set out.
The old road on OpenStreetMapTake your trip with you
Prepare every day while you still have a connection, and test it offline before you set out.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
The line is the old road as mapped on OpenStreetMap (relation 9561988, 甲州道中, planet of 27 September 2026), 215.9 km from Nihonbashi to Shimosuwa, mostly on town streets and main roads; through Hachiōji the old road is the main road, walked on its pavements. The days end at railway stations on or near the road, most in its old post towns: TrailSplits chose them, not an authority, and the walking times are our estimates.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 29 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Kōshū Kaidō and its post towns (Japanese Wikipedia)Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation