Japan Travel | This is not Nara, this is Narai.

|This is not Nara, this is Narai. Nagano Prefecture is a county rich in tourism resources, and Narai is a memory of Edo hidden in the mountains. Narai-juku is located between Kiso Fukushima and Matsumoto, and is one of the best-preserved post towns on the Kiso Nakasendō, one of the sixty-nine post towns on the Nakasendō. Narai-juku was an important post town in ancient Japan, and both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Takeda Nobukatsu stationed troops here. A large number of Edo-period buildings are preserved here, giving it a strong historical atmosphere. It feels as if time has stopped in the Edo period, and the wooden buildings on both sides of the street are well preserved. About transportation: From Tokyo, you can take the JR Chūō Main Line's Azusa train to Shiojiri and transfer to a local train to Narai-juku. The total journey time is about 3 hours. From Nagoya, you can take the Shinano train to Kiso Fukushima Station, then transfer to a local train to Narai-juku. The total journey time is about 2.5 hours. From Matsumoto, take a local train to Narai-juku. The journey time is about 50 minutes. ❗❗❗Narai Station does not accept transportation cards. Please remember to purchase a paper ticket at your departure station.