With a kilometre of terraced houses, it is the highest and longest post town of the Kiso.
The longest post town in Japan, it runs for about a kilometre along the Nakasendō, divided into three districts (Kamichō, Nakachō, Shimochō) joined by a defensive dog-leg street. Of the eleven post towns of the Kiso it is the one at the highest altitude, below the Torii Pass, one of the hardest stretches of the route: its prosperity earned it the nickname ‘Narai of a thousand roofs’ (奈良井千軒).
A Kiso post town on the Nakasendō, with almost intact Edo-period buildings: two-storey houses with balustrades, once inns (旅籠) for travellers heading for the pass. Designated a preservation district in 1978.
ℹ️ Always accessible and free; shops have their own hours. On the first weekend of June the village festival is held, with a re-enactment of the tea procession for the shogun (お茶壷道中).
🚉 Narai · 2 min walk
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