Touring central Japan from Nagoya: getting to Ise, Kiso, Takayama, Matsumoto and Kanazawa, and day trip or overnight

Nagoya makes a good base for touring central Japan. From Nagoya Station it is about 1 hour 20 minutes to Ise, about 50 minutes on the Limited Express Shinano to Nakatsugawa, the gateway to the Kiso Valley, about 2 hours 20 minutes on the Limited Express Hida to Takayama, and as little as 2 hours 9 minutes to Kanazawa (changing to the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Tsuruga). Ise and Kiso work as day trips; Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa are more relaxed with a night away. Keep your Nagoya room for several nights and you can go without your big luggage. This article explains how to reach each place and how to choose between a day trip and an overnight stay.

Which central Japan towns can you reach from Nagoya, and how long does it take?

Can you do Ise as a day trip?

Yes. Ise-shi Station is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Nagoya by Kintetsu limited express or JR Rapid Mie. Ise Jingu has three stars in the Michelin Green Guide, the Inner Shrine (Naiku) three stars, the Outer Shrine (Geku) two stars and the Oharai-machi street in front one star. In the Japan Tourism Agency's 2025 survey, only 0.7% of foreign visitors went to Mie, so it is still little visited by foreign travellers. Leave Nagoya in the morning, visit the Outer and Inner Shrines, and be back at your Nagoya stay by evening.

How do you get to the Kiso post towns (Magome and Tsumago)?

According to JR Central's official site, take the Limited Express Shinano from Nagoya Station to Nakatsugawa Station (about 50 minutes), then a local bus to Magome (about 25 minutes). From Magome you can walk about 9 km over the pass to Tsumago, which JR Central puts at about 3 hours. The Kiso Valley has two stars in the Michelin Green Guide; Magome, Tsumago and Narai have one star each, and so does the pass trail between Tsumago and Magome. On a walking day, leave Nagoya early and return by train from the Tsumago side; check the route and times back from Tsumago before you go.

Takayama and Shirakawa-go: day trip or overnight?

A day trip is possible, but a night away lets you take your time. Takayama is about 2 hours 20 minutes from Nagoya on the Limited Express Hida, and Shirakawa-go about 2 hours 30 minutes by highway bus from the Meitetsu Bus Center. Takayama has three stars in the Michelin Green Guide and Shirakawa-go's Ogimachi two, and the thatched villages were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1995. In a City of Nagoya survey, 21.2% of foreign visitors to Nagoya also stopped in Takayama. Keep your Nagoya room and spend just one night in Takayama or Shirakawa-go, and you only need a small bag.

Can you get to Matsumoto?

The Limited Express Shinano runs from Nagoya Station towards Matsumoto. JR Central's official site describes Matsumoto Castle as a National Treasure and Japan's oldest surviving five-story, six-floor castle keep. Matsumoto Castle has three stars in the Michelin Green Guide. However, we could not confirm the Nagoya–Matsumoto travel time in official information, so it is not given here; check JR Central's timetable before planning. You can also combine it with the Kiso post towns over 2 days and 1 night.

How do you get to Kanazawa?

According to JR West, since the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga in March 2024, you travel from Nagoya to Tsuruga on the Limited Express Shirasagi and change to the Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsurugi, taking as little as 2 hours 9 minutes. In the Japan Tourism Agency's 2025 survey, 2.2% of foreign visitors went to Ishikawa. As it is over 2 hours each way, we recommend a night in Kanazawa. Your Nagoya room can stay as it is. At Tsuruga, the limited express and Shinkansen platforms are on different levels, and JR West describes measures to make the change easier. Allow time for the change when you plan.

How would you plan 6 nights in Nagoya?

Here is an example with 6 nights booked in Nagoya and one of them spent in Takayama. You change accommodation only once and come back to the same Nagoya room on the other days.

• Day 1: arrive in Nagoya. Walk the city, such as Nagoya Castle and Osu
• Day 2: day trip to Ise (about 1 hour 20 minutes). Visit the Outer and Inner Shrines
• Day 3: day trip to Kiso. Nakatsugawa (about 50 minutes), bus to Magome (about 25 minutes), and walk about 9 km to Tsumago
• Day 4: to Takayama (about 2 hours 20 minutes). Night in Takayama
• Day 5: see Shirakawa-go and return to Nagoya by highway bus (about 2 hours 30 minutes)
• Day 6: half a day in Inuyama (about 25 minutes). Inuyama Castle, a National Treasure, and its castle town

We have not confirmed bus times or travel time from Takayama to Shirakawa-go in this article, so check the official timetable before you go. The Kiso day involves a long walk, so if rain is forecast, swap it with the Ise day. Because you are not changing hotels, it is easy to rearrange destinations around the weather — another benefit of staying several nights in Nagoya.

Do popular regions differ by country?

In the Japan Tourism Agency's 2025 survey, the prefectures visited vary by country or region. Gifu's visit rate is 3.3% overall, but 24.5% for visitors from Spain, 14.4% from Italy and 8.7% from France. Nagano is 3.0% overall and 15.9% for visitors from Australia. Some countries have small sample sizes, so treat these as a guide, but they show that central Japan's mountain towns are popular with European and Australian travellers.

How do you decide between a day trip and an overnight stay?

• Up to about 1 hour 30 minutes each way (Ise, Inuyama, Nakatsugawa at the entrance to Kiso): a day trip is plenty
• Over 2 hours each way (Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa): a day trip is possible, but a night away lets you walk in the quiet morning and evening
• Walking days (about 9 km from Magome to Tsumago): leave early and check your return train times in advance
• Anywhere: keep your Nagoya room and travel with a small overnight bag

Where in Nagoya is easiest for heading out?

If you leave from Nagoya Station every morning, stay somewhere with easy access to it. Central Nagoya has private stays in Nakamura Ward, west of Nagoya Station. House and Residence are 7 and 2 minutes' walk from Nakamura Koen Station, 4 stops (about 7 minutes, 240 yen) from Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama Line. Stays is 4 minutes' walk from Taiko-dori Station, 1 stop from Nagoya Station on the Sakura-dori Line. Every stay has a kitchen and a washing machine (or washer-dryer), so you can do laundry even on days of back-to-back trips. There is also a 10% long-stay discount.

• Small towns to visit from Nagoya →
• How to travel Japan without the crowds →
• Long stays: choosing a place with a kitchen →

Frequently asked questions