Narrow Road to the Deep North go · Go in Narrow Road to the Deep North

Go in Narrow Road to the Deep North

Old house in downtown Tokyo

Carvings in Toshogu, Nikko

Pine islands, Matsushima

Pure Land Garden, Hiraizumi

Outdoor bath, Naruko

Trail to Hagurosan, Dewa Sanzan

Basho's original itinerary is as follows, with modern place names or major nearby cities in parentheses where applicable.

Stages 1-2: Sugamo (Tokyo)

Basho starts off from the heart of downtown (shitamachi) Tokyo, bidding farewell to Ueno and Yanaka ? both well worth a visit.

Stage 3: Soka

Stage 4: Muronoyashima

Stage 5: Nikko

Intriguingly, Basho does not even mention Nikko's largest tourist draw, the extravagant Tokugawa mausoleums. Instead, he climbs Mt. Nikko and visits Futarasan Shrine, dedicated to the mountains' guardian spirits.

Stages 6-9: Nasu (Kurobane, Unganji, Sesshoseki)

Stage 10: Shirakawa

Stage 11: Sukagawa

Stage 12: Asaka (Fukushima)

Stage 13: Shinobu

Stage 14: Sato Shoji

Stage 15: Iizuka

Stage 16: Kasajima

Stage 17: Takekuma

Stage 18: Sendai

Sendai is the largest city in Tohoku, home to few attractions but a pleasant enough place to rest for a few days.

Stage 19: Tsubo no Ishibumi (Ichikawa)

Stage 20: Shiogama

Matsuo's chosen route of boarding a boat here for Matsushima remains very popular today.

Stage 21: Matsushima

The craggy pine tree islands here are considered one of Japan's Top 3 scenic spots.

Stage 22: Ishinomaki

The island of Kinkazan, while not visited by Basho, makes an interesting detour from here.

Stage 23: Hiraizumi

Once a capital that rivaled in Kyoto in splendor, today's Hiraizumi has little left except two famous temples ? and some famous haiku lamenting the loss penned here by Basho.

Stage 24: Dewagoe (Naruko)

At this point Basho abandoned the original plan to head all the way north to Aomori and instead decided to head across the mountains. Naruko is now a popular hot spring resort.

Stage 25: Obanazawa

Stage 26: Ryushakuji (Yamadera)

The temple of Ryushakuji is quite literally carved out of the mountainside: hence the common name Yamadera, "Mountain Temple".

Stage 27: Oishida

Stage 28: Mogami River (Yamagata)

Stages 29-30: Hagurosan and Gassan (Dewa Sanzan)

The three holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan are the center of worship for the Shinto-Buddhist Shugendo sect and its mountain-climbing yamabushi ascetic monks.

Stage 31: Sakata

Stage 32: Kisagata

Stage 33: Echigo (Niigata)

The province of Echigo is now Niigata prefecture. A worthwhile side trip here is Sado Island, once a harsh place of exile known for its gold mines, but now home to a yearly music festival that draws people from around the country.

Stage 34: Ichiburi

Stage 35: Kanazawa

Stage 36-37: Komatsu

Near Komatsu, Basho visited Natadera, a famous temple still visited by many Japanese (but few foreign tourists).

Stage 38: Daishoji

Stage 39: Matsuoka

Stage 40: Fukui

Stage 41: Tsuruga

Stage 42: Ironohama

Stage 43: Ogaki

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Narrow Road to the Deep North

Narrow Road to the Deep North tourist information
Prepare in Narrow Road to the Deep North
How to get in Narrow Road to the Deep North
Go in Narrow Road to the Deep North
Narrow Road to the Deep North travel safety advice
How to get out Narrow Road to the Deep North

Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Narrow Road to the Deep North - updated May 2024

SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Narrow Road to the Deep North hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!

>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<

WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020

Narrow Road to the Deep North Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

Go in Narrow Road to the Deep North