Narai

Narai (奈良井) is a post-town in Nagano, Japan. It developed as a stop on the Nakasenndo, a trail that connected Tokyo and Kyoto, it was once the wealthiest post-town in the Kiso Valley and was nicknamed "Narai of a Thousand Houses" due to the many houses along its main road. Most of these houses are preserved like they were in the Edo Era and it's preserved area is much larger than those found in most other post-towns.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a partly bilingual guide site.

By plane
The nearest airport to Narai is Matsumoto's airport which is roughly an hour a way from the post-town, it only has flights to Fukuoka, Sapporo and Osaka. The nearest international airport is Chubu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya which is roughly four hours away.

Go next
Within the Kiso Valley Also in Chubu
 * Magome and Tsumago, two other post-towns in the south of the Kiso Valley. The trail between the towns is one of the most popular trails in Japan.
 * Nagiso, city that administers Tsumago with many Waterfalls.
 * Shiojiri, the northern-most city in the Kiso Valley that administers Narai
 * Gero Onsen, one of Japan's top onsens.
 * Ina (Nagano Prefecture), home to Takato Castle Park, one of Japan's Top 3 Cherry Blossom Spots.
 * Matsumoto, home to one of Japan's best castles.
 * Nagano, temple town and former Olympic host city.
 * Nagoya, Chubu's largest city south of Magome.
 * Takayama, city with well-preserved post-town.
 * Yaotsu, town with museum commemorating the history of Jews in Japan.