Kiso River: Where Forest, River, and People Connect

Study Trail Tour: A Walk Through History, Culture, and Sustainability Along the Kiso River
Walking through the very towns and riverside paths once traveled by merchants, travelers, and boatmen, participants use WebAR technology to bring the region's history and culture to life. Along the way, you'll encounter local food traditions and the natural environment that has shaped daily life here for generations.
This is a study trail tour that invites reflection on the values nurtured by the river basin—and on how we might carry them forward, building a sustainable society for the next generation.

This tour includes light walking of approximately 2–3 km along the route.
◎ Please refrain from participating if you are feeling unwell.
◎ If you have a pre-existing medical condition, please consult your doctor before joining.
◎ Please bring your own water, a hat, and rain gear as needed.
◎ Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes suitable for walking.

Connecting Forest, River, and People — Kiso River’s Boat Transport and Brewing Culture

Yaotsu once flourished as a hub where goods and people crossed paths through boat transport on the Kiso River. Though nestled in the mountains, the town connected with the wider world via the river, and it was through this connection that a culture of sake brewing and commerce took root and grew.
Sugidama—cedar balls traditionally hung outside sake breweries—have long served as symbols marking the brewing of new sake and the milestones of its aging process. By linking them to the sake culture that spread through boat transport, we can experience the region’s industrial and daily-life history in a richer, more tangible way.

The Blessings of Nature, Nurtured by Forest and River

Making sugidama depends on the region’s cedar and the gifts of its mountains.
The forests surrounding Yaotsu Town generate abundant water, which flows into the Kiso River and has long sustained both daily life and industry here.
In this sense, sugidama also embody two ideas at once: the wisdom of making use of the forest’s resources, and a culture of living within the water’s ongoing cycle.
The simple act of bundling cedar by hand becomes a way of re-experiencing—through the body—a way of life that has always existed in harmony with nature.

Kiso River: Where Forest, River, and People Connect

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Meeting Point	旧黒瀬湊 View on Google Map
Duration	Approximately 7 hours (including dinner)
Age Requirements	lementary school age and above
Minimum Participants	2 people
What's Included	Boat Transport and Brewing Culture ガイド料、WEBARシステム使用料、日本料理いこい食事代、杉玉づくり講師代、杉玉づくり材料費
What's Not Included	Personal expenses such as beverages, and transportation costs before check-in or after the tour concludes Boat Transport and Brewing Culture 飲食時の飲み物代、個人的な買い物
Restrictions	If 3 km of walking is difficult for you, please feel free to contact us to discuss.
Payment Method	After confirming your accommodation and application, we will send an invoice by email attachment. Payment is accepted by bank transfer only. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are unable to accept credit cards, PayPay, or other forms of electronic payment.
Payment Deadline	For reservations made one month or more before the tour's meeting date, please complete full payment to the bank account listed on the invoice by one month before the tour date. For reservations made less than one month before the tour date, please complete payment within one week of the invoice being issued. If payment is not received, the reservation will be automatically canceled.
Contact	C・I・T Co., Ltd.

Category: Single event

Description

Walking the Routes of Commerce and Daily Life Shaped by the Kiso River

Although Yaotsu Town does not face the sea, it flourished as a key hub of distribution, thanks to the long-established boat transport routes on the Kiso River and land routes such as the Kurose Kaido. The town served both as a base where timber logged upstream on the Kiso River was assembled into rafts, and as a bustling commercial center through which countless goods passed.
On the Kiso River, log rafts were commonly floated downstream to transport timber. After finishing their work, it is said that the raftsmen did not return by boat, but instead made their way back on foot—crossing mountains and towns over a journey of many dozens of kilometers.
This program focuses on that “journey home,” combining local train travel with walking to retrace the route the raftsmen are believed to have taken. Along the way, participants encounter the scenery along the Kiso River, traces of its old post towns, and the daily life and culture that remain in the region, learning about its history and culture with the help of WebAR.
This is a study trail that lets you re-experience the labor and movement of people from the past, and feel firsthand the values nurtured by the Kiso River’s boat transport heritage and the enduring connection between people and nature.

What Is WebAR?

WebAR is an augmented reality (AR) technology accessible directly through a smartphone’s web browser—no app download required. In this program, it visually recreates the scenery, boat transport activity, and historical context of the past as you walk through each location in person. As you reach each spot, explanatory text and audio guides for that location automatically appear and play, deepening your understanding of the history and culture through an experience rooted in the atmosphere of the place itself.

Recommended For

For those who want to experience history and culture firsthand
For those who enjoy walking through towns (approximately 3 km)
For those who appreciate travel with a story to tell
For those who prefer a relaxed experience in a small group
For those who want to feel the connection between forest and town through making a sugidama

Itinerary

The Kiso River has long supported life in this region as a vital transportation route for people, goods, and culture. Timber grown in the rich forests upstream traveled down the river, and through the movement of people and the exchange of goods, it helped foster local industries—including brewing and fermentation—as well as the region's food culture.
In this program, participants will learn about the history of river transport on the Kiso River and the ways forests, rivers, and people have shaped local life together, while experiencing the region's brewing culture firsthand. It's an opportunity to engage with the wisdom of fermentation and traditional craftsmanship passed down through generations, connect with local people, and experience—through all five senses—the unique interplay of history, culture, and nature found only in the Kiso River basin.

Boat Transport and Brewing Culture

Connecting Forest, River, and People — Through the Culture of River Transport and Brewing

kurose Port to Honmachi: A Walking Tour

This walking tour takes you from the former Kurose Port—once a thriving hub of river transport on the Kiso River—to the Honmachi district, offering a glimpse into Yaotsu's history and culture, shaped over generations by its relationship with the river.
Follow traces of the past when boats carried people and goods along the river, drawing merchants and craftsmen to the area, as you visit breweries, historic merchant houses, and other buildings that remain from that era. Through your guide's commentary, you'll learn how the Kiso River supported local life, industry, and the exchange of people over the centuries, and experience the enduring charm of the culture and scenery that has been passed down to the present day.

Old Kurose Port [Google Map]

12：30	Meeting Point: Former Kurose Port (Reception/check-in from 12:30) 🅿 Nearest Parking https://maps.app.goo.gl/k5HLLxBvhB6gcr8u6
13：00	Former Kurose Port to Rat Design Shop (Sugidama-Making Experience Venue) Walk through the town of Yaotsu, which developed through Kiso River log rafting and shipping, and experience its history and culture as your guide leads the way.
13：30	Sugidama-Making Experience (Cedar-Ball Craft, at Rat Design Shop) The sugidama you make during the experience—about 20cm in diameter—is yours to take home. Displayed at your entryway or in a room, it brings the culture of sake brewing a little closer to everyday life, and it also makes for an enjoyable natural-style decoration during the Christmas season.
15：30	Free Time to Explore Honmachi Street (Using WebAR to freely explore the town's sake breweries and long-established shops) 🚶Former Kurose Port to Honmachi Stroll (Including a stop at a sake brewery, approx. 1km) Using Rat Design Shop on Honmachi Street as your base, freely explore the sake breweries and long-established shops with the help of WebAR. Simply hold up your smartphone to instantly access information about the area's history and culture. Along the approximately 500-meter Honmachi Street stand many long-established shops, including three traditional Japanese confectionery stores and two sake breweries. This row of shops offers a glimpse of the town's former prosperity, when people and goods flowed through Yaotsu via Kiso River transport.
17：00	Former Nishigori Tsunaba (Log Rafting Site) to Sosuikyo Bridge (Guide Explanation & Photo Stop) Visit the former Nishigori Tsunaba, an important hub for Kiso River transport, where your guide will explain the history of the era when timber transport and log rafting flourished. The tour concludes at Sosuikyo Bridge, where you can take in the majestic view of the Kiso River that supported the region's development.
17：30	Dinner at "Ikoi" (Japanese Restaurant) Enjoy dinner at "Ikoi," a Japanese restaurant that has been cherished by the local community since its founding. Savor Japanese cuisine featuring Hida beef, river fish, and seasonal local ingredients, along with dishes that showcase the region's brewing culture through sake and tamari soy sauce—a true taste of Yaotsu's rich food culture.
20：00	Disperse after dinner The program ends after dinner. While this plan is a day trip, we warmly encourage those who are able to stay overnight in Yaotsu. The following day, you can explore the town at your own pace—using WebAR-guided walking tours or simply wandering the surrounding area—to discover even more of what Yaotsu has to offer.

ご予約のキャンセルや変更の場合は、分かり次第ご連絡ください。
キャンセル料金は以下の通りご請求させていただきますのでご了承ください。

イ　旅行開始日の前日から起算してさかのぼって20日目に当たる(日帰りの場合は8日目に当たる)日以降に解除する場合（ロからホまでに掲げる場合を除く）旅行代金の２０％
ロ　旅行開始日の前日から起算してさかのぼって七日目に当たる日以降に解除する場合（ハからホまでに掲げる場合を除く）旅行代金の3０％
ハ　旅行開始日の前日に解除する場合旅行代金の４０％
ニ　旅行開始日に解除する場合（ホに掲げる場合を除く）旅行代金の５０％
ホ　旅行開始後の解除又は無連絡不参加の場合旅行代金の１００％

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