Koshu Kaido Walk (3) Chofu-Fuchu: Oct.9, 2012

Today is a national holiday (Health and Sports day). I took the 3rd part of my Koshu Kaido Walk.

It was from Chofu, the 3rd shukuba station from Nihonbashi, to Fuchu, the 4th station.

There stood replicas of heroes from “Gegege no Kitaro”, famous manga written by Shigeru Mizuki, in a small street spread from Koshu Kaiso near Chofu railway station. Kitaro is a monster, but he is loved by children as he fights against evils to help people. Mizuki lives in Chofu and is an honorable citizen of the city.

Chofu station was under construction works to move railways from the ground to underground.

Old Koshu Kaido goes through residential areas in Chofu city. National Rout 20 (new Koshu Kaido) and Keio Dentetsu railroad run along old Koshu Kaido.

A sculpture of Kondo Isamu, a tragic soldier in the late Edo era, was placed in a temple along the street. Kondo served as a head of Shinsen-gumi, a guard organization of the Tokugawa government. He and his organization lost the war with anti-Tokugawa group and he was executed by decapitation. Chofu is a hometown of Kondo and Shinsen-gumi.

I arrived at “Ajinomoto” football stadium in west Chofu. It is a home ground of FC Tokyo football team. The turn-round point of marathon race at Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 was places in front of the stadium. A monument and a sing board were there.

It was 26 kilometer from Nihonbashi.

Vegetable fields appeared at the side of Koshu Kaido.

I moved to Fuchu, the 5th shukuba station. Historical Okunitama Shrine is in front of Fuchu railway station.

A big shinboku, a tree decorated with religious straw ropes, stood along Koshu Kaido.

There remains Kosatsujo near the shrine. Kosatsujo was a place where official documents were desplayed in the Edo era.

I walked another several kilometers from Fuchu to Nishifu railway station. I found open-air stalls where they sold pears produced in the area. They were sold with "Tamagawa Nashi" brand.

The goal today was about 32 kilometers from Nihonbashi.