Nakasendo Walk (7) Fukaya-Takasaki: Sept. 22, 2015

Today’s walk was relatively long. I started from Okabe district of Fukaya City, visited Honjo, the 10^th shukuba station in Honjo City, passed Kamisato Town in Saitama Prefecture, and went into Gunma Prefecture. I visited Shinmach shukuba station, Kuragano station and Takasaki, the 13^th sukuba station. It was about 25 kilometer walk.

Large fields of vegetables spread in the border area between Fukaya and Honjo cities. They produce Welsh onion (famous as Fukaya negi), broccoli, and other products. Tens of power transmission towers stand in the fields. There are many green houses in the fields. They produce cucumber and other vegetables.

The area locates between the Tone River and the Arakawa River. The land is rich and much water is available (There was always a fear of water flood in the old times).

It is nearly 100 kilometers from the seashore (in Tokyo) here, but the altitude is less than 100 meter. I reaffirmed how the Kanto Plane is wide.

Honjo was the biggest shukuba station of Nakasend in the Edo period. Only few historical buildings remain.

I passed the border between Saitama and Gunma prefectures and moved into Shinmachi station. It was built in the mid-17^th century, about 50 years after the open of other stations.

The Nakasendo goes on the river bank of Karasu River between Shinmachi and Kuragano. The river is a branch of the Tone River. 

Transport boats went up to Suragano station in the Edo era. The boats carried goods between Edo and other regions.

I moved forward to the central part of Takasaki, where old Takasaki shukuba station located. I found a boxed lunch factory along the road. They use the daruma doll-shape lunchbox for the food. Takasaki is famous for the production of the daruma doll.

Nakasendo Walk (6) Kumagaya-Fukaya-Okabe: Sept. 21, 2015

We have the “Silver Week” holidays at this season. I resumed my Nakasendo Walk after an intermission of about three years (I concentrated in my Tokaido walk in this period).

Today’s walk was from Kumagaya, the 8^th shukuba station from Nihonbashi, through Fukaya, the 9^th station, to Okabe. All places are in Saitama Prefecture.

Kumagaya is the biggest city in the northern part of Saitama. It is historically famous for Kumagaya Naozane, a samurai warload in the 11^th century. His statue (on a horse) stands in front of the JR Kumagaya Station.

The rugby football is popular in the city. It plans to host matches in the Rugby World Cup to be held in Japan in 2019. The PR board also stands before the station.

Nakasendo goes through the Yagihashi department store in the center of the city (see the top photo). The traditional buildings were all burnt out in air raids in the World War 2. The department store were built on Nakasendo and the store kept spaces for the Road.

I saw the fields of rice and other agricultural products along Nakasendo as I walked out of the central Kumagaya. The rice was just before the harvest. The power transmission towers stand in the fields. I found birds there. (2nd photo from the top).

I moved into Fukaya City. The city produces various agricultural products. It’s Welsh onion is known as “Fukaya Negi”. The city’s gross agricultural production is the largest in Saitama Prefecture.

I found many fields growing Welsh onion, broccoli, cucumber and other vagitables.

There is a row of gingko trees along Nakasendo before it arrives to FUkaya shukuba station.

There remains the building of the main guest house in the shukuba station. An old sake brewery with a brick-made chimney and other old buildings are also preserved.

I found the wholesale and retail stores of rice as I passed Fukaya station. The PR sign of the special coupon to vitalize the local economy, called “chiiki shinkou ken” was displayed in front of a store. The design of the sign was a combination of Fukacchan, the city’s mascot character, and Shibusawa Ei-ichi, the nation’s famous entrepreneur and business leader in the Meiji period who was born in Fukaya.

There are places to make and sell Japanese pickles, too. I saw old large barrels in a garden of a farmer’s house.

It is more than 80 kilometers from Tokyo.

Autumn Festival @Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine: Sept. 5, 2015

Now, it is autumn. The daytime is getting shorter and the leaves of the trees began to fall. The schools resumed.

I visited the Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya ward. The autumn festival was held.

Many local people gathered. Some of them were in traditional happi and yukata costume.

They played dance and other performances in a stage.

There were many open-air stalls and kid enjoyed tasting cheap sweets.

The autumn festivals continue till late November in many shrines in Tokyo.