Nakasendo Walk(13) Ashida(26/69)-Wada(28/69): May 5, 2016

Today’s walk started from Ashida, the 26^th shukuba station. It is in Tateshina Town. Traditional buildings remain.  The mountains came closer as I continued walking.

Walking about a kilometer,　I was welcomed by a row of pine trees. It is called the pine trees of Kasatori. They were originally planted in the Edo era.

I enjoyed the walk through the pine trees and arrived at the Kasatori Pass.

There are terraces of fields for rice and other products. I saw famers working hard to prepare for rice planting scheduled the following week. I also found a number of solar panels in the fields. They reflected the sun’s light. The green trees of the hills and Mt. Asama were seen behind the panels. The scene was impressive. (See the top photo)

Some parts of Nakasendo have been converted into national roads, whereas some parts have been kept as they were. The traditional roads in the area are, of course, narrow and covered with fresh green grass.

I moved into Nagakubo, the 27^th shukuba station. Traditional buildings remain here.

Nagakubo was ruled by the Sanada family in the 16^th and 17^th century. Sanada Yukimura, a family member, is seen as one of the most outstanding feudal warlords and is still very popular in the country. His daughter Osue married to a village headman of Nagakubo. Her illustration is used as a tourism campaign figure today.

Leaving Nagakubo, I walked up a long slope to Wada. Fresh water runs in the rivers along the road. 

I found small hydro electric generators along in some places.

I also met monuments and sculptures on the way to Wada, the 28th shukuba station. One of them was a monument to console the sprits of thousands of monks, who died during their travels hundreds years ago. (See the photo second from the top).

Another one was a monument to console the sprits of the earthworms. It is said that the local people respected the earthworms as they produced good soil.

I also found a small lively bus stop with a thatched roof. They run small local buses here. They connect the local society and Ueda, the region’s big city, and are definitely important for the old people and the students.

The Wada station was completely burnt in 1861, but it was quickly rebuilt in the same year. Princess Kazunomiya of the royal family in Kyoto was decided to marry to Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige in Edo (Tokyo). The princess was scheduled to stay Wada in her way from Kyoto to Edo. So, the station was very quickly recovered.

The main inn and other historical buildings remain.