Nakasendo Walk (22) Midono (41/69)-Nakatsugawa (45/69): April 30, 2017

Nakasendo was also called Kiso-Kaido, as the Kiso Valley was the hardest-to-walk place in all route from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. There were 11 shukuba stations in Kiso – starting from Niegawa, the 33^rd station from Nihonbashi, to Magome, the 43^rd station.

I completed the walks through the 11 Kiso stations today.

Today’s walk started from Midono, the 41^st station. There were many tourists who walks from Midono to Tsumago, the 42th station. I enjoyed beautiful flowers while walking.

Tsumago is one of most famous and popular shukuba stations in Nakasendo. They started preserving and rebuilding old houses in the 1960s. The atmosphere of the Edo era remains. Now the place is widely known among the tourists in the world. There were many foreign tourists here. (see also the 2nd and 3rd photo from the top)

Kiso area has a long history of forestry. There were various conflicts between the rulers and the ordinary people over the use of forestry resources. Such memories were displayed at the historical museum.

There was a craft man who wrote names, wishes and other information on requests on the wood-made horses in the welcome center of Tsumago. It was unexpectedly cheap. I got it for my souvenir.

The services of the people to welcome tourists, or the software infrastructure of tourism in other words, are wonderful in Tsumago  --  I got such impression here. 

Nakasendo goes into mountainous. I went through the Magome Pass before arriving in Magome, the 43rd station.

There is an observatory space just before entering into Magome station. I saw Mt. Ena and other mountains.

The old town is also preserved and/or rebuilt in Magome. There were many foreign tourists.

Magome is the birthplace of Shimazaki Toson, one of great novelists in the Meiji era. His work “Yoake mae” (Before dawn) focuses on the moves in Magome and other Kiso areas at the end of Edo era and the beginning of Maiji era. The conflicts over the forestry resources (and the suppressions on people by both Tokugawa shogunate government and the Meiji government) were described in the novel.

The place of the main inn (honjin) is now used for Shimazaki Toson Museum.

I walked about 2 kilometers from Magome and found a monument, which tells “Kiso-ji (Kiso road) begins here, goes northwords.”

There is a stone-paved road between Magome and Ochiai, the 44^th station. The area is called the Ju-Magari Pass (the passes of ten corners).

I arrived in Ochiai. It was a small shukuba. The gate and other parts of the main inn were preserved.

I moved westwards through a hilly road and arrived in Nakatsugawa, the 45^th station.

It was a long walk –nearly 30 kilometers – today.