Nakasendo Walk (5) Konosu-Kumagaya: Nov. 10, 2012

I have already walked about 50 km of total 533 km – from Edo’s Nihonbashi to Kyoto’s Sanjo Ohashi -- of Nakasendo. Today, I walked from Konosu, the 7th shukuba station to Kumagaya, the 8th. It was more than 16 km.

I walked through residential areas in Konosu. The sky was blue. The leaves of the trees were changing from green to yellow or red. It is autumn.

There appeared agricultural fields along the road.


Railway (Takasaki Line) runs along Nakasendo. Arakawa river runs along Nakasendo in the west.

Nakasendo met the bank of Arakawa River in Konosu-Kumagaya border area. Nakasendo goes along the river bank in some parts and merges with the bank in other parts.

I walked several kilometers on the bank. I saw autumn glasses spread in the left side and towns in the right. Joggers and cyalists were enjoying the nature.



   

The bank was many times washed out by floods and people had repeatedly affected by the disasters. Monuments of disasters remain in the area. The bank was reinforced many times and new construction is still underway.

Nakasendo Walk(4) Ageo-Konosu: Nov. 4, 2012

It was a nice autumn day. I took the 4th part of my Nakasendo Walk from Ageo, the 5th shukuba station from Nihonbashi to Konosu, the 7th.

The sky was bright blue when I started today’s walk from Ageo. The air was fresh and the temperature was comfortable.


Nakasendo (Local route 164 is built on old road) goes northwest through business and residential and area. JR Takasaki line runs along Nakasendo. Few monuments remain in Ageo.

I arrived in Okegawa, the 6th station. Honjin building (main inn) remains here. It is the only honjin preserved in Saitama prefecture. It is open for a limited time and I unfortunately could not go in.


An old inn (hatago) also remains.　It is still used as a hotel.

It is a peaceful local city. But Okegawa became nationwide famous in 1998 for a horrible murder. A young lady was killed by a stalker and his group after her request to protect herself from the stalkers had been neglected by the police. A law was enacted after the tragedy.


Such horrible incidents could happen in every peaceful city and town in Japan

I passed Okegawa and moved into Kitamoto city. I found agricultural lands, including grape fields, along the road. I also found persimmon and other autumn fruits planted in the houses along the road.

I also found restaurants, convenience stores, karaoke shops, pachinko parlors and cellphone shops so often. It is same in almost everywhere in the country.


Konosu is famous for its dolls. Doll production industry developed in the Edo era. Several doll shops remain along Nakasendo.


It is about 48 km from Nihonbashi.

Hong Kong island (off off Tokyo): Oct. 28, 2012

It was exciting to walk around the streets in Hong Kong island.

The scene of skyscrapers on hillside was only found here. The combination of modern brand shops and traditional messy stalls was impressive. I was convinced that it was a place where western and eastern culture met.

I climbed narrow streets from the Central area near seashore through hillside to the middle of the mountain. A moving sidewalk was built along the streets. It moved downward in the early morning and changed the direction at around 10 am. The sideway is called the “hillside escalator”.

Brand shops gather in the Central.

Small food shops and daily goods shops scattered around the escalator. NOHO (north of Hollywood Road) and SOHO (south of the road) are famous for gourmet and shopping. He attracted tourists.

Books on Chinese politics　occupied main places in bookshops. They included books on leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping and on Bo Xilai scandal. Communist party’s general assembly will begin on Nov. 8.

The island is overcrowded. Many construction works were under way in other islands and continental side.

Shenzhen (off off Tokyo): Oct. 27, 2012

I visitedzhen Zhen from Hong Kong.

It took about 50 minutes by train from Kowloon Tong station to Lo Wo, the border station in Hong Kong side. I took off the train, passed the passport control (Hong Kong side), and cross the bridge of Hong Kong-China border (which is inside a building) on foot.

Finishing my passport check and I arrived in China. Many huge modern building were in front of me.


Shen Zhen was a small village until the 1970s. It became a special economic zone in Deng Xiaoping’s economic reform policy.

Now the city has more than 15 million people and rapidly developing. The buildings are modern. Roads are wide. I saw constructions everywhere.

I visited China Folk Culture Villages. The horse battle show played by Mongolian people was thrilling.

I also visited Dongguan city, which locates between Shenzhen and Guangzhou to enjoy a dinner. A bowl of abalone was nice.

Kowloon, Hong Kong (off off Tokyo): Oct 26, 2012

I visited Hong Kong.
I walked in noisy and historical streets in Kowloon today. It was so exciting.

I started my walk from Tokwawan, the peninsula’s east coast. Old international airport (Kai Tak airport) located here until its closure in 1998. Now, construction works are under way in many places in the area. Traditional apartments still remain. I saw washing poles fixed horizontally from the apartment walls.

Kowloon City was known as a dangerous criminal town decades ago. Infamous Kowloon Wall City located in the center of the area. The district was redeveloped in the 1990s. The Wall City has turned to a park.

Ethnic restaurants, markets, and other shops are open in the area. The streets were messy and full of energy.

I walked Boundary Road westward. The Road was a border between Britain’s Hong Kong (1860-1997) and New Territory, Britain borrowed from China in 99-year term from 1898. It is just one of many streets in a residential area.

I arrived at the northern edge of Nathan Road. The road is about 4 km and is the main street of Kowloon.


I walked down the road from Prince Edward station through Mongkok, Yaumatei, Jordan, to Tsimshatsui.

Both modern and traditional buildings stood along the street. The road was extremely crowded with cars and shoppers. Large commercial boards were highly visible over the road.

The scapltures of comic figures were places in a park at the side of the road.

Famous Peninsula Hotel stood at the southern edge of the road.

The edge of the Kowloon peninsula faces with Hong Kong Island over a narrow channel. It was a nice sightseeing place. I found many handprints of movie stars in Avenue of Stars. The scape of the island over the sea was beautiful.

Stadium jumping @ Baji Park: Oct. 21, 2012

It was a nice autumn day (like yesterday). I visited Baji Park (Equestrian Park) to see studio jumping.

I very often visit the park. It was developed for the Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 1964. Various kind og horse events are held here.

Today’s event was a jumping called “Carrot Stakes”, which is open to amateur riders.

Families are enjoying the day.

Nakasendo Walk (3) Omiya- Ageo: Oct. 20, 2012

It was a nice autumn day. I took the 3rd part of my Nakasendo Walk from Omiya, the 4th shukuba station, to Ageo, the 5th.

There are few historical memories or monuments of Nakasendo remain in Omiya. Old Nakasendo has turned to Local (Prefectural) Route 164. It goes northwest through shopping and residential areas.

I dropped in Hikawa Shrine near Omiya station. The shrine worships the god of water. There are more than 200 Hikawa shrines in Kanto region (including Tokyo) and Omiya’s shrine is the head of them. It locate a block from Nakasendo.


It was a season of 7-5-3 festival, which celebrates the girls of 7 years, boys of 5 years and girls of 3 years. I saw many girls and boys in traditional Japanese costumes.

I continued walking. I sometimes found shrines and small sculptures of gods at the side of the road. Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen bullet train runs over Nakasendo in northern part of Omiya.

There remain only a few monuments in Ageo, but there were more guide plates of Nakasendo in the city than Omiya or Urawa. It was about 40 kilometers from Nihonbashi.

Nakasendo Walk (2) Toda- Omiya: Oct 14, 2012

I had the 2nd part of my Nakasendo walk today. It was from Toda (Tokyo-Saitama boader) to Omiya, the 4th shukuba station from Nihonbashi.

I walked northward about 30 minutes and arrived in Warabi, the 2nd station. Atmosphere of Old Nakasendo remained there. I found monuments and guide boards. I dropped in a museum open in a place where old main guest house (honjin)was. The city was celebrating the 400 anniversary of Nakasendo's open (It was developed in early 17th century by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu).

Warabi is the smallest city in area in Japan. It is now a satellite city of Tokyo.

I walk through residential areas and arrived in Urawa, the 3rd station. The road has turned to a busy shopping street there.

Walking about an hour from Urawa, I arrived in Saitama New Urban Center (Saitama Shintoshin). It is a huge business-commercial complex open in 2000. Government offices, companies, shopping centers, sports and cultural facilities (including Saitama Super Arena) gather around JR Saitama Shintoshin station.

Urawa and Omiya used to be two big cities in Saitama Prefecture. They merged into Saitama city in 2001. Saitama New Urban Canter lies in the middle of enlarged city.

I arrived in Omiya. It has developed as a treminal of railroad and road traffic. 14 lines (including Shinkansen bullet train) come in and go out of Omiya station.

It was about 30 km from Nihonbashi.