Grassman's Tokyo Walk

2016-09-24

Nakasendo Walk (17) Niekawa (33/69)-Narai (34/69): Sept. 19, 2016

Today’s walk was from Niekawa, the 33^rd shukuba station to Narai, the 34th station. It sometimes rained.

Niegkawa was a small station. It was owned and managed by the Owari (Nagoya) Tokugawa family in the Edo era. An office was set to check the trade of Japanese hinoki cypress. It was rebuilt in the 1970s. (see also the 2nd photo from the top)

The old town has been lost because of the fires. The public water wells remain.

I moved southward to Hirasawa district, which is famous for the production of Kiso lacquer ware. There are tens of craft houses and shops along Nakasendo.

I bought sets of wares. The industry developed here as they produced good woods.

The Japanese lacquer is now mainly imported from China as the domestic production is decreasing. (Globalization!!) I got such information from the store’s madam.

I arrived in Narai. The old town and houses are well preserved. The area is registered as the country's historically important place..

Inns, shops and restaurants are in traditional buildings. There are no electric poles.

Public water wells are working.

Restaurants serve local foods. I enjoyed soba and iwana fish.

There is a bridge calles "Kiso no Ohashi" made of Japanese hinoki cypress over Narai river.

The river flows northward into Chikuma River and travels into the sea of Japan.

Shimosuwa: Sept 18, 2016 (off Tokyo)

Japan had extraordinary much rain in many places this September. The rain caused disasters in Iwate, Kyushu, Hokkaido and other places. The global climate change may be affecting.

Today was rainy and I could not walk Nakasendo. Instead, I visited the Suwa Shrines in Shimosuwa town

This is my second visit to Shimosuwa this year. The first visit was in May when they had the “Onbashira Festival”. There were tens of thousands of people gathering here to enjoy the event, which is held every six years.

The town was calm today. There were a few people in the streets. Shimosuwa is the 29^th shukuba station of Nakasendo and is a hot spring resort.

I visited two major parts of Shimosuwa Shrines -- Akimiya and Harumiya.

In the festival in May, four onbashira (wood pillars) were carried into Harumiya and Akimiya respectively. The pillars now stand in the four corners of each shrine. The onbashira is believed to be a god.

Two big lion sculptures sit in front of the shrine buildings in Akimiya. It rained heavily.

It also rained hard in Harumiya. (see also the 2nd photo from the top)

The onbashira are about 17 meter high.

It was banned to play Pokemon GO in the shrines,

There is a stone sculpture of Buddha in the fields near Harumiya. It was made in 1660 (the 3^rd year of Manji in Japanese calendar) and is called Manji no Sekibutsu.

Visitors were walking around the sculpture as they prayed for the Buddha.

Rain continued.

Nakasendo Walk (16) Shiojiri (30/69) -Niekawa (33/69): Sept 17, 2016 (off Tokyo)

There are 25 shukuba stations of Nakasendo in Nagano Prefecture (Shinshu in old name). I walked the first 13 stations in the eastern part of Nagano this spring. It was from Karuizawa, the 18^th station from Nihonbashi to Shiojiri, the 30^th.

I resumed my walk today. It was from Shiojiri to Niekawa, the 33rd station.

Shiojiri is an important transportation hub. The roads and railways from Tokyo, Nagoya and Niigata areas meet here.

The rails go eastwards to Tokyo and westwards to Nagoya from JR Shiojiri Station. The window’s decoration is grape design.

The area grows good grape and produces wines. They had “the Grape Festival” as September and October are the harvest season.

There are many grape fields along the roads. (see also the 2nd photo from the top)

Grape picking services were offered in many farms.

I also saw the fields of lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables.

There is an archaeological site at the side of Nakasendo on the way to Seba, the 31st station. It is called Hirade remains. The houses of Jomon era (B.C 13-B.C.4 century), Kofun era (A.D. 3-7 century), and Heian era (A.D.8-12 century) are rebuilt. (see also the 3rd photo from the top)

The grape fields spread around the remains.

There remains a set of milestone in the area. The rice fields behind were shinning gold.

I walked into the area of Seba station. I saw houses as well as vegetable and rice fields spread in the narrow lands between the mountains (see also the 4th photo from the top).

Autumn flowers were beautiful at the side of the road.

There is a legend that Minamoto Yoshinaka, one of the heroes in the 12^th century (late Heian era) washed his horse in the well here. The overflowing water was clean and cold.

I saw many fields of soba (buckwhest) on the way to Motoyama, the 32^nd station. The flower is white.

Soba was eaten from ancient days, but it was the Edo ear when people began to cook soba as noodle. The new style started here in Motoyama.

I walked southwards and arrived Sakurazawa area.. There is a stone monument at the side of the road.

It says: the starting point of Kiso road, down to south. (see also the top photo)

Kiso is a deep valley between the mountains.

There are 11 shukuba stations in Kiso road. I arrived in Niekawa, the first station of the Kiso road and the 33^rd station from Tokyo’s Nihonbashi.

2016-09-14

Sumo@Ryogoku：September 11, 2016

Many Japanese people sometimes go to sumo tournament. I am one of them.

I went to kokugikan or sumo hall in Ryogoku to see the first day of the autumn tournament.

Flags were raised along the street from JR Ryogoku rilway station to Kokugikan.

I saw many people walking to the hall. Others were waiting the sumo wrestlers coming in. There were many foreign tourists.

I watched sumo from a box seat in the ground floor. Each box has four seats. We can enjoy foods and drinks there while watching the matches. It was my first such experience.

Families enjoyed not only the sumo tournament but also the foods and the atmosphere of the event.