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.

Tokaido Walk Book： August 30, 2015

A book on my Tokaido Walk was published today.

The title is “Let’s walk Tokaido, watch Japan’s local areas, and talk about the country”.

「東海道を歩こう　地域を見よう　日本を語ろう」

It is written in Japanese language.

The book includes:

- About 200 photos of Tokaido (about 500 kilometers from Tokyo to Kyoto)

- Essays on Japanese history, culture and society observed in Tokaido

- Information on 53 shukuba stations

The book is available for purchase at Amazon and other online bookshops.

The 2nd photo is with a belly band.

Late summer @Setagaya: August 23, 2015

It is still hot, but the season is turning from summer to autumn. The day is getting shorter and the leaves of the trees began to fall.

I walked around Setagaya ward, western Tokyo.

Many people enjoyed their times in the walking paths.

There was s baseball tournament held in the Hanegi Park. Boys played hard in the games and the parents watched them. The summer vacation will end shortly.

Cicadas made sound everywhere. 

Sparrows and other birds flew around. I also found butterflies and dragonflies.

Many typhoons are being created in the tropical area in the Pacific Ocean at the season. Some typhoons hit Japan and dome give influence on the weather even when they do not directly hit the country (We have rainy or windy days). The weather is also moving into the autumn mode.

Dubai: August 8, 2015

I am astonished with the number of skyscrapers every time I visit Dubai. It was my first visit in eight years (except the transits in the airport) and I found much more buildings than before.

The 828 meter-high (160 floors) Burj Khalifar is the tallest building in the world. It opened in 2010. I visited there for the first time.

The observatory is in the 124 and 125floors. The elevator brought us in about 60 minutes.

I found the modern buildings developed in the desert. All the developments have been achieved in last 50 years.

The Dubai Mall is open under the Buri Khalifar tower. It has a huge aquarium inside.

New business and commercial district have been developed in this five to 10 years. The district near Dubai Marina is an example. 

A monorail system has been built in the artificial Palm island.

New metro has been introduced. It was clean and easy to use.

Tourist enjoyed suntan and swimming in the beach near Burj Al Arab, the seven star hotel.

Traditional dhow ships stayed in the Dubai creek. The bring things to/from Iran, Somalia and other nations.

Construction works were carried out everywhere.

It was 2009, the following year of the world financial crisis, when the “Dubai shock” shook the world. There rose a question on the future development of the city. Now, it looked that the emirate had been back on the growth path.

The function as a regional hub seems to be bigger than before.

By the way, it was hot -- 51 degrees!

Cyprus: August 5-7, 2015

It took about two hours by plane from Greece to Cyprus. Geographically, it is nearer to the Middle East (Syria, Egypt etc.) than to Europe. The country is however a member of the European Union.

It had a financial crisis in 2012 and 2013. The economy started to recover, with the help of the EU, and it recorded the first positive growth in the first quarter (January- March) in 2015 after the crisis.

I only visited Nicosia and some other places and it was hard to find the aftermath of the crisis.

The highway from Larnaka Airport to Nicosia was well developed. The number of the automobiles was relatively small.

It was so hot. The temperature went up over 40 degrees. It was extraordinary for the country.

Nicosia has been divided into two parts since 1974. The southern part of the island is ruled by Greek residence while the northern part is inhabited by Turk people. Nicosia is the last divided capital in the world.

I walked along the border in southern Nicosia. The roads were blocked by barriers. (see also the top photo).

I found the “Berlin Wall No.2” café at the side of the border. 

I also found a design in the caps of sewage holes which symbolized the divided city. (see also the 2nd photo from the top).

There is a check point through which we can go up and down between the southern part and the northern part of the city. 

Each Greek and Turk administration has its gate. The left picture is Turkey-side gate.

There is a space which is managed by the U.N. between the two gates. 

The border is called the “Green Line”, which runs through not only Nicosia but also the whole island. The total length is about 300 kilometers. About 800 U.N. soldiers guard the line.

The atmosphere of the two parts was quite different.

The shopping streets in the southern part of Nicosia are modern. They were full of foreign tourists. Historic place such as Byzantine Museum were well arranged.

I found many mosques in the northern Nicosia. 

The streets and the shops looked older than those in the southern part.

I also visited mountainous area in the central part of the island. 

Many villages are trying to attract people with “agro tourism”. 

They sell local products.
The landscape was beautiful.