January 10, 2024

After a breakfast to close our stay at Takimi we went to Tsumago to hike the Nakasendō.

The Nakesendō is a post road that extended from Tokyo (aka Edo) to Kyoto. It was one of five roads and the one most often used by nobility. The other major road went along the coast. Less elevation change but more water to cross. We decided to hike a portion of this ancient road between Tsumago and Magome. Tsumago is a well preserved post town (one of the 69 on the road).

The hike from Tsumago to Magome is about 8km across the mountain pass. When I was looking at trips I happened across the Really Rural Japan website. We ended up working with Michael who runs this and he was amazing. He helped us find Takimi for our stay last night and guided us on the tour. He is a transplant from England but has been living in Japan for years and is local to this rural area. He really was a wonderful for bridge for us to get a glimpse into this part of Japan.

As we set out from Tsumago we visited Wakihonjin Okutani that is part of the Nagiso museum. This very old Honjin was impressive. Many of these older buildings have fires burning in them every day and the wood is constantly getting smoked and preserved. While fire is dangerous for these buildings it is also a key feature in their longevity.

We also answered one of the pressing questions I had around how people stayed warm. The houses are not insulated and like Motusmoto can be nearly open air. It turns out that people used Kotatsu. They had a place where they put hot coals in the floor and then you place a low table with a blanket over it. With your legs under the blanket it warms you and makes it all more manageable. It is always interesting to see how others solved problems.

From there we left the town and started down the trail. It was beautiful as we made our way through the woods.

We ventured through a small teahouse run by the town. They had these tea houses halfway between the post towns. We walked past all sorts of stuff including Haikus that had been memorialized in stone.

We made it to Magome for lunch. All along the way Michael shared interesting parts of the trail and details about the area. As we crossed over the mountain pass it started to snow lightly and was a charming touch to our walk.

Things continued to be very quiet. That was perhaps the best part. This time of year was clear and crisp and devoid of people. Just a lovely time to take in nature and see these usually crowded places.

After a lunch of Soba noodles we decided to walk on for Nakatsugwa where we needed to catch the train. This took us across a portion of the trail that had stones from the original trail.

We stopped for tea at a tea shop that had been closed for 150 years but reopened recently.

From there we finished up back at the train station and made our way to Osaka.

It was a wonderful day. We hiked around 11 miles and had a bunch of great experiences along the way. Some people do multi day hikes along the trail but this was just right for us and Michael was a fantastic guide.

We arrived on the train in Osaka and after setting our stuff down we went out to find dinner.

We decide to try a small restaurant called Sushi-Kappo Mori. They are an Omakase restaurant. There were a lot of reviews that indicated a need for reservation but it was late and Wednesday so we took a chance.

We approached and the light was on. There was some noise…both signs we had seen before. We opened door and it was empty…just 8 seats and 1 chef. My heart sank initially – are they closing early? After some discussion with the chef (and sole employee) we agreed to eat what he provided and he placed some fresh placemats down.

The chef spoke very little English and we just enjoyed the food and the experience. It was perfect for what I was after. Low key, local and just a nice time. We did all share astonishment at the size of the salary being paid to the Japanese baseball players by the Dodgers. “Americans crazy” was an English phrase he did have mastered.

After dinner we settled in for the night…a good start to our Osaka leg of the trip.