Doing Part of the Nakasendo Trail - Starting Off in Magome

As I've mentioned before; during our trips we like to take a detour; whether flying over the Nazca Lines, spending a night in a tent in the Grand Erg Oriental (albeit, quite a luxurious tent), hiking from Matra to Taphin, the Samaria Gorge, or the Great Wall from one province to another (sounds more impressive of an effort than it is), I try to plan something that's "fun" for the Missus. Which usually means I'll be huffing and puffing along while the Missus has a blast. While planning this trip; I'd read about the Nakasendo Trail, one of the "Five Routes", the administrative routes created during the Edo Period, which connected Edo (now Tokyo), to the outer provinces of Japan. Because of where I had projected our "path" on this trip, taking in that Kyoto was a "must" and trying to make it as fun and interesting for us as possible; I picked Nagoya as our hub for a whopping three nights....remember, the Missus doesn't like staying anywhere too long. So when I read about the most frequented (and easiest) portion of the Nakasendo trail, from Magome to Tsumago being within easy reach....I thought it would be a great day trip.

And so, there we were waiting for the Shinano 1 on track 10 at the JR Nagoya Station. We were bushed and it seemed the Ekiben pickins' were a bit slim (there was something we wanted to try, but it was too early), so we did the obvious and headed to.....the vending machines.....

And a few yen later, we had some nice hot black coffee (there's a brand I like, but for some reason I can't remember it right now) and some red bean soup and some corn soup (I've loved the stuff since I had it on Sapporo). Though we didn't do nearly as well as the older gentleman who was hitting the Kirin at 7am! For those who watch Gourmet Samurai and saw episode 1 (FWIW, while I enjoy GS, I really enjoy Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories) and saw the inner turmoil of deciding whether to have a beer with lunch or not.....that dude had no qualms! You gotta admire such decisiveness, right?

The train took us to Nakatsugawa. Of course, due to my not quite understanding the bus schedule from Nakatsugawa to Magome; we arrived a bit early.

Though when you're on vacation, those things seem minor....so we set about to grab a cup of coffee and maybe a snack and headed off from the train station.

And found there wasn't much going on at 745am in Nakatsugawa....at least close to where we were at.....

I did mention that the visitor center/TI opened at 8am, so we headed there.....

Where there is the inevitable "local products" shop....something we love so much. The Missus bought some local tea and I grabbed one wagashi......the Missus loves persimmon, so I got what I basically believe is suikanshuku, thinking I'd grab some tea from the vending machine. But, after paying for our stuff, the really nice gentleman working, insisted that we have two cups of the local green tea.

Which is why we both love Japan so much. Anyway, along with some water....and those two cups of tea.....well, the Missus really loved the little treat.

Soon enough, the bus was leaving.......it was about a 25 minute bus ride....and to think the Missus wanted me to walk to Magome!

We finally made it to the stop, at the bottom of the street from Magome.

The air was so crisp, the view beautiful.....and so quiet. No cars are allowed on the main street in Magome.

So we headed up from the main road.

It's a beautiful walk up the winding streets that takes you to a different time.

The Missus and I decided to wait and let the other pass and head off. No offense, but there's a kind of amazing lack of chatter in Japan that makes us want to hear something other than the sound of voices.....

So we took our time.......look at the specials of the day served here!

We saw a stand selling steamed buns and decided to stop there and have our breakfast.

It was what seemed to be an intentionally rustic little stand, to fit in......with all the charm that is Japan. The service was gracious and kind and the steamed buns were decent....I actually enjoyed the preserved vegetable more than the eggplant, for that wonderful spinach-chy, slightly salty, chlorophyllic flavor I enjoy. 

We then headed up the hill.........

And then down, to come across something interesting.......

So every 200 meters or so are these bells....and from what I heard, you can go to the TI and get your own, handy-dandy, anti-black bear bell.......so you ring the bells to scare away the bears. But being the somewhat cynical person I am, I wondered two things; heck if I were a black bear, this wouldn't scare me away....this would be the "dinner bell", though secondly, we saw some interesting four paw tracks along the way....which freaked me out a bit......and I forgot to take photos....my bad. Still, it was fun to hear the bells "ringing" along the way....take no chances and all that, right?

The trail itself went up and down hills and even across current roads/highways......

But you'd always come across something interesting....like the replication of the traditional town notice board.

These Kosatsuba laid down the law for all who passed.

The Missus really enjoyed this hike. Along with the seasonal beauty......

Was a bit of history. Which made things a lot easier.....at least for me.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[kat]

nice!

[Soo]

Cool winding roads! That's interesting a bell is suppose to scare a bear...

[Kirk]

We really enjoyed this Kat!

Like versus being the "dinner bell" Soo?

[Junichi]

Breakfast beer is always the best when you're on vacation!

[Kirk]

I agree Junichi....it does taste better!

[Jenne B]

OMG it looks like one of the "daily specials" was goheimochi! Probably my favorite thing to eat in Japan and pretty hard to find.

[Kirk]

Hi Jenne - I believe Gohei Mochi is a specialty of the Kiso Valley; where this hike took place. Also found in Nagano as well.

[Jenne B]

There used to be a tiny stall on Shijo-Dori when I lived in Kyoto...never found any in Tokyo!

[Kirk]

I think you need to check out Nagano and this area next time Jenne!