On the Nakasendo Trail

Sheryl, Madeleine and I hiked almost ten kilometers of this old post road between Edo(old Tokyo) and Kyoto, which has been turned into an eco tourist attraction. Two of the old post towns – Tsumago and Megome – have been resurrected and you walk the hills between the two. At the end they give you a diploma for 100 yen. Madeleine is very proud of hers – it’s a pretty long hike for a seven year old, though not too stiff for adults.

We began by staying the night at this minshuku (Matsushiroya) in Tsumago. A minshuku is a small inn, generally cheaper and less formal than the better-known ryokans.

This is the interior… courtyard, I guess you would call it.

Here are two shots of the trail.

Of course along the way it’s not all little shrines and picturesque scenery….

Some have emailed asking how we planned our trip. The people at the website Japanese Guest Houses were very helpful and we booked our ryokan/minshuku reservations through them. It’s a great site for armchair traveling.

Soon we will be meeting up in Kanazawa with our old friends Jiro and Kazue. At that point, we are in the hands of the locals.

I apologize to those who log onto this site for non-stop political opinion… but it’s good for all of us to take some time off from that once in a while… good for me anyway. But don’t worry – the zen will wear off soon.