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| Momiji (Japanese Maple), our "house" for tonight |
It was time to make tracks toward the starting point of our walk — the small post town of Nakatsugawa, gateway to one of Japan's most celebrated historic trails.
The Nakasendo — literally "the road through the mountains" — was one of five major highways connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto during the Edo period. Stretching some 530kms through the Japanese Alps, it was the inland alternative to the more famous Tokaido coastal route, favoured by feudal lords, merchants, and pilgrims who preferred mountains to sea. Along the way, 69 post towns grew up to service travellers, providing lodging, food, and rest. Today, the stretch between Magome and Tsumago is the most beautifully preserved of these, and Nakatsugawa, sitting just below Magome, has become the natural jumping-off point for walkers wanting to step back into Edo-era Japan. Which is exactly what we were about to do. But first...Don Quijote.
For this mission, the team willingly woke early and marched to the nearest store with the determination of seasoned bargain hunters. The Tokyo sun, however, had already chosen violence. Combined with intermittent sprinting to catch green pedestrian lights in an effort to maximise precious shopping time, Jays nearly perspired himself into expiration.
And then came the sensory overload.
There is truly nothing quite like wandering through the gloriously chaotic aisles of Don Quijote while Disney songs such as Let It Go blast enthusiastically in the background. Every aisle appeared to contain a completely unrelated category of brightly coloured products stacked floor to ceiling in what could only be described as organised confusion. Cosmetics next to Kit Kats. Suitcases beside vibrators. Snacks adjacent to household appliances and questionable novelty items.
I showed remarkable restraint and purchased only a lightweight umbrella. The others demonstrated significantly less self-control.
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| Early breakfast |
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| My kind of place. Solo booths to eat in peace! |
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| Umm...best thing ever. Why is it not at more buffet stations!? |
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| Complete with instructions |
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| Coffee jelly |
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| You cannot be in an Asian country without some sort of noodle station at the buffet |
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| All our tickets neatly arranged by our travel agent |
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| Only in Don Quijote. Soft toys next to adult toys... |
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| Still a past time, looking at different KitKat flavours |
Our second challenge for the day was navigating Tokyo Station - a vast, teeming organism that has reduced many a confident traveller to a bewildered standstill. Not us. Our thoroughly engineered buffer system proved its worth and we navigated the JR concourse, threaded through to the Shinkansen hub, and boarded with time to spare — ekiben, snacks and drinks in hand like seasoned professionals.
For those interested in the logistics:
We departed Tokyo Station on the 11:48 Nozomi 69 arriving Nagoya Station at 13:25. Unfortunately we did not have time to indulge in the regional specialty of friend chicken wings. Shame.
At Nagoya Station, we transferred to the Shinano 15 bound for Nagano alighting at Nakatsugawa Station. Because this was Japan. We arrived on schedule at exactly 14:48.
One useful detail for travellers: the Tokyo to Nagoya Shinkansen included an oversized baggage area, which made life substantially easier with hiking luggage in tow. Be sure to purchase these seats if travelling with larger suitcases. At entry and exit gates, tickets for regional/local and shinkansen trains are inserted into the machine TOGETHER in a stack. No need to insert sequentially. The machines will keep the relevant tickets as required.
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| JR Yamanote line. Tick. |
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| Get to correct Shinkansen platform and find seats at the right carriage. Tick |
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| Hello Shinkansen |
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| Just like kids |
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| My lunch |
Once we arrived in Nakatsugawa, we caught a short five-minute taxi ride to our ryokan for the night, Nagataki. We were welcomed and taken around the property for an orientation.
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| Nakatsugawa. Now modern but still quiet |
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| Just to the left outside the station is the information centre |
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| With a small shop inside with some interesting products like sake ice-cream |
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| As well as useful information such as bus timetables to Magome and Tsumago |
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| Taxi stand right outside the station. Fare calculations are clearly marked. |
The property consisted of several beautifully restored traditional buildings scattered throughout manicured gardens, all framed by mountains in the background. Each couple had their own little house. For the purposes of this trip, Fiona and I were now officially considered a couple.
Our tiny house was over 200 years old and felt like stepping directly into another era. Wooden beams, sliding paper doors, creaking floors and complete tranquility — exactly the sort of place that makes you immediately slow down and breathe differently.
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| At the entrance to the Ryokan |
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| Our home tonight |
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| Traditional entrance |
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| Living room |
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| A tea room |
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| Corridor to the bathroom and toilet |
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| A private bath |
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| Our yukatas and towels |
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| Geta for outdoor use |
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| She made tea for us |
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| The dining room |
Naturally, this was followed by obligatory onsen time.
Dinner was a multicourse feast accompanied by sake we had purchased along the way, followed later by a whisky and mochi afterparty at the Yoongs. To say we were happy would be an understatement. And the thing is, we hadn't even started hiking yet. This, I think, is what people mean when they say the journey itself is the adventure.
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| Time for onsen! |
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| Cheers to good friends! We had a large dining room to ourselves |
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| Matching tops in different colours heehee |
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| This is when you know the alcohol has started to work its magic |
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| No further comment |
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| Our futons ready |
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| There was certainly plenty of joy! |
