To get there, we traveled first by bus from Miyanosito to Odawara, then by bullet train to Nagoya, then by train to Nakatsugawa, then finally by bus to Magome. At each place we had to figure out the schedule and buy tickets and thankfully it all worked out well and we arrived in good time. Well, minus some money issues, which I will blog about separately.
The 400-year-old Nakasendo Highway was used by Daimyos and their entourages to travel between Kyoto and Tokyo (Edo). Post towns sprung up along the way, and Magome and Taumago are two of the best preserved. Magome is a fairy tale down, with a single main cobblestone road weaving it's way up the mountain. Water runs down both sides of the main thoroughfare in small stone canals, powering large and small water wheels along the way. The road is lined with wooden buildings circa 1600, apparently original and completely in tact, which now contain a mix of shops, restaurants, and homes.
After a short snack, we set out for Tsumago on the Nakasendo Highway. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to cover the hilly 5 miles between the two towns in the warm and humid weather. We spent much of the trek on a dirt or cobblestone path following the small, winding Kiso River in deep woods that reminded us very much of the Pacific Northwest. At times the road also took us through small rural neighborhoods, where we could stop to pet dogs and see life in rural Japan. We saw gardens and fish pens and a few times were able to casually glance into homes that were open. At one point, we were startled by two really large monkeys who were evidently stealing from a garden and scurried onto a roof when they saw us!
Although our packs got pretty heavy before we arrived in Tsumago, everyone very much enjoyed being outside and the chance to see another side of Japan. We were delighted by Taumago and were warmly greeted by Fujihara-san at Ryokan Fujioto, our destination for the evening.
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