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.
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20 Comments
1. dougf:I apologize to those who log onto this site for non-stop political opinion–Roger
Please don’t.
Although they say one should never say never, I know that I will NEVER get to Japan. I appreciate the little pictures of that country that you can share, and hope you manage to post many more during your travels. Coupled with your commentary, I am almost walking the trails as well today.
Thanks.
Aug 25, 2005 - 6:53 am 2. Macker:I wonder if that last picture includes political campaign posters…the two guys (each on the outer poster) kinda look like they’re campaigning for something.
That reminds me…ten years ago I received a gift from a Fraternity Brother who was serving in the Peace Corps stationed in Kazakhstan. He sent me a campaign poster for Vladimir Zhironovsky! I should get that scanned and send it to ya just for the heck of it!
So don’t feel too bad Roger…if that’s the case, you got some form of political statement in while you are in Japan!
Aug 25, 2005 - 6:57 am 3. Sandy P:Ever since watching “Iron Chef” my husband and I thought if we ever got to Japan, we’d like to try some of those.
Does Sakai still have his?
Aug 25, 2005 - 8:40 am 4. skyguy:Don;t apologize,I just can’t believe you’re actually taking the time to blog…..
Lovely pictures. It’s astonishing that it is no longer astonishing for ordinary people to share a vacation with the world, nearly real-time.
Aug 25, 2005 - 8:57 am 5. PacRim Jim:FYI, the political poster on the left is for the Japan Communist Party, may they rot in hell.
Aug 25, 2005 - 11:13 am 6. Ed Poinsett:Thank you Roger, for taking time off your vacation to post from Japan. The pictures are delightful and the commentary as well.
Politics can wait for your return.
Aug 25, 2005 - 11:50 am 7. lindenen:For a split second there I thought the guy on the right was Donald Rumsfeld.
Aug 25, 2005 - 12:39 pm 8. Malcolm:Thank you for posting the fascinating information about your travels in Japan. This is a side of Japan I have not seen, and thought was long lost. I have followed and loved your political and philosophical comments, and am a long time fan of your novels. But do not hesitate to post on other things like your travels. You have the gift to write simply and clearly, and it is a pleasure to be one of your readers. Thank you and good luck with Pajamas Media (& please don’t change the name!).
Aug 25, 2005 - 12:46 pm 9. Wallace:Saying it once again, your pix and comments make me want to visit rural Japan.
Aug 25, 2005 - 1:28 pm 10. Thomas Lifson:Actually the two left hand posters in the bottom picture are for the Japan Communist Party. The one on the right is for the Komeito, alingned with the Soka Gakkai Budhist sect.
Roger, you chose very well in your vacation destinations! Don’t miss the gardens in Kanazawa. The Japan Sea coast is wonderful, and I hope you will have a chance to drive or ride a train along it. The local sushi and sashimi is superb, due to the local cold waters. Try the ama-ebi (raw shrimp).
Aug 25, 2005 - 1:44 pm 11. Orson2:AS ABOVE: ‘I apologize to those who log onto this site for non-stop political opinion–Roger’
dougf REPLIES: “Please don’t.”
Thanks for sharing your adventure and vacation. It is August, after all, a very tradtional time for a holiday. And yours is a delightful invitation to leave well-beaten paths for rural Japan.
Furthermore, blogs benefit from such indulgences as ones taste and predelictions. Unlike a newspaper column, it makes possible an intimacy, immediacy, to the multitudes not otherwise achievable.
Go pajama bloggers – keep it up, Roger!
-Orson
Aug 25, 2005 - 2:00 pm 12. Justin Time:I’ve also done that walk. The villages are wonderfully picturesque, if a little ‘reconstructed’.
A little story: Before I started off, I went to put my bag in the lockers by the tourist office in Magome. I was distracted by having to speak Japanese to the lady inside in order to book a room, and I accidently forgot the ‘put the money in the slot, close the door and take the key bit’ of locker protocol. I had left the money on the floor. Four hours later, after returning from Tsumago, of course the money and the bag were still there, where Japanese tourists had been milling around all day. There was never the slightest doubt that they would have been stolen, really, so unlike home.
At my minshuku we were unexpectedly entertained at dinner by this singer in what I guess is traditional mountain dress. He sang the verses of mountain songs then everyone (except me, the lone bemused Gaigin) joined in with the chorus. Highly recommended.
Aug 25, 2005 - 2:12 pm 13. PacRim Jim:In case it’s not been mentioned, “Nakasendo” means “Road through the Central Mountains.” More a wikipedia.org.
Aug 25, 2005 - 2:19 pm 14. Charlie (Colorado):No, stop talking about Japan.
The jealousy is just killing me.
Aug 25, 2005 - 2:33 pm 15. mythusmage:Roger, thank you.
Aug 25, 2005 - 3:42 pm 16. Ephraim:Roger:
So, you’re going to Kanazawa? That’s great, and I am sure you will have an absolutely wonderful time. (But I need to know: did you have this planned beforehand, or did you take my suggestion? I would, of course, be ridiculously flattered if you did. Either way, I am sure you will enjoy yourself.)
First, you should see if you can get your hands on a book called “Kanazawa: The Other Side of Japan” by Ruth Stevens. It is a comprehensive guide book to Kanazawa written with the cooperation of the city. It has everything , and I mean everything, about Kanzawa in it. While it was written more than 25 years ago, I would imagine that it is still available, perhaps at the Kanazawa Tourist Office.
I don’t know how much time you will have there, but the essential Kanazawa tour should include the following, which is easily doable in a day:
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa castle is located on a hill near the center of town. All that is left of the original castle is the gate and the walls but they have recently restored one of the buildings using traditional materials and joinery techniques (no nails). It is well worth the visit. The floors are as smooth as glass, and the beams give you a feeling of being inside the hold of a huge sailing ship. There is a video explaining how all of the beams were fitted together.
Kenrokuen Garden
Out of the main castle gate and across a bridge is Kenrokuen, one of the three most highly regarded landscape gardens in Japan. You can sit and have a cup of tea-ceremony style tea and a sweet overlooking the lake and also visit a villa (I think it is called the Seisonkaku) located inside the park which one of the lords of Kaga built for his mother. This requires an additional entrance fee but it is worth it.
The Honda Museum
This is not absolutely vital, but the Honda Museum, which houses the artifacts of the Honda family, one of the main vassals of the lords of Kaga, is very near Kenrokuen, so it is convenient.
The Samurai Quarter (Buke Yashiki)
If you don’t mind walking, once you are done with Kenrokuen, you can walk back towards the Korinbo/Katamachi district. On Hirosaka Dori, the main street which goes from the bottom of Kenrokuen towards Korinbo, there are a number of shops which sell local Kanazawa crafts, such as Ohi-yaki and Kutani-yaki (ceramics) and Wajima-nuri, laquerware from the town of Wajima, which is on the tip of the Noto Peninsula. Ohi-yaki is a rustic style of pottery with thick walls and earth color glazes, and Kutani-yaki is more colorful with more intricate designs.
The Buke Yashiki are not too far from Korinbo, in Nagamachi. The homes are well-preserved and some are open to the public. They are wonderful, with ponds, gardens, and tea rooms. There is also a small museum in the quarter. It is quite compact and can easily be covered in an hour or two.
Kaga Yuzen (Painted Silk)
Kanazawa produces a dstinctive type of painted silk fabric called Kaga Yuzen. If I am not mistaken, there is a workshop called Saihitsuan, where you can take a tour and see the silk-painting process and have it explained to you, right in the same area as the Samurai Quarter.
As far as food is concerned, the sushi and fish are great, as Mr, Lifton mentioned upthread. However, there are two dishes that are native to Kanazawa which you probably cannot get anywhere else: deep-fried gori a tiny fish from the rivers in Kanazawa ; and jibu, a stew made with duck and thickened with flour, quite unusual in Japan.
Also, if you like sweets, you should try to get some hana kurumi, walnuts simmered in a locally-produced malted rice syrup. There is no better accompaniment to green tea anywhere. If you like things like teriyaki, get a copntainer of this syrup, called ame, and use it instead of sugar. It is one of the secrets to Kanazawa cuisine.
If you have a chance to stay overnight, I recommend Fukutani Onsen (hot springs). If you Google “Fukutani Onsen”, their home page will come up; it is only in Japanese, unfortunately, but your friends should be able to help you. The phone number is (076) 258-2133. It is only about a 30-minute cab ride from the center of town (or less if you get a cab at Morimoto Station) up in the wooded hills outside of town. It is a wonderful old-fashioned inn like the places you have been staying. Very quiet and secluded and the hot springs there produce a slightly viscous water the color of weak black coffee which soothes the skin.
Finally, if you have more time, you can take a day trip to the neighboring prefecture of Fukui and visit Eiheiji, the main temple of the Soto Zen sect.
Anyway, enjoy your Kanazawa trip and be sure to post enough pictures to crash the server.
Aug 26, 2005 - 12:01 am 17. Ephraim:Sorry, a misspelling. That Is “FukAtani Onsen”, with an “a”, not “FukUtani Onsen” with a “u”. Sorry.
Aug 26, 2005 - 12:06 am 18. Ephraim:I forgot: Kanazawa has an old-fashioned open-air market called Omi-cho near Musashi-gatsuji, towards Kanazawa Station from Korinbo. Fish, vegetables, fruit, etc.; a lot of hustle and bustle. Great fun.
Aug 26, 2005 - 12:28 am 19. Assistant Village Idiot:Ordinarily I do tire quickly of my favorite bloggers talking about their quirky lives, but you seem to have found the balance. The photos and comments are wonderful.
I have lovely recent photos of Budapest and Oradea if anyone’s interested… yeah, well, I thought not. My son’s blog is better anyway. (Y’all teach him good filmmaking out in LA, will ya? We miss him here.)
Aug 27, 2005 - 6:06 pm 20. allen:We are going to Japan in October, and I’d like to hike a part of the Nakasendo trail. Where can I find info/maps on doing a self-guided walk of any part of the trail? Thanks, Allen
Sep 5, 2006 - 12:16 pm