Day 14, July 6

Today was our first day with no trains, trams, buses, or planes since we have been in Japan. We walked part of the Nakasendo Trail going from Magome to Tsumago. It is 8.5kms and takes us 800m above sea level. It meanders through some really beautiful mountainous country side and some very old post towns. The original old feudal path ran from Kyoto to Edo (now called Tokyo). We dropped our bags off in Magome before we left and they were taken to Tsumago for us to pick up when we arrived.

Along the way is a building that is over 200 years old which now houses a tea house offering free Japanese tea and Japanese lollies to walkers.

There were old water wheels and villages and many parts of the path were cobblestone. We walked through Hinoki cypress and Japanese cedar forests, Bamboo forests and many water falls.

We had lunch when we arrived in Tsumago at a little local restaurant that served Gohei-Mochi which are rice balls on a stick with a delicious sesame and walnut soy sauce.

Dinner was cooked by our hosts in our Air BnB.

The official start of the walk.

Beware of the Bears – these bells are all the way along the walk for us to ring and keep the bears away.

A torii gate entrance to Jippensha Ikku Monument along the way.

Our Tea house stop.

A 200+ year old weeping cherry tree.

Tess being a weeping cherry tree.

Tara being a very tall Hinoki cypress tree.

3.7kms to go.

The male waterfall.

The female waterfall – not sure why the are called the male and female waterfalls but they are jus next to each other and one is bigger then the other.

Down town Tsumago.

Our lunch spot.

We went for a walk after lunch to some old castle ruins – couldn’t really find the ruins but a great view.

This was our dinner cooked by our host, buckwheat soba noodles served cold with Japanese radish, pickled veggies of all sorts and crickets! We have never eaten crickets before but they were really crispy and tasty!