Woke up on Day 3 to achy legs and joints, and a misty sky. We asked the ryokan to drop us off at a local supermarket in Kiso-Fukushima 木曽福島 to replenish our snacks, which we had wiped out yesterday during our marathon 21-km walk.
Kiso-Fukushima, distinct from Fukushima of the nuclear disaster fame, is and was the largest of the post-towns on Kiso Road. There should be much to see, such as its barriers, but we did not spend any time there save for the stroll while hunting for the train station. Happily armed with bananas, more chocolates, Japanese snacks and water, we walked to the train station to catch the train to Yabuhara 藪原.
Beautiful misty morning
We spent quite a bit of time in the tiny one-man Yabuhara train station, trying to explain to the station master that we wanted to make seat reservations for the next few legs of our journey. He seemed to be new to the whole idea of the JR Pass (ce n'est pas possible!) so had to make a few calls to colleagues before everything was settled.
Then it was a walk through the Yabuhara post-town known for its combs made from the Minebari tree (a type of birch native to Japan). We didn't buy any as most of them were closed, surprisingly.
The drizzle that started as a playful sprinkle persisted and we thought it wise to put on our rain gear before we start on the trail. Here's my Hunchback of Nakasendo look.
The trail climbs away from the village onto a forested trail to the Torii-touge Pass, one of the hardest parts of the Nakasendo. Hmmm....hardest parts involving a steep climb in the rain up to a pass that's 4000 feet high? This bunch of amateurs have no idea <shakes head> ...
Start of the forest trail. We didn't take many photos because, you know, rain...cold...slippery...
Dreamy landscape in the forest
I don't think the bears will be interested to come out for a walk in this weather
We reached the rest stop with toilets, heating, dry and warm seats, and a fantastic view of the Narai village in the valley below. We did not enjoy any of that because it was closed for the winter season. So we made up our own rest stop and refused to budge even when the Doctor ordered us to get back on track.
Finally, the torii gate at the top of the pass at Mount Ontake! This was the only section of the entire 5 days where we had company. A group of 4 middle-aged Japanese ladies and their guide gave us directions to the pass when we seemed to be lost. They bid us good luck and descended the hill before we took this commemorative shot.
Signs of snow were everywhere on the mountains
Another rest stop at the site of the former Nakanochaya tea house. We didn't know this at that time, but this was also the site of a battle between two competing warlords in 1583, and 500 men were buried in the swampy area nearby. Ignorance is bliss sometimes...
...the above story has nothing to do with this hunchback-turned-ghost of Nakasendo...
Post-town number 34, Narai 奈良井, also known as "Narai of a Thousand Houses" because the street here stretches much longer than those of any other post-towns
The original notice board at one end of the village where the shogun's edicts and other important information for the villagers were posted during the shogun era.
We made the 7km walk in the rain in 3 hours, which was not bad. The young proprietor of the Iseya minshuku where we were to spend the night looked appalled at this group of shrivelled-and-ghostly-but-happy group of drifters, and must have questioned himself if he was obliged to admit us into his place. Add to that equation one aggressive father who demanded repeatedly for a toilet for his two kids who could hardly hold it in anymore. The proprietor calmly informed YL that the toilets were in the annex, upstairs, please-remove-your-muddy-hideous-shoes-thank you area next to our rooms. This exchange went back and forth a few times but the kids were smart. They just ignored the men, kicked off their shoes and scrambled straight upstairs to the aforementioned approved toilets.
I was mostly dry, as were my backpack, thanks to my ghostly poncho, but Sophie's one suffered considerably and of course most of our clothes which we were wearing, and which we had to wear for the rest of the hike were wet. We spent the next 2 hours taking a rejuvenating bath in the common shared bathrooms, and drying out our stuff in front of the portable heater in our room.
Again, the rewards for making it were worth it :)
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