Near the top of the pass was a pair of waterfalls not too far apart from each other. The glade is cool and damp, and being still early-ish in the day, I had the waterfall all to myself.
The Nakasendo – Autumn
I passed through more mountain villages, each one sleepier than the last, and at a higher altitude.
The path then ducked back into the woods as I approached the summit of the pass. It was autumn, and although there were plenty of evergreen pines one can’t escape the flame-like glow of Japanese maples.
The Nakasendo – Cobble Stones
We leave the road and venture out on to what is initially a cobble-stoned path, undoubtedly part of the old road. The woods are thick with cypress pines and full of mystery to my Aussie eyes.
The Nakasendo – Walk
The following day I walked the road to the next village, Magome. It starts with a slow climb following the narrow local roads through even quieter mountain villages than Tsumago. There was hardly any movement – not surprising since it was early on Sunday morning. I had plenty of opportunity to stop and take in the scenery, or in this case, the roadside autumn flora.
The Nakasendo – Minshuku
A 2km walk from Tsumago takes me to my accommodation, a minshuku (or traditional inn) called Hanaya.
It’s an old inn that’s been in business for more than 150 years, with a few extensions. It’s run traditionally, with futons on tatami-floored rooms (that’s the woven matting), with a share bath made of hardwood, and serves breakfasts and wonderful dinners. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of my meals here, but I remember that the dinners were enormous, with sashimi entrees, followed by a noodle hotpot, and other things besides. And the hosts were wonderfully kind. We chatted in broken English/Japanese, and when I left we even exchanged presents (so Japanese).
Well, with such a wonderful place to rest and eat, no wonder their pet St Bernard was always sound asleep.
The Nakasendo – A Mountain Village
Tsumago is certainly well-preserved. Walking around that morning I saw all sorts of quaint things.
A water wheel.
Some traditional dolls at the former village mayor’s house.
And a straw horse inside what I suppose were the old stalls.
The Nakasendo – Tsumago
On the subject of forgotten highways, we’re going to Japan now for a slow journey down the Nakasendo. The Nakasendo is the old highway in the main island of Honshu, Japan. It stretches between the ancient capital Kyoto and, at the time, the newer centre of Edo (now modern-day Tokyo). I’m only walking a small 8km stretch between the two mountain towns of Tsumago and Magome. Both of them are located in the Kiso Valley, north of Nagoya, and both of them have an extensive collection of heritage buildings.
Tsumago is the better preserved. The fact that they’ve managed to bury all their overhead cables means that on the surface it hasn’t changed much in appearance since samurais walked the streets. You can see the mountains looming close by. In winter this place inevitably gets cut off from the outside world by many feet of snow.
The buildings are all made of hardwood and the streets still cobblestoned. All in all, in makes for a very quaint atmosphere, in a quiet, Japanese kind of way.
Mind you, it isn’t always this deserted. Because of it’s heritage status it’s really a tourist village and no one (except for a few inn-keepers) actually lives here anymore. I didn’t stay in the village but close by, and was able to come back early one morning before the tourist hordes arrived.
The Forgotten Highway – New Plymouth
It was very late in the day when I entered New Plymouth. I was so exhausted that I went straight to bed. I did make an effort to see the town the following morning. I walked the foreshore walkway alongside pebbly beaches. Just think that across that stretch of water is Australia.
That’s the end of my journey down the Forgotten Highway. Not quite forgotten, at least not by me.
The Forgotten Highway – Mt Taranaki
The unsealed road eventually ends where the rainforest meets pasture land, and circumnavigates the mountain. I take the road north into New Plymouth, but not before I make a little detour to get a closer look at the mountain. It sure is snow-covered, and only mountaineers attempt to climb to the top in August.
The Forgotten Highway – A Glimpse of the Mount
Over yet another saddle, and I got my first glimpse of Mt Taranaki, with its distinctive cone. Reminds you of another mountain, a famous one in Japan perhaps? Well you’re not the only one as the producers of The Last Samurai thought exactly the same thing and hence shot most of that distinctly Japanese film in the Taranaki region. I stopped for a late lunch at a hilltop cafe not far from this point, where Mr Cruise and family apparently helicoptered in for afternoon tea one day. Such Hollywood excess.
Static and Silence 