DAY 4

Nakatsugawa to Tsumago

Breakfast...brought to our house....looked fabulous

And tasted fabulous....we ate it all...

In a corner of our house....

In the hotel garden...

Saying goodbye to Masaya, the owner and chef of the Hotel. 

Back on the trail...bamboo in the city too...

These red gate shrines are called Torii. They are one of the most recognisable symbols of Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion.

Chestnut shells...under a Chestnut tree next to the gates....

After leaving Nakatsugawa we walked through local villages and past small sections of farmland and forest with some great views over Nakatsugawa...

So much water on this trail...we ran into a group of teenage school children and their English teacher kindly offered to take our photo. 

the bamboo forests are quite amazing...

A beautiful temple on the trail...

....more stone pavement....

A lovely pond in one of the villages....

Climbing higher ....great views..

Arrived in Magome Juku (Juku means post town)...old houses, shops and restaurants are on both sides of the street...it is one of the most popular places on the Nakasendo Way.

Raw Travel, the company that organised our trip recommended this coffee shop in Magome...Hillbilly Coffee...

Sooooo nice...

This old watermill is the symbol of Magome Juku...

Between Magome and Tsumago we walked through three villages but most of this section of the  trail is in forest, with cypress, cedar, bamboo and maple trees...

As we climbed down we saw more waterfalls...this was the most impressive...

This was probably the tallest bamboo that we have seen...

Today's destination...Tsumago...the beautiful Araragi River runs through the town.

Tonight's Yakata...I really like the fabric...our room is perfect...in this small Inn.

Dinner in the dining room ...(we didn't have any lunch) Can you see the bugs? We ate them, quite nice they were.