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 Yukata...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. 

 

DAY 3

Ena to Nakatsugawa

Our view this morning at 7am...we thought it would be another cloudy day...

Not long after there was blue sky....it was so still...

Breakfast in the hotel dining room was interesting....such a variety of food ...always fun to try something new.

Our first stop after leaving the hotel was this 7 Eleven to buy some lunch to take with us on the trail....the food at these shops came highly recommended by Chris, Michelle and Jeremy. 

On our way out of town (Ena) we visited a supermarket too...oh my God ...so overwhelming..most of the time Pete and I had no idea what we were looking at. What interested me the most was the enormous variety of seafood that was sold.

The Agigawa River that runs through the town of Ena...

We crossed so many bridges today, this was my favourite, the paintings were all along the bridge...

I really enjoy seeing all the  gardens, they are usually so small but very attractive.

Follow the green line...the Nakasendo Way....it isn't always there...

Today's most beautiful flower...

Building a new Expressway....

We are now in the outer suburbs of Nakatsugawa....like those streets in Ena, the streets of Nakatsugawa also have open drains ....the water is always flowing down from the mountains....they are actually so clean.

Nakatsu-gawa River....

Nakatsugawa city....

Our accomodation for the night ...Nagataki Hotel...one of their little guest houses...

Again, another Japanese style room...

Pete preparing our afternoon green tea....

Before dinner Pete and I visited the onsen. It wasn't as flash as the one at our previous accomodation but it was still so relaxing. Our dinner was brought to our little house....we think there were 7 courses. Above in the little pots was a sensational soup ....chicken broth with fish and mushrooms. The meal was the tastiest we have had so far in Japan.

Every course was presented so beautifully.