Japan Journal: Tusmago to Kiso-Fukushima via Nagiso

Walking the Kiso Road

Tuesday, 22 May 2018

Awoke to a lovely sunny day and a fine Japanese breakfast. We took a leisurely stroll through the town of Tsumago, before the arrival of travelers and just as shops were starting to open. The town has ben beautifully restored, as the photos show. We passed by a children's day exhibit (dolls for girls, funny sumo figures for boys. As this town uses a more ancient holiday calendar than modern Japan, boys' day is coming soon and fish kites were flying. Stopped for a drink and the local specialty, Gohei Mochi (toasted sticky rice on a popsicle stick with a sweet soy/walnut coating). Back to the inn to fetch our packs and said good bye to the very friendly owner, who told us this Ryokan had belonged to her parents.

Set off on the 2.3mile walk to the Nagiso train station, Through the woods, by ancient stone markers and shrines, small hamlets. Found some lunch in the sleepy town of Nagiso, and had about a 2hr wait for the train to Kiso-Fukushima. When we arrived, we were met by the van to take us about 10minutes into the hills to our very lovely, much bigger ryokan, Komanoyu. We have a large and comfortable room, and immediately changed into our yukata and headed for the hot baths(indoor and outsoor), which are communal in the Japanese manner and very inviting. (See the photo of a billboard which shows ladies in an outdoor bath.) . We had a fine dinner, enjoyed talking with a couple from Australia, and being toasted by some sloshed Japanese gentlemen who offered local sake to the entire dinner crowd. To bed early, on lovely but too hard futons.