【Travel Report (First Half)】Gifu-Nakasendo Walking Experience-Conquering the 13.7km 133km Thirteen Passes with a margin?

At the beginning of November last year, I received a tour from Gifu Prefecture and visited the Higashi-Mino area. The goal is to walk along the Nakasendo Road, one of the five highways, and see what you encounter and feel along the way. In the first half, we crossed the 13 Passes, which are considered to be difficult places, and went from "Oijuku" to "Oijuku". In the second half, we will move from "Nakatsugawa-juku" that straddles Gifu and Nagano to "Tsumago-juku". Consider it during the spring holiday season.

Gokaido and Nakasendo

During the Sengoku period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was given Kanpachi Province by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, developed the five roads (Nakasendo, Tokaido, Nikko Kaido, Oshu Kaido, and Koshu Highway) to connect Edo and the whole country. The Five Highways were established before the Edo shogunate was established in 1603. After that, it was maintained by the Tokugawa family. The Nakasendo is a historical route that connects Edo and Kyoto via the interior and stretches for about 530 km. It is connected to the present-day Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu, Shiga, and Kyoto prefectures.

When it comes to traveling to the Five Highways, it is usually a pinpoint visit to the famous post towns. However, on this trip, I just walked along the "Nakasendo Road". It's not about shopping in a post town or relaxing in a café. The post town is just a passing point. The distance of the course to walk today is about 13.7 km. It's been a long time since I've been away from gym work and running in my neighborhood, so I don't remember walking this distance recently, but is it okay?

This trip was scheduled for 2 days and 1 night, and the plan was to walk the "Nakasendo Road" on both days. On the first day, we walked from "Ōyu-juku" (Mizunami City) to "Oi-juku" (Ena City), and on the second day, we walked and drove together, stopping at "Ochiai Camp" and "Mago-juku" (both in Nakatsugawa City) from "Nakatsugawa-juku" before heading to our final destination, "Tsumago-juku" (Nangiso Town, Nagano Prefecture).

The first day of the Nakasendo Walk

Early in the morning on a weekday in early November, I headed from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station. I took the limited express "Shinano" and then transferred to each station stop, arriving at "JR Mizunami Station" before 10 o'clock. At the station, I met up with people from Gifu Prefecture and Mizunami City, and drove to the starting point, "Ōyujuku". It takes about 20 minutes to get over the mountains and arrive at "Ōyujuku".

This time, I used my own car, but as an access from "JR Mizunami Station" to "Oyujuku", if it is a weekday, Mizunami City Demand Transportation " Iko Car is available year-round. In addition, in mid-September ~ mid-November last year, demand transportation for holidays " Mukhao - Car " was operating. The service is scheduled to go live in the fall of 2024.

In addition, if you take a taxi from "JR Mizunami Station", you can access "Oyujuku" for about 4,000 yen (advance reservation required). Also, if you are from "JR Kamado Station" next to "JR Mizunami Station", you can reach "Oyujuku" in about 40 minutes on foot.

"Ōyujuku" is not a bustling place as a tourist destination, but the quietness enhances the feeling of being suitable for a trip to "Nakasendo". This inn is located in the direction of Nakatsugawa City on the east side, which is the direction of today's travel, and the "Biwa Pass" on the west side of the rear that leads toward Gifu City.

Before starting to walk along the Nakasendo Road, we visited the former Morikawa Kunyukiya Residence (commonly known as Marumori), which is located in the center of Ōyujuku and is also designated as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan. This place is used as a tourist information center where you can gather information about your trip and take a break. In addition, if there are local residents, you can interact with them, so it is a valuable place for travelers. Travelers who visit "Ōyujuku" are sure to stop by.

Finally, we headed to the starting point of the "Nakasendo Road". We are going to the "Thirteen Passes". As the name suggests, there are 13 ascents and descents. However, there is also talk that there are "7 extras", and in fact there are 20 slopes. When I was walking on the pass, I didn't have time to check the exact number of slopes, so I didn't know the actual number of slopes.

Start of "Thirteen Passes"

Now, let's start the 13.7km course through the "Juzo Pass" and aim for "Oijuku". The road was steep from the start, and I was told that this was the steepest slope on the course today, but I had just started walking, and the speed naturally increased and I went fast.

From here, I would like you to experience the atmosphere of the "Nakasendo Walking" from "Oijuku" to "Oijuku" through a series of 27 photos. I would be happy if you thought it would be fun or that you would like to go there. For detailed information on the route and stone statues, please visit the official website " Nakasendo Walking Guide is detailed.

Walk for a while in the city of Ena City and head to "Ena Station". Perhaps because I had been walking on the "Thirteen Passes" of nature all day, I felt that my feet were fluffy when I walked on the asphalt of the main road. This feeling may be due to a change in the surrounding landscape, or it may be because you are approaching the limit of your physical strength.

After walking for a while, it seems that you have entered the townscape of "Oijuku". Before entering Oi-juku, I had imagined tourist spots that maintained the atmosphere of the Edo period, such as "Mago-juku" and "Tsumago-juku". However, "Oijuku" is a place where the scent of the Showa era remains strong. The route I walked on the day was only part of "Oijuku", but I personally like this kind of townscape.

Before heading to Ena Station in Galle, there is a Gohei mochi specialty store near the station. Amakara Main Store Ena Store I would like to stop by. Gohei mochi is a specialty of inland Japan, especially in the Shinshu and Mino regions.

A long time ago, when I participated in a bus tour of a major travel company in Nagano Prefecture and ate "Gohei Mochi", due to poor operation management, when I arrived at the site, "Gohei Mochi" was already cold and hard, and it was not in a state to be eaten deliciously. After that experience, I didn't think to eat it when I visited a place where "Gohei Mochi" was located. A bad travel experience can affect subsequent trips.

This time, when I ate Gohei mochi at this restaurant, I even thought that I was losing money in my life. Just one impression on a past trip can affect the decisions you make on subsequent trips and, exaggeratedly, in life. It's such a waste. While eating the delicious Gohei mochi, I was thinking about such an exaggerated thing.

After that, I arrived at "Ena Station" around 5:30 p.m., ran errands at a souvenir shop (see below), and headed to "Nakatsugawa Station" where today's inn is located. His body was still fine. Needless to say, the banquet that night was lively, and the fact that I was able to get a very good night's sleep was probably an effect of the "Nakasendo Walking".

Conquer the Thirteen Passes with a margin?

This time, walking beginners "walked", "walked", and "walked" the 13th Pass, all of which apply, but the most correct feeling is "I was able to walk with plenty of time". During the 13.7km route, I was able to see the rich nature and local life scenery even in the forest and in the open area, and I did not get bored and felt many times that I wished that this road had continued for a little longer. This time, I introduced the scenery with a series of photos, but I can't fully convey its charm. I want you to actually walk around the site and experience it.

There are other reasons why I was able to walk comfortably. Today, we walked in groups of 6 people in total. For the first hour, everyone in the group walked while keeping a close distance. As time passed, they gradually split into the first group and the second and third groups. Then, the lead group waits for the rear group at a landmark along the highway, and catches up and separates repeatedly. Each time, each group may be replaced by themselves.

It is often said that the lead group should "go ahead quickly", but as a team action aiming for the goal in time, the lead group leaves the slower group behind, so the back group is pulled and the finish line is finally achieved in time.

When I'm walking, I talk about landmarks, but most of the time when I'm walking through the mountains, I'm not talking about the "Nakasendo Trail," but about the recent bear infestation, Ohtani, my school days, and any other random thoughts. At the end of the list, he even talked about incomprehensible things, such as connecting a teahouse, tea, and a trip to India, and saying that if an Indian chai shop opened in the "teahouse ruins", it would become a hot topic.

It was the first time that the group we walked together had known a few people through work, and we were all together, but there was an atmosphere where even the most inconsequential conversations were acceptable in the scenery of Nakasendo Road.

"Nakasendo Walking" is good for walking with a private team, but it is also good to walk with people related to work, such as within the company and business partners. You don't need to be as considerate of your boss and business partners as you do when you play golf. Winning or losing, just walking together makes you friends, and incidentally, the night party becomes fun. For companies, it seems that it will bring more fruitful results than holding motivational workshops that cost tens of thousands of yen per person in the new year.

【Travel Report (Second Half)】Gifu / Nakasendo Walking Experience (Nakatsugawa-juku ~ Tsumago-juku) -Special experience with the color of the rain ( To the article ）

Interview cooperation: Gifu Prefecture Higashi-Mino Historical Highway Council