Magome Juku

After visiting Nezame no Toko, we visited Magome Juku. 

Magome Juku is a post town on the old Nakasendo Highway.During the Edo period, there were two roads which connected Kyoto and Edo (now known as Tokyo). One was the Tokaido highway, which passed by the coastline while the other Nakasendo highway passed through the mountains. The most scenic stretch of the 500 km long Nakasendo highway is the Kiso Valley which lies between the Gifu and Nagano prefectures. This stretch was the ancient Kisoji trade route amalgamated with the other routes to form the Nakasendo highway in the Edo period. The road leads along the Kiso river through mountains densely forested with Japanese cypress trees. 

During the shogunate, travellers were subject to several restrictions and as such most journeys were performed by foot. As such travellers needed to rest at frequent intervals and this led to the development of post towns (Juku) along the highway. Weary travellers could find a place to rest, overnight accommodation and food at these post towns. Few post towns in the Kiso Valley, Magome, Tsumago and Narai have been preserved to look as they did during the Edo period.   

 Magome town is one such post town which retains its Edo period look. The stone paths , the wooden buildings, the rice fields, the inns and an old water mill all remind visitors of the bygone era. 

A broad stone walking path passes downhill through the centre of Magome.

Magome was the 43rd of the 69 post towns on the Nakasendo highway. The uniquity of Magome among other post towns was that it was located on very steep terrain. Actually the name Magome written in Kanji (Chinese characters) means Horse and Basket, and is said to have been derived from the fact that travellers had to leave their horses at the inns since the road was too steep for the horses to climb !

All buildings conserve their Edo period exterior. Telephone cords and electricity poles and wire are all hidden. 

Magome town was destroyed by fire twice in 1895 and 1915 but the buildings have been retained. 

Some buildings have been converted into museums.

Some of the buildings are inns.

Plenty of buildings have been converted into shops selling local produce and craft.

Even today a 8km walking trail, Magome-Tsumago Trail connects the two post towns of Magome and Tsumago. Stretches of the trail are said to be arduous. It is interesting to note that while Magome is in Gifu Prefecture, Tsumago is located in the neighbouring Nagano prefecture.

Address: Gifu Prefecture 508-0502, Nakatsugawa, Magome  

Phone: 0573-69-2336

Entrance: Free; Museum entrance fees differ.

Nearest Railway station: Nakatsugawa station on the JR Chuo Line. 

Nezame no Toko

Nagano prefecture in the Tokai region is another prefecture which has a lot of interesting places worth visiting. From the historical Matsumoto castle, the snow monkeys of Jigokudani, the picturesque Kiso valley to the ski resorts of the Japanese Alps - Nagano has everything. Located in the centre of Japan, it is nicknamed the Roof of Japan since the Japanese Alps surround the prefecture on all 4 sides. The Winter Olympics and Paralympics of 1998 were hosted in Nagano prefecture. No wonder the ski resorts of Hakuba, Nozawa and Shiga Kogen attract winter sports enthusiasts every year. 

Kiso valley is a picturesque valley in Nagano prefecture along the Kiso river and is at the border of Gifu prefecture to the south west. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful valleys in Japan. The 3067 meter high Mt Ontake san is considered to be a holy mountain and many worshippers climb it every year. The old Kisoji trade route was developed along the valley and was an important part of the Nakasendo highway during the Edo period.

We visited the Nezame no toko gorge in the Kiso valley in summer. Nagano prefecture has a pleasant climate even in summer and also has a low humidity, making it a popular place to visit in summer. 

Nezame no toko is a gorge created by the Kiso river cutting through Granite rocks to create fascinating rock formations against the backdrop of emerald green water. 

Nezame no toko literally translates to "Wake Up Bed". Legend goes that Urashima Taro, Japan's Rip Van Winkle awoke from his 300 years of sleep at this spot. 

In Autumn, the fall colors add to the beauty of the scenery. 

A walk through the Bijutsu Park leads to the Nezame no Toko. This is also the perfect place for a picnic with a scenic view. 

Occasionally one can also see the JR Chuo Line train passing close by. 

Address : Nagano Prefecture 399-5600, Kiso gun, Agematsu machi, Nezame no Toko

Phone: 0264-52-200

Parking: Car Parking available near the entrance to Bijutsu Park.

Nearest Railway Station: Kiso-Fukushima station on JR CHUO LINE

Entrance fees: Free

Visiting Gujo and Hachiman castle

After visiting Otaki cave, we visited Gujo town. 

Gujo is a small town located in Gifu prefecture and the town is best known for its GUJO ODORI MATSURI, which is a dance festival. The festival dates back to the 16th century and the festival is spread over 31 nights during the summer. The festival begins in mid July and ends in early September. During the O-bon festival in August, on 4 nights between August 13th to 16th, the dancing continues through the night. 

A stage is erected and musicians play live folk music from the stage and dancers dance around the stage. There is no distinction between performers and the cast and anyone can participate in this free dancing event. The Gujo Odori comprises of 10 kinds of dances.Apart from the dancing, an "Ohayashi"  narrates musical story telling and is accompanied by a soloist and musicians playing the traditional musical instruments -Taiko, Shamisen and Shakuhachi.  

The festival attracts lots of visitors from all over Japan and has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. 

Gujo Town also has a small mountain castle, GUJO HACHIMAN CASTLE, located atop the Hachiman Mountain overlooking the town. 

The castle was built in the 16th century but the current castle was constructed in 1933 and is larger than the original structure was.

Exhibits from the past including armour and weapons are on display inside the castle. The view of the surrounding area from the castle is scenic. 

Gujo town is also the leading producer of food replicas in Japan. Most restaurants and food joints in Japan have realistic replicas of the food on display so that customers can have a fair idea of what to order. Most of these replicas are made in Gujo Town. 2 of the major producers Sample Village Iwasaki and Sample Kobo have their workshop cum shops in the centre of town and visitors can try their hand at making these replicas or buying miniature souvenirs. 

Fridge magnets resembling sushi, icecreams, ramen are all popular buys. Sample Village Iwasaki is close to the Gujo station whereas Sample Kobo is close to the Tourist Information centre in the town centre.

Gujo Town also has an impressive method of maintaining clean waterways to ensure townspeople have access to pure and clean water. 

The pristine waterways are used to clean laundry, wash vegetables and rice and also dishes and at the same time, have clean pristine water flowing at all time. 

The townspeople work in cooperation to maintain clean canals and as such the waterways are clean. People from surrounding areas come her to relax along the waterways in the hot summer and also for fishing. The fact that three rivers the Yoshida, the Nagara and the Kodara meet in the Gujo Hachiman valley and ensure that water supply to the town's canals is continuous. 

There are walking trails past these canals and waterways, where visitors can get a feel of what the town is so proud of ! 

One of the canals is even full of Carps and it is a delight to walk past. The town manhole cover seems to be inspired by this. 

The drive from Nagoya to Gujo Hachiman is picturesque and makes for a pleasant drive. 

Town Website : http://www.gujokankou.com/en/

Otaki caves

Before moving to Nagoya, we had not explored much of Chubu, the central region of Japan comprising the 10 prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, Mie,Nagano, Shizuoka, Ishikawa Toyama, Fukui, Yamanashi and Niigata. The region lies between Kanto (to the west) and Kansai (to the east). The region is further divided into 3 sub regions- Tokai, Hokuriku and Koshinetsu. Spreading over a wide part of Japan's main Honshu island, the Chubu region has a lot of natural scenic beauty and attracts a lot of visitors. This region also has a lot of history and culture which are unique to the region and can be an enriching experience for the tourist.

Gifu prefecture which neighbours Aichi prefecture where Nagoya is located is one such prefecture which has a lot for the tourist to explore. Since the Edo period, Gifu had occupied a place of prime importance since it connected Western Japan to Eastern Japan through the Nakanosendo route. Moreover, Gifu prefecture was considered the centre of sword making in Japan and the best swords were supposed to be produced in the prefecture's Seki town. 

Gifu prefecture is known for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go and the old preserved town of Takayama, the scenic Kiso valley and also for the unique cormorant fishing tradition among many other things. We began exploring Gifu prefecture with a day trip to Gujo.

Before visiting Gujo town, we decided to visit the Otaki cave which is a short distance away from Gujo town. The cave is known locally as Otaki Shunyudo.

Otaki cave is one of the largest limestone caves in the Tokai region and was formed over millions of years. The caves are about 2kms long of which only 700 meters is open to the public. A walking trail inside the cave takes visitors past waterfalls and stalactites. 

At 30 mtrs tall, the underground waterfall known as Otaki, after which the cave takes its name is the tallest underground waterfalls in Japan. 

It takes about 30 minutes at most to explore the cave.

Some unusual formations of stalactites have been given names which mean Decorated Cake and Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

Even in summer the temperature inside the cave is cool and refreshing. The caves have an all year round temperature of 14 deg C. 

The caves are uphill and a 'railway' carries visitors to the entrance of the cave. Visitors have to walk downhill after exploring the cave. Public transportation is available only up to Gujo town. Private vehicles or taxis are the only mode of transportation up to the cave.

The caves are a nice place to visit but do not match up to the experience of visiting the Abukuma cave and Irimizu cave in Fukushima Prefecture.

Address: Akuda 2298, Hachiman cho, Gujo, Gifu Prefecture

Phone: 0575-67-1331. 

Admission: 1000 yen (Adults) 800 yen (Junior High and High School students)
                   500 yen (Elementary school and above). 

Open: 8:30 to 17:00 

Closed : December 26th to January 31st. 

Parking: Available 

Beckoned by the cat : A Visit to Tokoname

One of the many things that have contributed to the development of Nagoya over the centuries is pottery. Ever since the establishment of Nagoya as the seat of the Owari clan of the Tokugawa shogunate, the area around it started developing and the presence of pottery towns in the surrounding towns of Tokoname, Seto and Tajimi contributed to this. 

In fact, two of the "Six Old Kins", the original kilns with improvised glazing technology, are in Tokoname and Seto. 

Tokoname is a city near Nagoya which is best known for 3 things : The Chubu Centrair International Airport( Nagoya airport), the American store Costco and the local Pottery. 

We visited Tokoname's pottery town on a Saturday in summer. Tokoname has been associated with production of ceramic ware since the Heian period and over the centuries the town flourished due to its high quality products. Remains of the ceramics from Tokoname have been excavated in various parts of Japan right from the northern Tohoku region to Kyushu in the south which proves its popularity. The ceramic ware of Tokoname is known as "Tokoname-yaki". Even today ceramic ware is the mainstay of the town's economy. 

The symbol of the town is the giant "Maneki Neko" , the beckoning cat. 

The Maneki neko measuring 3.8 meters is called Tokonyan and can be reached through one of the walking trails of the Pottery Foothpath. 

Visitors can walk along the Course A (1.6 kms) and Course B (4kms) past the many pottery workshops, brick kilns and little stores selling pottery which also introduce visitors to the town's history. 

Clay Pipe Hill  is a little hill , the sides of which are supported by Clay pipes from the Meiji period and Clay Shochu pots from the Showa period.

Baking stands have been embedded in the ground.

The Takita Family Home belonged to the Takita Family which ran a Shipping Dealer business from the Edo period to the Meiji period. It has been restored and designated Tangible Cultural Property.

The  Climbing Kiln Square  is one of the many sights that one passes by on the walking course. 

Many old kilns can be seen around the area. 

On the Course B  visitors pass by the INAX Ceramic Museums and Workshop and the Tokoname Folk Museum.

The Tokoname Post office has this cute ceramic sculpture of the mailman.  

The Tokoname Maneki Neko street is where these cute cat sculptures made by the locals adorn the wall. 

Even the Play area has a pottery theme.

Some cute sculptures that we passed by on our walk. 

Address : Aichi Prefecture 479-0839, Tokoname, Koie-hommachi 5-168-2

                (Tokoname Tourist Information Centre)

Phone: 0569-89-6561

Map: http://www.tokoname-kankou.net/link/pdf/map-e-1.pdf