Traveling the Kiso Road
During the Edo period ( 1600-1868), Japan was closed to the rest of the world. Only a few Dutch or Chinese trading vessels were allowed into Dejima, off Nagasaki. This all changed when Admiral Matthew Perry arrived in Edo bay in 1854 with demands that Japan open its ports to trade.
Magome Village along the Nakasendo Road (Kiso Road)
The story of how Japan reacted and how a revolution took place in the country is the subject of a long epic novel , Before the Dawn, by Shimazaki Toson. It tells the story through the eyes of an innkeeper along the old Nakasendo road.
Shimazaki Toson (1872~1943)
During the Edo period, the shogun in Edo kept the feudal lords in control by a system of “alternate attendance” 参勤交代 under which the lords were forced to maintain a residence in the Edo capital and spend every other year there. When they traveled back to their domains, they had to leave their wives and families in the capital as virtual hostages.
One of the main roads they traveled on was the Nakasendo which runs through Nagano and Gifu prefectures, near the Japanese Alps. There were a series of inns built along the way to provide lodging for the lords and their retainers, as well as porters and horses to carry them to the next village, where fresh horses were provided.
Shimazaki Toson’s father was the last headman at Magome Inn. He witnessed the sweeping change and saw the end of the feudal system. This is the theme of the book which I struggled to read in Japanese for about 15 years! This year I discovered it has been translated into English.
Hiroo had always promised to take me to Kiso when I finished reading the book. Well, I’m not quite finished, but this September, we were able to make the trip. This is the farthest north I’ve ever been in Japan.
It was a bit cloudy but there were many hikers on the trail. I envy them. We met one couple about our age from Seattle at the top of Magome Pass. I was surprised to see people from so many different countries visiting there.
Keiko and Mervin from Seattle near ShinChaya, Magome Toge
Tajimaya
We stayed in a very old inn, Tajimaya. The owner, Mr. Hara, said he was the 8th generation of the family and third generation as a guesthouse. Most of the other guests were from other countries.
Hara-san entertained us during dinner by singing an old folk song called “Kiso Bushi.”
We visited the grave of Shimazaki and his father, the model for Hanzo in the book.
We ate gohei mochi, a local treat made from sticky rice with a sweet miso sauce. And we ate soba noodles at an old restaurant along the quaint street in the center of the town.
Someday, I vow to come back here and hike over the pass to the next town of Tsumago. It is a beautiful area to walk in. And there is a whole string of small villages which were the original stations along the road.
On this trip, we made several stops in other places on the way. Even though we are getting older, we enjoy driving as we can stop wherever we feel like. This trip we started at Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture. It is one of the oldest castles, one of only 12 that have the original castle keep. Built in 1603 by Ii Naokatsu, it is designated as a National Treasure.
Castle Keep at Hikone Castle
The next day we drove to Gokayama (五箇山）in Toyama Prefecture. Along with nearby Shirakawa-go, this is a UNESCO World Heritage site . The unusual construction of the roofs were to prevent them from collapsing under the heavy snowfall.
Gassho design House, Gokayama
Newlyweds from Jerusalem
We met a woman who has lived there all her life. She said about 16 people live there year-round. Here again we saw many tourists from around the world and talked to Olga and Tomer from Jerusalem who were on their honeymoon and hiking around Japan.
From here we visited my favorite place of the trip, Nihon Kai Shokudo.（日本海食堂） It is a really retro place, a roadside cafe opened in 1965. I met the owner, Shizuko and her son, Shigeru Taneguchi. Like me, he loves the Showa era. He has collected tons of memorabilia from flea markets and auctions over the last 20 years. I had written to them before going and they were waiting for us. It was late in the day and a light rain was falling when we arrived。
With Taniguchi Shigeru At Nihon Kai Shokudo
I’m glad we made it as they were eagerly awaiting our arrival. We looked around, had coffee and sweets and felt so at home talking with them about how the restaurant came into being and why he’d started collecting.
“It doesn’t feel like we just met today.” said Shigeru. We felt like old friends. He offered to show us around the area but since we were tired, he took us to one “michi-no-eki” shop and then he guided us to our hotel.
In front of the hotel, I got out to thank him and he said, “Wait a minute!” Then he went to his car and got something and handed it to me. It was a retro set of kids blocks and an antique “oki-kusuri” medicine case.
Antique “Oki-Kusuri” Medicine Chest
Toyama is famous for manufacturing medicine. It seems Shigeru’s father was a traveling salesman for this medicine when he stopped in a “drive-in” restaurant in Hiroshima. He liked it so well that he came back to Toyama and opened this cafe.
We also visited Takayama and saw the Showa Museum there. (高山昭和館）But meeting the Taniguchi’s and hearing about their lives was the high point of my trip and something I will always remember.
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