江戸と京をつないだ中山道の長さは約534km。現在はその江戸時代からの面影が一番残っているのは馬籠と妻籠の間の8㎞の部分。従って、中山道を歩いてみたい方の中で、この部分は人気がある。

先日は我が家族がその８ｋｍを歩いてみました。標高６００ｍの馬籠から８０１ｍ馬籠峠を越えて、420ｍ妻籠まで。ガイドの本によると、途中で滝、森林、畑がある。

後は未知。

未知の道。

江戸時代からの道を通ると言ったら、色々と想像しました。来の裏に忍者が隠れているかとか。

未知の世界、想像の世界だからこそ楽しみは倍ぐらい。

実際歩いてみたら、第一印象は想像付かなかった事: 車の排気ガス。ガイドの本や観光のパンフに馬籠と妻籠の間の中山道の一部が県道7号の側、一部は県道実態に歩くって事があまり書いていなくて、その事実に少しがっかりでした。まあ、大半は車やバスの音が聞こえない森林の中や宿場の集落、畑を歩きましたから結果的に良かったです。

県道じゃない部分は想像通り、と言うか、想像より良かった。
馬籠峠の手前の集落の神社で地元の秋祭りだったので、祭り興奮の子供達がいたり、
畑で働いていたおばさんが声をかけて、お茶に誘ってくれたり、
峠を越えてしばらく歩いたら親切なおじさんのいるお茶屋で焼印付きの杖を買ったり、
花が咲いている蕎麦畑、
森林や滝の幻い自然、
妻籠に近づいたらイワナを育っている池があったり、

とにかく日本の地方の昔からの雰囲気、生活、自然、人などの良さ、そのまま。

最高に良い思い出になりました。

馬籠から妻籠の中山道。4歳の美咲ちゃんペースで3時間でした。

The Nakasendo is one of the 2 old roads that connected feudal Kyoto with Edo (the old name for Tokyo). Along its entire 534km length, the part that best retains the old Edo-era ambience is the 8km stretch between Magome post town in Gifu Prefecture and Tsumago post town in Nagano Prefecture. It is a popular hike for people interested in walking the Nakasendo trail, and the quintessential hike for visitors from overseas hoping to catch a glimpse of 'old Japan'.

The other day, our family took a trip and walked this section of the old Nakasendo. The guide books tell you to start at Magome (elevation 600m), cross the Magome Pass (801m) and descend to Tsumago (420m) and that you walk through a forest and pass waterfalls and fields along the way.

What they guide books and tourist brochures don't mention is that for a fair amount of the way, you'll also be sucking in car exhaust. It turns out a fair amount of the way is adjacent to, or actually on, County Road No. 7. Not that I expected to see a samurai trotting along or a ninja hidden on the side, but nor did I anticipate dodging a tour bus. Hence a not-so-impressive first impression.

On the other hand, the tour books also neglected to mention a handful of other areas, things that went way beyond my expectations:

*In between Magome post town and the pass, there is a quaint little hamlet. We passed through just as the local shrine's fall festival was finishing -- the young participants were literally bouncing down the road in excitement from the festival.
*A little old lady working in a field we went by on the way to the pass called out and invited us to tea.
*After crossing the pass, the path becomes considerably more woodsy and serene before coming to a single, old wooden building that serves as a teahouse to travellers, just as it did hundreds of years ago. The convivial old man running the place made us feel at home. We bought walking sticks there that he marked with a hot brand for us.
*Just below the teahouse was a soba (buckwheat) field -- in full bloom! The white blossoms contrasted so beautifully with the green trees in the background.
*As the path approaches Tsumago, it passes fish ponds where the locals raise iwana (char), as has been done for generations providing an important source of protein to the people in this area so deep in the mountains and far from the ocean.

Walking the Nakasendo from Magome to Tsumago was a magical trip back in time and a glimpse of the idyllic Japanese countryside.

The 8km walk took 3 hours at 4-year old Misaki's pace.

長野県の代表のトレッキング、中山道を歩いて妻籠宿へ。

遅れた夏休みで家族で体験してきました!

京と江戸をつなぐ中山道。別名は木曽路。馬籠峠を越えて、木曽河野谷に入って最初に着く宿場が妻籠です。この峠を渡る馬籠宿から妻籠宿の間の8㎞を家族で歩きました。車を馬籠に止めて、荷物を種ってトレッキングをした。思い出の家族旅だったので、皆様にその魅力をお伝えしたい。

まずはスタート点:馬籠塾

馬籠塾は全体的にものすごく努力をかけて、江戸時代からの雰囲気を保存しています。電信柱と線は裏に持って行かれて表に邪魔しないようになっています。（羨ましい!上山田温泉は電線だらけ!）道はアスファルトじゃなくて石畳みになっています。建物は侍や江戸時代が大好きなこの欧米人がよだれが出そうになるぐらいに、格好よく整備されています。

喫茶店やせんべい屋さん、お土産屋さん等でにぎやかな通りです。坂道を登りながら、水車や見学できる本陣、色々と楽しめるスポットがあります。上まで登れば恵那山も眺める展望台となります。

最初に行った日は連休のお蔭で観光客がたっぷりいました。人がいないときの街並みを見たいなら、朝早くか晩遅くか、もしくは私達みたいに次の日、台風の中で行くしかないです。

妻籠宿への道のスタート:馬籠塾。格好よくて感動しました。

Trekking along the old Nakasendo Road to Tsumago post town is one of Nagano's most classic walks.

For our family's (belated) summer family vacation, we drove down to the Kiso Valley and did the Nakasendo hike. We parked the car in Magome and hiked the 8km over Magome Pass to Tsumago. I'd like to share our experiences in case any of you in the blogosphere would like to do the same.

First, the start: Magome.

The people of Magome take deep pride in their Edo-era post town, and have put in a tremendous amount of effort to preserve the original buildings and overall ambience.

Look up, and you won't see any pesky telephone wires (all the telephone poles have been moved to the back side of the buildings; I am so jealous -- Kamiyamada sky is a web of ugly wires!).

Look down, and you'll see cobblestones instead of asphalt pavement.

Look all around, and you'll be treated to see authentic wooden facades of Edo-era buildings, and to hear water running down the 'mizo' on the sides of the street. Waterwheels, shops selling fresh-toasted senbei crackers, tea shops, souvenir stores selling locally made handicrafts, all make for a pleasant stroll. The 'Honjin' and 'Waki-Honjin' (main and secondary inns) are open to explore as museums where you can see how people lived back in the Edo era.

Magome-juku's authenticism makes it a popular tourist stop. So if you don't want hordes of fellow tourists crowding your photos, it's best to go in the early morning or late afternoon. Or, like we did, in the middle of a typhoon!

The walk to Tsumago starts at Magome-juku, the essence of cool Japan!

馬籠宿の詳しくはここ Click here for more on Magome-juku.