Nakasendo

This is the symbol of Magome 馬籠, a watermill that used to grind flour but is now used to generate hydroelectricity for the town.

Magome 馬籠 transverses the Kiso Valley which straddles two prefectures with Magome in Gifu Prefecture and Tsumago 妻籠 the 42nd station in Nagano Prefecture.

Enjoying the best in this world, melt in your mouth, Hida beef Nigiri Sushi on a crispy prawn cracker.

This quaint soba shop is running business in this well preserved feudal era wooden and plaster building.Soba 蕎麦 is a traditional noodle made of buckwheat with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It is ashen brown in colour with a grainy texture and is served chilled with ice, with a dipping sauce or hot in a noodle soup. It is a tradition for the Japanese to eat Soba noodles on the eve of the New Year.

This is Tajimaya Ryokan 御宿但馬屋 where I stayed two nights. It has been open for more than 120 years in this well preserved building and they serve meals with Board.

This was the colourful Kaiseki 懐石 dinner which was served at Tajimaya Ryokan 御宿但馬屋. It is a multi course Japanese meal analogous to Western haute cuisine. They change their menu according to the fresh and seasonally available ingredients in the locale.

This is Masuya ますや a soba 蕎麦 restaurant across the street from my room in Tajimaya Ryokan 御宿但馬屋 that makes fresh soba and their most popular dish is Soba served with fresh Ena Chicken.

Love the wooden houses and architecture; and the careful conservation of the area which transports you centuries back to the time of Shoguns and Samurais who travelled on the Nakasendo 中山道 through Magome 馬籠 to Edo.

At the back of our Ryokan, this tranquil scene of recently planted padi fields greeted us.

The steep Main Street of Magome 馬籠 has been closed to cars since the early 1970s, and the buildings are now converted to inns, businesses, museums, souvenir shops and eateries.

Magome 馬籠 Soba shop has a Namako wall which is distinguished by this white grid pattern on black slate. This construction style had its origins during the latter half of the Edo Period 徳川時代 (1603-1868) and was used to protect the earthen external walls that were vulnerable to damage by fire and rain. The white clay joints are a few centimetres wide and rounded on top, resembling the “Namako” or sea cucumber hence the moniker.

I love how the Japanese embrace simplicity and nature. A recycled picture frame is artistically turned into an attractive floral display.

Interesting to see the items of the menu at Oumiya 近江屋 carved on this cypress boards. You can sample Mitarashi Dango みたらし団子 which are 3 or 5 round rice dumplings on skewers, covered in a sweet soy sauce glaze. They also serve Gohei Mochi, Soba 蕎麦 and Zenzai 前菜, a traditional sweet, hot dessert soup made with Azuki red beans with Mochi (rice cake) in it.

This was the post office in Magome 馬籠 which was an important post town along the ancient Nakasendo 中山道 road. There were 69 postal towns in all and they served as overnight stopping points for weary travellers, providing lodging, food and entertainment.

Many shops here sell local products and crafts ranging from ceramics to sake, and there are a few cafes, teahouses, Museums and a number of Soba noodle eateries in Magome 馬籠.

Magome 馬籠 is still a living and functioning post town. Each house is a real residence, conveying the look and feel of the area and the atmosphere evoking its lively 400 years history.

This cobbled street marks the main thoroughfare that winds uphill through the town of Magome 馬籠. Nakasendo 中山道 was one of Japan’s five major highways during the Edo Period that connected present day Tokyo to Kyoto. This network consisted of 69 post towns along the 540km route.

A beautiful Acer Palmatum commonly known as Japanese Maple or Momiji 紅葉 changing its hue gradually from a verdant green to red as the temperatures remain cool in Spring.

We chanced upon a little clearing along the road with wild daisies blooming profusely and caught a good view of the lush forested areas in the Kiso Valley below.

Another interesting building that is so welcoming to hungry guests who need to grab a bite. Nakaizutuya中井筒屋 serves Soba noodles with seasonal ingredients and Gohei Mochi 五平餅 which is made of a piece of glutinous rice flour stuck on a skewer and grilled over charcoal fire and dipped in a miso glaze. This delicacy originated a long time ago when people working in the mountains stuck rice cakes on pieces of wood and grilled them and ate them with miso when drinking sake.

A signboard that gives a description of the Nakasendo 中山道 and the history of Magome 馬籠 and her importance as a post town.

When you reach this junction you will see Keiseian 惠盛庵 a noodle shop where the Soba is hand milled by local grandmothers. Continue up slope and you will head north towards Tsumago-juku 妻籠宿 the 42nd post town along the Nakasendo 中山道.

An old wooden watch tower stands at the entrance of Magome 馬籠, which is a reproduction of the Tokugawa Shogunate notice board called Kousatsuba 高札場 which lays down the law and policies for the residents. There were prohibitions against Christianity and rewards for turning in practicing Christians. The death penalty was enforced for anyone cutting down any of the area’s Cypress (Hinoki) trees which were used in building the regime’s castles and Ise Jingu. Today, cypress timber is still used in rebuilding Ise Jingu every 20 years.

At the Lookout Point in Magome 馬籠 which is about 600m in elevation, where there are a few monuments and stone tablets which unfortunately does not have any English descriptions for the tourists benefit.

Mt Ena seen in the background rises 2190m and is the tallest mountain in the Central Japan Alps.

A panoramic view of the surrounding Central Japan Alps, Kiso Valley and Magome may be enjoyed here, just above the main parking lot at Magome’s 馬籠 upper end.

The Nakasendo 中山道 was formalised by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1602 and it was a stopping place for travelling merchants and a route frequented by the various western Daimyo, subordinates of the Shogun who had to report to the court in Edo.

The historic Nakasendo 中山道 trail is known for its lush green forests, crystal clear streams, remote rural villages and farms which have remained untouched by modernity. If you enjoy treks, then this is for you!