Page 2 Japan

See The World

with BILL'S EYES

Day 2 of the Nakesendo Trail Adventure and an early wakeup is required as a shower and breakfast awaits. Lee and I are surprisingly spritely despite our exertions of the day before, although that may change once we put our backpacks on.

I am happy to have a shower first in the mornings, so I made my way down the steps to a bathroom that is shared with the other guests, but, as you know, we were the only guests, so it is ours for as long as we want. This is my first experience with a Japanese bathroom, so I have read a little about what to expect, but the reality is always a little different, as are the bathrooms in every Inn we visit.

What strikes me most is that as I enter the bathroom, there is a small area devoted to hand washing, and storing your removed clothes. A heavy glass door is swung open to reveal what I will call a wet area which is larger than a typical shower enclave. The wet area has a tiled low-level shelf at about half calf height on one wall, and fully tiled floor and walls, and a drain is located, not central, but to one side of the floor near the tiled shelf. Within the wet area, I immediately set eyes on what is a complex (at first) array of taps, faucets, and handheld shower rose located at less than knee height on the wall same wall as the low-level shelf, a large mirror behind the array of plumbing and a small stool perched on the shelf. Then I see a large bath set into an alcove adjacent to the wet area, full of steaming water.

Well, the stool has a small seat area that is very low to the floor, and I wonder whether my behind will be properly supported and also whether I can squat down and up in potentially slippery conditions. My fitness training makes the last requirement a breeze, my butt however is larger than most Japanese butts, so there is a ‘small butt overlap'. The idea of the stool is to sit facing the mirror, apply water and hair shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and rinse furiously until all the residue of the applied gels has been thoroughly removed from your whole body. Having duly done so, I am properly prepared to enter the steaming hot bath. Keep in mind that the bath is only filled once and is a communal bath. Hence the need not only to be clean when entering the bath, but also to have no residue of washing gels on your body. I relax in the bath and contemplate what we have achieved and what lies ahead, and the time passes all too quickly.

I am ready for the day, and Lee is still awakening from her well earned sleep, so I take the opportunity to leave the Inn, venture up and down the single main street, and take lots of photographs in the morning light without those pesky tourists getting in the frame.

The Inn owner has been up since about 6 am preparing our breakfast. When we carefully climbed down the steep steps, a very impressive-looking tray of vegetables and fish and the obligatory Miso soup awaited us in the dining room we used the evening before. We know we need to get fuelled up, but we also know that our walking today will be over a much shorter route than we accomplished the first day. The meal is a typical Japanese breakfast, and I wonder whether there is enough fuel to support our trek today, but that concern is prompted more by the lack of coffee, bread, baked beans, egg and pancakes with all the bad fats and disguised proteins.

We bid our host goodbye in the best Japanese we can using the translator device and gave him a calico shopping bag with Kangaroo and Koala motifs as a gift. He looks a bit perplexed until we explain that he can use the bag when he goes shopping. The photo from the last post illustrates this gracious host's very friendly nature.

It is still early in the morning, and the locals outnumber the tourists, so Lee takes this opportunity to photograph this lovely out-of-the-way village.

Our backpacks seem lighter than yesterday, but it is still early in the day, and we are refreshed from our stay at the Inn. We first visit a museum of sorts, since it merely consists of a large open room filled with small figurines of Edo period characters. I learned subsequently that the average height of a Samurai warrior during the Edo period was 5 feet 1 inch (155 cm), so the small stature depicted by the figurines is accurate. The clothing worn during the period seems very ceremonial for the most part, so the image of labourers toiling to load up the horses for a travelling Shogun puts the display into perspective. I learned that the villagers would be willingly or unwillingly used to support all of the travelling dignitaries and their entourages in any required way.

The direction of travel is easy to determine as we will walk out of the village along the portion of the main street we did not yet trek. The first steep slope helps to remind us that the backpacks are as heavy as they were yesterday but less the weight of one calico bag.

I love seeing technology, and, in this case, it is the relatively simple construction of a water wheel that turns solely due to the plentiful water which is channelled along at least one side of the village’s main street However, I note that there are typically two channels along each side of the main street guiding a seemingly endless water supply. It is easy to forget that villages in the mountains are snow-covered during winter, and the melting snow from the surrounding mountains provides a year-long groundwater supply. The wooden housing beside the turning waterwheel supports both the water wheel and the inner workings of the wheel. Still, it does not include any windows or openings, allowing me to inspect how all that rotational energy is used. I can guess there are gears and an electricity generator in there, but maybe the whole structure is merely decorative.

The walking trail is just under 6 km long today, starting from our overnight stay in Tsumago through Nagiso and ending at Nojiri, which should take us about an hour and a half. Once we leave the village, the path becomes relatively flat and replete with more photo opportunities. This portion of the trail is the least developed and is surrounded by bamboo and Japanese cedar forests.

Flowers and bushes of many types are positioned all along the trail path (again well posted), and occasionally fellow trekkers pass us, and some we meet as they travel the opposite way. We pass a family, including two young children of about 6 and 8 years of age. I am in awe that the children are dutifully walking beside their parents. The children talk as they walk and occasionally skip to a beat I could not hear.

We came across a trail alternative leading to the top of a hill that promised a shrine, and that was enough for me to take off my backpack and leave it with Lee for the time it would take me to walk up briskly and down the narrow track. Unfortunately, the shrine was not much to see and not looked after, but the views into the valleys we had just left were compensation enough.

While on the subject of trekking into a forest, as I did, to see the top of the hill, it is appropriate to mention the signs and a bell combination we occasionally saw as we walked this trail. The sign warns of the presence of wild bears, and trekkers are encouraged to strike the adjacent bell to scare them away. All is not well and good if the bears like fresh meat and are not dissuaded by the tinkle of a bell. You will see such a sign in the photo collection attached. Although not researched, I am unaware of the loss of any trekkers to bears during our presence.

So many flowers catch Lee’s eye, and each one needs to have a picture taken. I am sure she could devote multiple Facebook posts to all the lovely flowers, trees, and flowering bushes she photographed. We saw many gardens, each unique and well-structured as if to capture the gaze of passing trekkers and locals and never let those eyes wander again. Lee seems to be enjoying this part of the trail the most.

Good things need to come to an end, as it took us a good two hours to walk the trail today. We are both feeling invigorated by what we have seen and achieved.

You will see Lee waiting at the very small train station in the photographs and some scenery as our train made its way to our next stop along the trail. We are using a JR rail pass, and it works for this line, so tickets are not an issue; it is the times and places we need to get on and off that are carefully planned. However, one very sure thing in Japan is the departure time of every train. We have not experienced one late train during our stay in Japan. That means if we know the train is arriving before a particular departure time, then when minutes before that time comes, the correct train will arrive, and we can get on that train knowing it is the train we need to be on.

When we arrive at the Kiso-Fukushima station, Lee tries to help an elderly gentleman by grasping for the heavy shopping basket he is carrying slowly up the stairs. Lee needs to be a bit clearer about what she is doing as the first reaction from the elderly man is a scow in her direction and a quick tug on the basket, as to say this I my basket are you trying to steal it from me? Of course, Lee is not doing that, and after a big smile from her, the old man holds onto one side of the shopping basket handle and Lee the other as they even more slowly trundle up the stairs. By the time they have reached the other side of the overpass, Lee and the old man are laughing and slowly descend the stairs to the station platform.
As it turns out, we cannot book into the Inn (better known as a Ryokan) until 3:00 pm, so we have two hours to walk about the village. We can store our backpacks at the train station for about A$3 each, leave them with a lovely ticket lady, and carefully note that we must pick them up before 4:45 pm.

I have included a picture of a well-parked vehicle illustrating that even in a village, space is at a premium, and the choice of vehicle may depend solely on the parking space available.

Lee found a cat to pet and talk to, but I doubt it would have been any better had she spoken in Japanese.

We eventually book in with our backpacks and are told our room number. We find our room at the top of some stairs (more manageable than our last set of stairs), with the accommodation comprising a single room with a matted floor and two sets of Futon mattresses, cover sheets and covered duvet. Oh, there was a table and two flat cushions to sit on in the centre of the room. I cannot sit cross-legged, so that table was not going to be used very much. The toilets are down the hall. At least this time, we have two futon mattresses each, so we hope to be very comfortable when we go to sleep.
Dinner is at 6 pm, and we found some Kimonos stored in a cupboard, so we decided to wear them to the dinner. As it turns out, many other guests have also decided to wear them. This is the first opportunity to see the other guests, and we note that about 60% of the guests are Japanese. We find out later that it is part of Japanese life to travel and stay at Ryokans in cities, towns and villages, which have the added attraction of men’s and women’s communal bathing facilities. More on that in a later posting.

Dinner is just as extensive and delicious as the previous nights. It took about an hour and a half to finish, and the large glass of beer we had also helped pass the time.

Fortunately, there is a liquor shop just down the main street, and I earlier bought some Japanese wine and a bottle of Sake to help us relax after a busy day. The wine is a Chardonnay made in Japan, as I could not find any Sauvignon Blanc (our preferred tipple), so the fact that it was cold and alcoholic overcame any taste issues. I am sure the wine industry in Japan will improve, but until then, I urge them to import some great Australian wine.

One very impressive garden.