An ancient road which existed prior even to the religious worship of Mt. Akiba. Starting in Sagara on the Enshu Sea and passing through the Toyama region before continuing on the Lake Suwa, the road's history dates all the way back to prehistoric times. One of the routes which brought salt to land-locked Nagano, the history-leaden course was also used as a key military road by the Southern Court.
"The road which started at the sea or the final stops of riverboats from which salt was carried inland were often known as ""salt roads."" The Chikuni Kaido road existed before such salt transportation began to be implemented and extends from Matsumoto to Itoigawa. There are many route plans for the road which break it up into sections to be walking while taking in scenic and historic places along its length."
The Odai-juku Festival, held annually on August 16, features a procession of people carrying palanquins with dolls given to them by the Princess Wamiya, who stayed at the inn when she married into the Shogun's family at the end of the Edo period. The dolls are carried in a palanquin and paraded in a procession.
Located in Nojiri, Okuwa-mura, Kiso-gun, this is the 40th stop on the Nakasendo route and the second longest street after Narai-juku among the eleven Kiso inns, and the "Nanamagari," a street with a characteristic winding shape built to protect it from outside enemies, still remains.
The 36th of the 69 stops along the Nakasendo Route, it flourished as an inn, and even today, the Miyanokoshi Inn's main camp and other remnants of the inn's past can still be seen. The area is also known as a place associated with Kiso Yoshinaka.
Located in Esashi Town, Hiyama County, Hokkaido, this atmospheric and scenic roadway was created by refurbishing the area along the old national highway. Esashi Town prospered from the 17th century through the trade of hinoki cypress and herring. Many of the historical buildings that remained from the end of the Edo period to the end of the Taisho period were preserved, reproduced, or restored. The street was completed in 2005 and opened as a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy the scenery at their leisure. Being able to take a stroll today and see this historical diversity in one place is very special.
During the corn harvesting season from late July through early August, corn is sold along the “Morokoshi (Corn) Kaido Street” at a local produce direct sales store. Due to the extreme temperature difference between the afternoon and evening in Shinanomachi, it is said that the corn’s sugar levels increase. The freshly picked corn is sweet and juicy, and you can grill and eat it on the spot, making it a popular destination.
This townscape was built around the concept of preserving the history and culture of Snow Country. Its beauty has won many awards including the 2015 Asian City Landscape Awards. This street stretches south from JR Shiozawa Station along Prefectural Route 365 and is lined by characteristic Snow Country buildings marked by their gabled roofs stretching out over the walkways. Walking along you'll think you've slipped into the past with the scenery evoking the Edo period post town imagery. It's the site of various events including the Shiozawa Seppu Snow Festival in February and the Shiozawa Festival in July.
A street located in the center of Ueda City. Situated along the Hokkoku Kaido, an ancient highway, in the Edo period, the street was lined with many inns, merchants, and dry goods stores; in the Meiji period, the sericulture industry also flourished here. Today, the street still retains much of this Edo period atmosphere, but is now occupied by many restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops offering Shinshu soba noodles, local liquors, and tea. Visitors can feel the history of the area as they explore the street.
This road is one of the Kumano Kodo Iseji roads. It extends approximately 4.1 kilometers from the JR Odomari Station to Kumanoshi Station. Almost all of the roads are still paved with beautiful cobblestone, and in this pass surrounded by bamboo groves, which is a rare sight on the Kumano Kodo road, there is a large Jizo statue that is said to once have been mistaken for an apparition and shot with a gun. After the pass, there are no more mountain passes until Shingu, but if you walk for approximately ten minutes, there is an incredible view overlooking Shichirimi Beach. On the way, there is also a route which makes a round trip to Onigajo Observatory, and another shorter path which leads from Onigajo down to Odomari Station.
This sloping trail is along the Ancient Kumano Kodo Route as one descends southwardly from the Fujishiro-jinja Shrine. It received the designation as a National Cultural Property in 2015, and in 2017 it became part of the Japan Heritage, the Treasure House of Scenic Beauty: Wakanoura. This spot is famous as the execution site of Prince Arima, who being the son of Emperor Kotoku, was misled into a revolt during the battles surrounding the successor of the Imperial Throne. To this day, at the entrance of the trail are the tombstone and the monument engraved with the waka song during the procession to his death.
