To Mr Anonymous

Received the following anonymous comment on one of my trip diary entries today.

Bravo…. Not only for the accomplishment in walking the Nakasendo, but the fact that you compiled your notes and detailed your trip in such an entertaining blog. I have cycled the Nakasendo twice and find it amazing that you were able to walk it in 12 days. Cycling takes about 6 days which includes the time spent having to carry your bikes over the various Toge’s. Your blog was not only entertaining, but it brings back memories of the road and the challenges encountered.

A few questions/comments: regarding your accommodations… or lack there of… it seems that you only found one real Minshuku along the way. My Japanese is not much better than yours but on two trips of the same highway I was easily able to locate a low cost Minshuku either in the town I entered at say 5 pm or in the next post town. From your travels, you ended up staying in mostly business hotels, a real downer compared to the old traditional Minshuku which most likely cost the same. My comment for your next walking trip in Japan… when looking for a Minshuku in a small town do not bother asking anyone younger than 60. (therefore, don’t even entertain the prospect of getting an answer out of the convenience store clerks) This tried and tested method will result in you arriving at a Minshuku without detour or delay. Many are not advertised and there is no sign outside the door bigger than a matchbook. So by asking the old folks in town, they point you in the direction of their friend who moonlights their 200 year old home as a B+B. You will be knocking on the door almost at dinner time and more than 50% of the time the lady will try to wave you away. She is trying to get rid of you not because she does not want you to stay but because she had not made you dinner… once you convince her you don’t want food you will be shown to your room. Average cost is 3-4,000 yen including breakfast. Once you explain to the folks that you are traveling the Nakasendo and have a great respect for her (I say ‘her’ as the lady usually runs the show whilst her husband sits in his parlor and watches baseball whilst she does all the work) ancestors who maintained the Nakasendo travelers… you are sure to receive extra traveling goodies packed in rice for your next days trip.

Regarding your planned path, it looks like you used Google Earth to determine the road. Google earth now shows the general Nakasendo labeled in Japanese… it was not the case when I planned each trip… but how did you find the specific mud path Toge’s which are not well marked? How many did you find along the way where you left the paved road and walked through the trees in addition to the Magome section?

I have more questions but will wait to see if you are active on this blog before going on.

First of all, thanks for the wonderful comment. I arrived in Japan with a lot of frustration in my heart. Walking was almost the only way I knew to deal with it. That was really the only reason I walked as long as I did each day. The longer I did, the better I felt. Its a little crazy to finish it in 14 days, my feet were a wreck after but I had no regrets, it was one of the best things I had ever done with myself.

Thanks for the heads up on accommodation. There were several reasons why I did not stay in Minshuku's more often than I did. Like you said, they do not really advertise themselves. People I asked along the way were either clueless or pointed me to business hotels. I was also under the impression that they are uber-expensive. Of the countries I had visited, few impacted me the way Japan did. I will certainly go back again, hopefully to do another long walk. I will keep your advice on finding Minshuku's in mind.

Google Map is not an ideal tool for planning an assault on the Nakasendo, its just convenient. There are several books that describes the Nakasendo in great detail, you can find them easily in any largish bookstore in Japan. They were no good to me since I am as good at Japanese as I am with Greek. Some of the time I followed the Google Map printouts I brought along, some of the time I followed the signpostings along the way, some of the time I asked for directions. I wasn't too bothered about following the Nakasendo faithfully. I got lost a couple of times and just took it in my stride. It was all about reaching the destination on foot, it was all about the adventure. The mountain passes were easy to navigate, those sections were the most well-signposted.