Day 7 (the last day of our walk along the Nakasendo Way). 8km walking and 14km train ride.
We caught the train from Kiso-Fukushima to Yabuhara and started our final day’s walk of the Nakasendo Way, hiking up to the Torii Pass, named after the Shinto Torii Gate, which marks one of four protective sites surrounding Mount Ontake. At 1197m, the Torii Pass is a great vantage point for views of Mount Ontake on a clear day. The descent took us along narrow mountain paths until we emerged at the outskirts of Narai, a lovely post town and the wealthiest of the post towns along the trail.
The picture below is the entrance to the old town of Narai. The featured picture is our group reaching the peak of the Torii Pass. From here it is all down hill into Narai.
When we arrived into Narai it was bustling with visitors. We had an ice cream from a little shop that had won the prize for the best ice cream in Japan. Unfortunately by 6pm everything was closed, including the bars, as we were intending to celebrate the end of this amazing walk. Never mind! We bought some beers and wine from a small wine shop and sat on a bench in the main street!!
I haven’t mentioned the Onsens as yet. I was lucky enough to experience an onsen. It is quite a tradition in Japan. An onsen is a hot spring baths that can be enjoyed at the ryokans, hotels and public bath houses.
There is a lot of etiquette around bathing in an onsen.
Firstly you have to go in naked. Before you enter the onsen, you must clean yourself first. Every onsen has a row of showers around the outside of the bath. Soap, shampoo and conditioner are usually provided and you are expected to sit down on one of the stools provided while you wash. It’s considered bad manners to stand up while you wash, as you might splash one of the people next to you – and you must remember to rinse thoroughly so as not to get soap in the bath water.
At any onsen, you will either be provided with a small and a large towel. The large towel is for drying yourself and should be left in the changing room (along with your clothes), while the small towel is for washing and can be taken into the bathing area. You can take your small towel into the bath with you (in fact, many people put them on their heads!) but you mustn’t let it go in the water. If you have long hair it also mustn’t get in the water, and finally if you have a tattoo, you are prohibited from going in an onsen.
The onsens are very warm and very relaxing. Highly recommended!
Next stop Tokyo tomorrow!