A new death, an old birth, and a walk through two historic Nakasendo post towns in Nagano prefecture, Japan.

[betsuni]

4. Thanks, I think so too. I found a video of my town, Nakatsugawa, also a former Nakasendo post town.

Limited number of preserved buildings so not that beautiful, but some original narrow downtown streets still there. Turn a corner somewhere in town and see the marker and you're unexpectedly on the trail. A few months ago a new supermarket and Muji store opened in what until recently was farmland (very first Muji around here so the talk of the town), and I saw tourists. Sure enough, another part of the trail. European and Australian tourists seem to be the most enthusiastic hikers. Roaming around in the middle of summer doesn't appear to faze them. I'm impressed. Part of the trail nearest to where I live, unpaved, dark in the shade of tall shrine cypresses with several smaller shrines, spooks me. A little too much concentrated history in one place, I avoid it just in case.