A Journey to the Heart of Japan

The other day I sat down and read through the account of the journey along the Nakasendo from a modern-day traveler's perspective that forms part of Nakasendo Highway: A Journey to the Heart of Japan, a website put together by Dr. R.T.A. Irving of Kwansei Gakuin University in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, and Dr. Thomas A. Stanley, Department of History, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

The website began as a multimedia CD-ROM project, and despite its rather clunky, old-fashioned appearance and the occasional dud link, I'm finding it a great source of information. There's plenty more to it besides the account I read, including historical information, maps, photos, and glossaries. I'm seriously considering printing some of it out and taking it with me.

Here are two brief extracts. I chose them not because they're outstandingly insightful or anything but because they describe a couple of spots I'm vaguely familiar with from my travels in Shiga prefecture in October 2005.

The traveler may hardly notice passing from Otsu to the next town of Zeze since the road is lined continuously with old houses and small shops. Zeze was the site of a castle in the Edo period, and although no trace remains today of the castle buildings, the street pattern still follows the layout of the original castle town. Thus, where the Nakasendo entered the town through a gate in the old castle walls, the road still traces a double set of right-angled turns known as a dog-leg (masugata). This was a device to confuse potential attackers and to expose their flank to fire from defenders. Nowadays it still serves to confuse car drivers unfamiliar with the town.

The long section of old highway between Moriyama and Musa (eight and a half miles) passes a number of contrasting landscapes. At Yasu there is a fine view of Omi Fuji, one of many lesser hills in Japan which, because of a vague similarity in shape, have assumed the name of the sacred mountain, Mount Fuji. Just like the real Fuji, however, the area surrounding it has become home to many new industrial developments in recent years. After all, compared to the metropolitan centers of Osaka, Kyoto, or Nagoya land here is cheap, but access to these markets via the Meishin Expressway is easy.

Update: I've fixed the link to the Nakasendo Highway: A Journey to the Heart of Japan website, which I'm delighted to report has been completely redesigned and is no longer "clunky" or "old-fashioned".

Distance walked today: 0km
Total distance walked since blog began: 285.3km
Days left until launch of Kisokaido Project: 93