Ota Post Town
Trip Start
Jul 26, 2008
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9
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Trip End
Aug 03, 2008
On the way to Hisuikyo Gorge, I dropped by Ota Post Town. The post town was famous for its ferry port to the opposite side of Kiso River and it was called one of the three hardest part of Nakasendo Route. To tell you the truth, I thought the town was nothing, and realy it was, comparared with Magome or Tsumago Post Towns. I liked it, however, because I felt the town people made an effort to get their town more prosperous with tourists. Resthouse Komatsuya, Wakihonjin Inn, Nakasendokaikan Museum, Ippei Okamoto's House was all admission free. Unfortunately, there were no English legends at all, and so they were not for international tourists. At the entrace of Wakihonjin Inn, the old guide greeted me saying, "Thank you for comming." It was a happy surprise, because it was just an old and very small house. There was nothing and nobody in Komatsuya Inn but a electric fan, tatami mats, and a sign saying, "Feel free to take a rest in the room." I thought that was just what the doctor ordered for travellers walking along the Nakasendo Route in both the present and the past. In Nakasendo Kaikan Museum, I learned how Princess Kazunomiya desceded from Kyoto to Edo(Tokyo) to get married to Iemochi Tokugawa. The story is interesting particularly now because of the influence of NHK historical play. The picture of Traveller's goods below shows a compass, pill case, portable candle holder, abacus, and sandal.
