Narai

First, let me explain a couple of terms about lodging in Japan.  A ryokan is a small family-run inn.  Even smaller are minshukus, which are also family-run but with less rooms.  I don't think there is a clear cutoff where you call one a ryokan and the other a minshuku.  It's up to the owner.  In my researching into places to stay on the Nakasendo Trail, I find that the ryokans have a few more amenities than the minshukus.  It probably has fewer rooms as well.  Ryokan or minshuku, they show the hospitality of the Japanese.  They usually include dinner and breakfast in the price of the room.  Each meal is a feast, with about10 items, as shown by a couple of the pictures below.

I arrived in Narai on the JR Chuo Line from Shiojiri City, about a 30-minute ride.  It's a slow local train and it runs almost parallel to the Nakasendo Trail (NT).  Being local, it stops at almost all the small towns along the Kiso Valley.  It's like a light-rail in the US or a tram in Europe.  The driver is also the conductor.  Except in bigger towns, the does the driving and at every stop, everyone has to go to the front of the train and give him the ticket, or in my case, show him my JR Pass.

Narai Station

View of Narai Station

Inside the train, with the driver collecting fares

Why am I stopping in Narai?  Narai is one of the 69 post towns along the NT.  In its heyday, it was called "Narai of a thousand houses."  It was a thriving town, an important stop for the weary traveller.  Today, it's a quiet town with only 1 main street.  The reason why I am here is because the start of my hike on the NT begins here, through the Torii Pass to the next town called Yabuhara.  This is a beautiful hike through the forest, with gradual ascent and descent over the mountain.

However, when I arrived in Narai in the late afternoon of March 27, it was snowing lightly.  My first priority was to find Ikariya Minshuku, where I will be staying for the night.  I walked about a 500m along the main street and did not see any sign for the minshuku.  I happen on a Tourist Information Center and asked the lady.  She told me I passed it.  She showed me a picture of what it looks like.  I backtracked and try to find Ikariya again.  Then I heard the same lady calling behind me.  She told me that I had just passed it.  Without an English sign, there was no way I could tell where the inn was.  It just blended in with the other buildings along the main street.

Ikariya Minshuku

My room with a traditional futon

A feast for dinner

Another feast for breakfast

The street of Narai looks like it is frozen in time.  The houses retain their architecture of years past. They have been beautifully restored.   The following are some of the pictures I took.

Iseya Ryokan, a popular inn.  It was snowing when this picture was taken

 As one of the pictures above show, it was snowing in the late afternoon and evening when I arrived in Narai.  In the morning, I was going to check out the trail to see if I can hike on it.  The owner of the minshuku called the Tourist Center and asked.  They emphatically told me that unless I have snow shoes, I am not allowed to go on the Torii Pass.  So much for my first hike on the NT.

Having a couple of hours to kill before the next train arrives, I decided to walk to the town before Narai.  It's called Kiso-Hirasawa.  It's about an hour walk.  It's not as beautiful as Narai.  It has quite a few shops selling lacquer ware.  Then I turned around, and took the 11:20 am train to Kiso-Fukushima, my next stop.

A shop selling lacquerware in Kiso-Hirasawa