On Wednesday we had a field trip to the Kiso Valley. O
ur first stop was at the home of a lacquerware craftsman. The group divided into two with one seeing the house and gardens from the wife and the other getting a chance to see the craftsman at work.
Next, we went to Narai, an old post town on the Nakasendo, an Edo era road from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo). The post towns provided food and lodging for travelers. Samurai parties sometimes numbered in the thousands, so this must have been quite a task. It is a popular 
route for hikers and backpackers to explore today. We visited the local shrine then walked through the town which I found to be a photographer’s paradise.
About midway through town we stopped for lunch. This picture only shows the first few courses and I must say the rice cakes were far tastier than they 
look. These dishes were followed up by deep fried tofu with a spicy miso sauce and a bowl of Soba (buckwheat) noodles in broth, a specialty of the region. For desert we were presented with a small bowl with three fresh strawberries. We then had about an hour to explore the town and shops. I would have liked to buy some lacquerware but I couldn’t think what I would do with it and the black and red colors would not go well in my earth-tone house. I did find a wooden rice paddle that I thought might work well in one of my food photography sessions.
Back on the bus we rode for an hour back to the outskirts of Matsumoto where we stopped at a wood block museum. I was pretty tired by then and could not do it justice but I bought a set of postcards that I can study at leisure when I get home.
I had an hour or so to rest back at the hotel before venturing out to see the
castle and cherry blossoms all lit up at night. It was worth the trip. We were on our own for dinner and I did not feel adventurous enough to go to a restaurant on my own and the hotel was far too expensive (like $80 for a meal), so I explored the snacks in the vending machine instead. They even have vending machines with beer in the hotel so it wasn’t such a bad evening in, especially after that sumptuous lunch, though I have to say I’m not entirely sure what I was eating.
Haiku:
Nakasendo road
From Edo to Kyoto
Echoing footsteps