Bachwig travellers: Kiso Trail and enjoying Tsumago

Day 5 - Kiso Trail and enjoying Tsumago

Tsumagoi-mura

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

One more hearty Japanese breakfast, we packed up and dragged our gear up the road to the information centre. The bags were even heavier than usual as we had unloaded stuff we normally Carry in our backpacks. We booked the bags in to travel to Tsumago, hired a bear bell and off we went! Why a bear bell? Well apparently there are bears in the mountain so the bells scare them away.

It was a hot day so we were well supplied with water as we started the walk. The stone path went up..and up and up! There are some beautiful views and vistas and a generous amount of rest stops along the way. A rest stop normally means a covered area with seats and often tables. There was one within Magome as well and that one had free wifi! They often have a toilet of really good quality. Maybe Japanese style squatty but not a long drop like we would have (though I didn't use any of the more remote ones). We chose to walk from Magome to Tsumago as the walk up us less that way and having done it I agree. The walk goes through the Magome pass.My lack of fitness showed as we were going uphill..but we got there. Along the way we saw a nice water wheel and house, a shrine or two, some nice waterfalls, some rice paddies, great views.m and lots of Bear Bells. The idea is that you stop and ring them loudly to scare away the bears. We also walk through a few wee settlements. There is also a rest house where an older man makes you Japanese tea and offered us candy. He had guide maps and a few small items for sell. A really pleasant spot.

All the people at the guest house and information centre told us it would take two hours. One hour up and one hour down. It is 7.7 k's and took us nearer to 4! The last part into Tsumago isn't so picturesque as you are walking along roads until you enter Tsumago which is so so pretty and has such a different look to Magome. We were well ready for lunch by then..I think it was around 1.30. We expected to see a number of eating places like we had in Magome but we were really struggling. We went into one and she spoke little English but got to look at the menu. It was pretty limited and mainly buckweat noodles. It didn't really appeal. Most of the shops only had Japanese signage and not even that. We would guess that somewhere was an eating place if when we looked through the door and under the curtains and if there were tables. THEN you had to work what kind of place it was. Many were just sweet shops. Tsumago is essentially one long street of very old black looking houses - darker than Magome's brown.

So after blindly walking through the town and thinking that maybe we should go back to the information centre to ask, we saw what we throughout might be a restaurant. It was down a path, with a Japanese garden to the side. There were a couple of signs down the path and showed a picture of what looked like sushi or some other kind of raw meat.

So we tentatively looked in. Bruce saw a recommended by TripAdvisor sign and we were greeted in Enlgish. Two ticks! We had a quick look at the menu and it looked fine. We were offered the choice of traditional Japanese sitting (on the floor) or a table and of course took the table. Our waitress sat turned on a fan and brought us water. Well needed as we were very hot and sticky!

When we looked at the menus we realised that we were at our Ryokan Fujioto! I remembered in a guide book that it talked about it's restaurant for lunch looking out over the garden and yes...there was the garden to our right! So while waiting for our meal our waitress brought us our check in forms. Really really easy. She advised to have a lights meal as dinner was at 6.00pm. It seems eating early is the norm here because it was 6.00pm at Inn Tajimaya and in Hakone they had a 6.00pm and 7.00pm slot. I was ready for some meat so again there advice I had the beef. She told me we would have it for dinner as well and I was fine with that. It was cooked in front of me on a little fire (as a lot of our meals are) but the disk was on a magnolia leave. There was beef and mountain vegetables and a miso paste. Our waitress mixed it all up for me to make sure it was properly cooked. We chatted to her and she had lived in New Zealand for 4 years learning English in Palmerston North. Bruce had cold buckweat noodles that comes with a dipping sauce and trout. Micheel had a noodle soup.

After our meal our room was ready so we were shown around the Ryokan. The bathrooms are on the ground floor. These are private bathrooms so you can lock them. You leave your slippers outside so people know they are occupied. Our room was upstairs and was the Hinoki room - their best room. Like in Magome we had two rooms - a sleeping room and a sitting room. There were the supported back low chairs around the table (so much easier than just a cushion) and two full size chairs to the side looking over the garden. In cherry blossom time this room would be incredible because there is a large cherry blossom tree out the sleeping room window (which then looks into one of the town car parks).

These rooms did not lock because it was suck a traditional place with paper walls and sliding doors. We had to remind Michael to be very quiet! You could latch the doors from the inside at night. A safe was provided for valuables. Michael stayed in our room while Bruce and I went and got the luggage and then the staff helped us get it up the stairs. I am constantly wishing I packed lighter!

We went out for an ice cream and to take photos. Michael was just wanting some book reading time so he went back to the Ryokan to read while Bruce and I explored the town further and took photos. While I am writing this I am thinking about how nice it is that this place is so safe that we can let Michael find his way back and in on his own.

We had time to have a bath...we were very hot and sticky after that long walk so we went down to the bathroom together and showed and then soaked in the bath. This was another cedar bath and the bath seemed to be constantly refilling and was very very hot. My muscles felt instantly better! We all had to ease ourselves into the bath and couldn't stay in for long but it was fabulous. Them upstairs, into Yukata and ready for dinner.

Dinner. Wow! This has been the food highlight of our trip to date. Everything has stepped up a notch. A lady took our phOto with her camera as we arrived. That was to provide us with a small gift as we leave the next day. Then the owner, Franco, came and explained the food that was on the table - and that there was more to come. Everything was locally produced. The corn was beautifully sweet, and there was wasp larvae on the appetiser plate. I can't remember how it was done..I think soy sauce was involved but they were actually quite tasty. He told us that in the older days in the area, because they are so far from the sea they had no protein so they ate insects. There were a number of insects that they used to eat but now they only eat two - the wasps and the grasshopper. There was also a small farmed fish and some chicken . Both were hot so he recommended eating them first. He showed us how to debone the fish which was very helpful!! There was also sashimi and the fish was a trout and salmon crossbreed (anyway I think that is what he meant). It has much of the colour of salmon but a different texture and taste. I liked it and Bruce didn't so much. I wish I had taken a photo of every item! There was more of the beef I had had earlier in the way. Franco told us that this beef was beer fed and massaged. Now...the dessert! I SO wish that I had taken a photo of this. On the draw were three elements. There was watermelon. Some cake and an espresso cup of jellied black coffee with a touch of cream. Michael's had green tea. It was incredible. Interestingly they had changed the dining room around from lunch so we were all eating in tables and they had drop down divisors to create a sense if privacy for every group. It was lovely. We talked to a trio who finished just before we did. She was Japanese but living in America and the couple were from where she lived . They had been to Japan multiple times but there were all impressed with this Ryokan. The Japanese lady was enjoying not having to translate for her friends.

After our meal we went out for a stroll through the town as it was lit up by lamps. The American/ Japanese trio came two and there were a English couple also. It was very very beautiful strolling through the quiet town in our Yukata and outdoor sandals ( I think Bruce skipped that part).

Then to sleep. Another great sleep except unusual pillows - quite hard and made of buckweat!

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