Kiso no Ohashi

 

Bridge made of Kiso Hinoki aged over 300 years. Widest wooden bridge in Japan

 

Craftsmanship brought together for the bridge

 

Terasawa said, ”Only hinoki is used to build this bridge, but in the durability test applying a load of 30t, the height of the bridge lowered by only 7mm.” And it returned to the original height immediately after the test. On hearing this, Nakata felt the strength hinoki possessed. If you look at the bridge from below, each piece of hinoki overlaps intricately to create the arch of the bridge. ”This is the work of true craftsmanship,” Nakata commented as he admired the bridge. Terasawa told Nakata, ”You can find my name written on the central part of the bridge.” Nakata looked up, and there the names of the craftsmen were written in ink, as if it were the emblem of their work.

 

Naraijuku

 

Naraijuku, located in central Nagano, was one of the stations on the Nakasendo route that connected Kyoto and Edo (present day Tokyo). It is the longest station street in Japan.

On the 1 kilometer-long street, there are buildings that remain from the Edo period (1603 – 1867) and the Meiji period (1868 – 1912). One building called Hatago, an accommodation during the Edo period, is currently used as a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) and a restaurant.

The Tezuka Family Residence, also on the street, is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. It is now a museum, and is open to the public. You can also enter the Nakamura Residence, which has a unique, traditional architectural build.

As you walk around, you can snack on local foods like goheimochi (rice cake on a stick) and oyaki (flour dumplings with fillings). Don’t forget to look for shops that sell Kiso lacquer ware, only available in this region!

 

having to experience it the traditional way like walking the same exact path the samurai did hundreds of years ago.

 

Nakasendo(Tsumago-Juku)

 

Nakasendo (literally “Central Mountain Route”)

 

The Nakasendo path is the longest of the five ancient routes commissioned by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo period and one of only two that connect the old capital (Kyoto) to the new and current capital of Japan (Tokyo).

It spans 534 kilometers but you certainly don’t have to experience it all at once. I will introduce you to the Tsumago-juku portion of the route located within the Kiso Valley of Nagano Prefecture.

 

 

Momosuke Bridge

 

Japan’s Longest Wooden Suspension Bridge This bridge, which dates from 1922, was built to transport construction materials to the Yomikaki Power Plant about 2 kilometers downstream. Consisting of three stone piers and four spans, it is 247 meters from end to end, making it the longest wooden suspension bridge in Japan. It would have been more economical to build the bridge further downstream, where the river is narrower. Momosuke Fukuzawa, the flamboyant entrepreneur behind both the bridge and the power station, was less concerned with cost than with aesthetics, however. Because a longer bridge would be more elegant, he opted to build it here, where the river is wider. The original bridge was built of chestnut, pine, and cedar, with iron rails running down the middle for handcarts. As time passed and the wood started to decay, the bridge became increasingly dangerous, and it was closed to the public in 1978. In 1993, after two years of restoration work, the bridge reopened. The new version is made of local sawara and hinoki, with inlaid bongoshi, an African hardwood, where the iron rails once ran. From the central pier, a flight of magnificent steps leads down to a sandbar, where there is a small shrine to the river god. The pier closest to the right-hand bank looking downstream was once inscribed with the name of the Daido Electric Power Company, which built the bridge, and the date of completion—September, Taisho 11 (1922).

 

 

Steam locomotive C12 No. 199

The steam locomotive C12 No. 199 is a steam locomotive displayed next to the Chuo Main Line in Narai, Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture.

Manufactured in 1938, after being assigned to Niigata, Yamagata and Iiyama, it was finally used as a locomotive for replacement in Kisofukushima.

It was scrapped in 1974 and displayed statically at the Narai Community Center in Narakawa Village, Nagano Prefecture.

After that, I moved to the Narai-juku sightseeing parking lot.