the old post trail

day 53
tsumago - magome



it's a 3 hour hike over the mountain pass from tsumago to magome, and clearly, we're going to need fortifying. after breakfast, we get a full 30m away from the ryokan before stopping to gorge on eggplant buns roasted over this cozy fire. yes, that's another open fire in the middle of a wood floor.






you can tell a lot about a city's ecological footprint by looking in the ditch.






the three hour walk took us 3.5 hours. but we stopped to smell the flowers. our ryokan host does it in 1 hour, of course.


























check out this little guy's erosion control skill.































the ubiqitous salaryman. wearing a suit up in the mountains, on a nature walk. naturally.
















fire. wood.

our ryokan for this night. hope they're not brewing tea while we're sleeping.






this gives last night's meal a run for the money. the amazing thing is, breakfast looks nearly identical. different items of course. not so amazing that we eat it all, plus lunch and snacks.

autumn arrives

day 52
train to tsumago



seasons are both distinct and celebrated here. both decoratively and more significantly, with food. here's an 'autumn selection' from a train station bakery. inside was (not pumpkin) chestnut.






view out our ryokan window.






our host prepared this autumn meal for us after we had settled in, taken a hot bath and dressed in our yukata robes. i noticed him peeking from his kitchen occasionally to note our reaction to each of the dishes. and with good resaon - it was by far the best meal we have eaten in japan.

i can not tell you what all of the items are, but i'll point out some of the highlights. first, middle right, basashi (horse meat sashimi). it wasn't very tender, but tasted great. on the green dish, centre right, are three grasshoppers preserved in a sweet dark sauce. a little crispy, a little chewy.

there's also local trout salted and grilled, tempura meats, chestnut paste, mountain yam, and the most delicate vegetable broth. plus a host of condiments that i can't identify. the home brewed plum juice was intense and delicious.

it must have taken hours to prepare, and we certainly took our time appreciating the work. all the dishes went back empty.