During the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Tokugawa Shogunate instituted a policy that the provincial lords (daimyo) were required to alternate a year in their own domains with a year in Edo. The expense of needing to maintain two separate residences, as well as the costs of the processions to and from Edo, were intended to keep the daimyo perpetually short on funds, and therefore unable to afford to wage rebellion or war against the Shogun. To facilitate travel, the Shogun designated five official highways, one of which was the Nakasendo, which connected Edo with Kyoto. And as places for processions to rest en route, sixty-nine post towns were instituted – Narai-juku being number thirty-four. Today, Narai-juku retains much of its original Edo-era architecture and atmosphere, making it a popular tourist destination for those interested in traditional Japan.

We took a train from Matsumoto and spent a delightful day wandering through this historic town. It’s a popular spot, and there were plenty of people there, but it was not unpleasantly crowded. We enjoyed the atmosphere of the old streetscape, visited a couple of shrines, window-shopped, and took lots of photos.

We were able to have a look inside one of the houses, which is now a small museum.

Lunch was something called Chimaki – rice, meat and veg wrapped in bamboo leaves.

The sun shone in the morning, though it was still chilly, but we did get some fairly heavy rain for the last hour or so – a good excuse to pop into a lovely cafe for a cuppa (lucky we weren’t in a hurry).  All up a very satisfying day.