Japan 2016. Day 9: Following in the footsteps of thousands before us ....

We woke up to a breathtaking view this morning after having a very restful and comfortable night's sleep. To start the day, we had a hearty breakfast consisting of soup, rice, seaweed, potato fritter, salmon, and rolled eggs. It was the perfect way to fuel up before we embarked on a journey through the ancient path to the post town of Tsumago. 

The path had a mix of original and restored parts, with uphill and winding stone pathways that made for an adventurous walk.

As we followed the trail, we stumbled upon an old restored farmhouse where we were welcomed in for some Japanese tea, just like the travellers hundreds of years ago. We got a glimpse into the history of the building and the old post route.  In the Edo times, the traveller's horses would have been left in Magome so lots of rest stops were necessary.

We walked through dense forests and along waterways until we came across two waterfalls next to each other, where we tried to imagine the Samurai drinking from them.

We arrived at Tsumago needing nourishment from local buckwheat noodles. In Japan, local areas all have their own produce that you can only get in that area and these were delicious.

The town of Tsumago was larger than Magome but still very historic and beautiful. There were a few museums here and an amazing inn which was owned by the now-famous Hayashi family. It was a delightful inn with a pond, garden, and a 2nd floor. It even had a secret room that was soundproof which would have been used by the government officials.

  We made our way back to our own inn for another delicious feast consisting of raw fatty tuna, tempura veg, tofu cutlet, salad, and a hotpot that cooked on our table.

We enjoyed our last night in our 100 year old inn .