Kumagaya, Nakasendo

What a fascinating journey this has been so far. I have travelled through 59 post-towns and am down to the last ten. Let’s see what the next three towns (the post-towns have the same name) have to offer.

The highway travels beside the Motokoyama River which flows through Honjo-shuku (#10). During the Edo period, travellers would have to hire a boat to cross the river that was split by land. A local businessman decided to build a bridge that can be crossed by travellers free of charge in the hope that they would come to his shop. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough funds to build across the entire river, so the travellers still needed to hire a boat for a fee to complete their journey across the whole river. 

Coming into Fukaya-shuku (#9), the scene is peaceful with craftspeople sitting on tatami mats doing business over a cup of tea. However, in the Edo era it was a wild place, known for its red-light district and the fierce competition amongst the 80 inns. Fukaya was also a communication hub and the railway station built in 1887 in a Victorian style echoes the Western influence of the late 19th century. 

For the next seven miles (11km), the Nakasendo crosses the modern highway many times, all the way into Kumagaya-shuku (#8). Some sections of the highway were lined with ginkgo trees instead of the usual pine trees. Gingko trees are native to China and they are one of the oldest living tree species in the world. Dating back 290 million years, the ginkgo trees outlived the dinosaurs and are commonly referred to as a ‘living fossil’.

Kumagaya is located between Tone River in the north and Arakaway River in the south. In spring, the banks of the Arakawa River burst with colour as the pink cherry blossom trees and the bright yellow rapeseed flowers come into full bloom. Picnickers laden with food and sake flock to the area to celebrate the coming of spring. 

In Kumagaya the go-to meal is udon noodles because the wheat used in the noodles is locally grown and rich in flavour. Another popular food is a dessert that originated in the Edo era known as gokabo. It is a sweetened rice cake roll coated in roasted soybean powder. It looks like I may need to find a place that serves both.