Blog posts
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7. and 8. Okegawa to Kōnosu to Kumagaya
The seventh leg continues in the tradition of yesterday, that is, it runs mostly along the National Route 164 with all that entails with little to no respite from the everpresent traffic. The eighth leg, from Kōnosu to Kumagaya, however… more
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Tech on the road
I’ve been inundated with questions (well, one person has asked) about what tech I have brought with me, and what digital services I use. First of all, I have a phone and a laptop. These two items help me with… more
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4. 5. 6. Urawa to Ōmiya to Ageo to Ogekawa
These three legs, the fourth, the fifth and the sixth, from Urawa all the way to Ogekawa are all pretty similar, and truth be told pretty tedious. You will be hiking along the National Route 164 all the way, with… more
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3. Warabi to Urawa
This leg is short, only about 4.5 kilometres altogether, but compared with the first two (and the upcoming three) this is more like a hike through a quiet suburb rather than a modern cityscape. The fifth official milestone, the Tsuji… more
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2. Itabashi to Warabi
The second leg of the Nakasendō from Itabashi-shuku to Warabi-shuku keeps following the National Route 17, albeit still with a lot of sidetracking along parallel streets. The path crosses three rivers, including the mighty Arakawa, and enters the Saitama prefecture,… more
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1. From Nihonbashi to Itabashi-shuku
The first leg of the journey, between the starting point in central Tokyo, to the first shukuba, or post town in Itabashi is almost 11 kilometres long. The path follows the general direction of the National Route 17, even though… more
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The start of the road
The Nakasendō starts, or ends, in Tokyo, at the Nihonbashi bridge. This place has now become the designated kilometre zero of Japan. That means that all distances today are nominally measured from this place. The metal plate in the road… more
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Packing woes
You obviously need to bring things when you are hiking. Depending on the landscape, terrain, weather, and your needs, the purpose of the trip, etc, the stuff you want bring will differ wildly. The featured image (above) is from Keswick,… more
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More resources
Just a quick note that the Resources page has been updated with a lot more GPX-files, including one for the complete Nakasendō track, and one for all the post stations. These tracks will be updated even further if need be,… more
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Things that can go wrong
This blog isn’t meant to be about general hiking skills nor does it try and teach you how to be as good a hiker as possible. What constitutes good hiking practices varies considerably depending on the person speaking, and their… more