Norikura woods

Some pics from the forest areas around Norikura.

Norikura waterfalls

Two waterfalls at the Norikura area:

This is the Zengorou no dake

and this is the Bandokoro ohtaki

The surroundings of the Bandokoro were also interesting:

The moths of Matsumoto

At night, the streets of Matsumoto are overtaken by moths. They swarm around the streetlights, ruling the night.

Then comes the morning, and still many moths remain, despite night being over. You can see them clinging on to store windows, trying to hide in dark corners of the street. They seem rather helpless, sitting ducks to any birds who might want to prey on them.

On the other hand, the moths pressing against the walls and windows are alive. All over the streets you can find the scattered remains of their brethren, who did not survive the night.

So maybe it’s preferable to linger on, waiting for the inevitable fadeout? Or is it better to go out in a blaze of glory, scattering all over the street?

I hope the moths don’t plague themselves with such questions – their existence seems hard enough already.

Walking the Nakasendo

Back in medieval times, the Nakasendo was the main postal route through inland Japan, connecting Kyoto with the provincial towns in the interior of Honshu. Portions of this road, including the towns, have been preserved. Naturally, I was interested in walking a portion of the road. However, the typhoon has destroyed several railroads here, so my initial plan of going to the southern postal towns of Magome and Tsumago never really got off the ground.

Instead, I went to the town of Narai, which was one of the most important postal towns. Just south of Narai lies the Torii pass, which was considered the most difficult portion of the Nakasendo. Thus, the couriers would rest and refit at Narai before braving the Torii Pass.

I of course walked the route up to the Torii pass. Here are some pictures of the trek:

Matsumoto Castle

Matsumoto Castle is one of very few Japanese castles that have not been destroyed at one time or another.