The Nakasendo Way * Part 8

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The Nakasendo Way ~ Rest, Recovery, Recuperation...

Less than an hour away from Tokyo
on the speedy shinkansen
is the little town of Hakone,
sitting quietly on the shores of Lake Ashi.

It is here at a very comfortable hotel that I have decided
to pamper you with R,R&R. ~ Rest recovery and recuperation,
after the long and busy twelve days of walking the Nakasendo Way.

Firstly you can enjoy a hot sand bath
followed by a lounge in the hot springs outdoor spa
under the starry night, and then we will
listen to Pachelbel in the Garden and
look for Mt Fuji, well hidden in the mist

If you are feeling up to it we can take the ancient
Cryptomeria walk from Moto Hakone to Hakone-machi.
Here the trees are aged over 360 years.

Near the huge torii at the entrance to town
we will watch over the tops of our steaming soba bowls
as the town and lake disappear into the mist.

Gateless gate
Through morning mists
and murmurs from the sea
Emerges - one vermillion torii

Kinkaku

On our last morning we take a walk around the edge
of Lake Ashi one final time and there from between
the fir trees on the shore I spy the shy face of Mt Fuji,
her crown still draped in snow.

The Pilgrim
Without a word of warning look, alone
above the clouds, Mt Fuji's cone

Onitsura

The view of Mt Fuji was a perfectly appropriate ending
to our walk in Japan.

It was here at Hakone that I learned that fuji means wisteria.

The wind from Mt Fuji
I put it on the fan
Here, the souvenir from Edo

Basho

If you now find yourself interested in walking Japan or learning more about this Edo period and the Nakasendo history I suggest you take a look at www.walkjapan.com and www.nakasendoway.com, both of which are researched and created by Dick Irving and Tom Stanley the founding partners of Walk Japan.






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