Food was laid out beautifully as always. Pickled greens, pickled beans, miso soup, soba, semi-raw egg, salmon, yoghourt, natto, salad, rice, and nori.
Bus from the ryokan to town, with the other walkers who were also staying at the same place, then off into the forest. Hot and humid, lush greenery, stone paths which could be quite slippery.
At the top of the Torii Pass was a temple, lovely and quiet and pleasant, but un-manned.
Bridge paths over quite deep gullies had no railings! I found this delightful and amazing as obviously if you’re so stupid you fall off the bridge it’s your own damn fault.
Arrival in Narai was uneventful, with the Narakawa-Narai Folklore Museum near the path into town- was really cool! Displays of a miniature palanquin, the procession of court, weapons and battle standards and such.
Narai itself, or the old town at least, was very linear, with many shops for lacquerware and chopsticks and ice cream. The signs were really good, except for the lack of Roman letters for translating what is where. And graveyards are rad.
Next – Walk from Narai to Kiso to Karuizawa