I've just completed the mammoth task of deciding what to do with my mum when she visits. The possibilities were endless: what to do when you you've got Japan at your doorstep, one Japan Rail Pass, 3 months worth of pay and 5 days off work? I felt the pressure to show her the best Japan could offer. Finally, after weeks of prodding her for ideas- and receiving varying suggestions such as "somewhere warm", "somewhere we can't go on a weekend", "anywhere, really" - I took the plunge and booked us a 2 nights at two different minshukus (family-run inns) in the Kiso Valley, Nagano prefecture. After making the commitment to invest time and money in these places, I spent the rest of the day convincing myself I had made a good choice. The Kiso Valley is home to the Nakasendo road, a 'post road' (whatever that is) from the Edo period (1600-1868). Many of the towns along this route have been preserved as they were in the Edo period, even to the extent where no aerial wires are allowed. You can walk a 9km trail past woods, farms and old inns between two of the towns (Magome and Tsumago). The minshukus we're staying in were apparently resting spots for travellers back in the day. Anyway, it'll probably be pretty damn cold, but I'm looking forward to 'stepping back in time' for a couple of days, and seeing 'the other Japan', as one travel website put it. So much for "somewhere warm"!
PS. My bedroom has just reached a high of 18 degrees after I broke down and turned the heater on for the first time. Yep, winter's definitely approaching, and they're predicting a not-so-mild one.
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