We awoke in our old shukuba to another warm summer morning, with a few hours until the proprieter would arrive to clean the place. We had a lot to sort out, as well as get food ready for the day but before we left we wanted to wander up and down this old post town. Although there are fewer surviving buildings, the street still holds a handful of traditional shukuba which are enjoyable to walk past. We also took some time to explore the knick knacks in the house – the old signage, equiptment like sewing machines, and the water trough outside. We also took time to notice the wear on the home, it had stood for 150 years and the main sliding doors have worn through with the hundreds of hands that have opened and closed them.

We were headed back to Azumino in preparation for an overnight hike so we driving back up the Kiso valley. It was an absolutely sweltering day and so we really wanted to enjoy some cooler places, and that means heading to the water. The first aim of the day was to get to Atera Valley, which is widely visited all year, but especially during the summer. We drove south (in the wrong direction for our goal) but were greeted by closed road signs, waving uniformed officials, and signs to the Japanese version of park and ride. It turns out that during the summer it is a “my car” spot, which means only buses and taxis have access. We didn’t fancy a 30-40 minute sweltering bus journey up a mountain, so we checked the maps and found another local valley which also looked beautiful. We headed up some narrow mountain roads and popped out nearby Kakizore Gorge. A quick walk through the forest brought us to a stunning emerald green river, it was cooler in the shade under the trees, and after hiking to the end of the valley to see Ushiga falls, we took off our shoes and socks and cooled our bodies in the river water.

On our way out I had a lovely conversation with someone from Saitama on a break for a few nights to get away from the heat. We wandered back to the car park, got into the sweltering car, and plotted our route out of the Kiso valley. Our next stop was yet another valley, Nezame-no-toko Gorge, which has a famous legend, the Legend of Taro Urashima. After saving a turtle, Taro Urashima is offered a trip to an underwater palace and is given a box before being returned to the surface world. He is shocked to find that hundreds of years have passed. In despair, he opens the box, and all the time that has passed catches up with his body, and he dies. Although the tale is sad, this spot is well visited since travellers used the Nakasendo route. It was popular that day too, even though is was blisteringly hot!

We kept travelling up the Kiso valley onto a less visited Post Town – Fukushima-juku. Compared to Magome-juku, Tsumago-juku, and Narai-juku, there are only a handful of original buildings left in the town, even so it was nice to walk through the town and see the difference in the buildings.

The day was boiling hot in the valley, and so being outside and wandering around was becoming unpleasant. We hopped back in the car and kept heading out of the valley. Our final stop in the Kiso valley was on the outskirts of Narai-juku to see the Kiso-no-Ohashi Bridge. This bridge is a reconstruction of the historic bridge that stood on this spot, but has the title of the widest wooden bridge in Japan. These arched style of bridges in Japan are really fun to cross, so I would recommend stopped by.

We finally reached out end destination for the day, a rental house in Azumino, that had its own onsen inside! You can’t quite see it in the photo but the bath was super deep, and is fed with natural onsen water, such a treat! If you find yourself in Azumino do check out this property https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/787018781066863932?source_impression_id=p3_1752495597_P3VuFJ2yMWe4h0tO