Japan Tokaido

i had a good dinner, yakitoris and beers in one of my favorite restaurant in kyoto. i meet this cool guy 70 years old who travelled a lot.after a good talk i will enjoy a good sleep in my capsule hotel just near sanjo bridge.

Sanjo bridge it's usually the arrival point in kyoto for people start the tokaido from Tokyo. for me it's my starting point. i start this trip the 8th june at 12:00 under a cloudy sky.

Otsu have few pretty temples to visit but you have to go to the north of the city (not on my way). I make a quick half way break here front of the lake Biwa. the rainy clouds are'nt too far behind i have to move.

I start to walk at 11:30 with sunny day. would be better to start early because not many shades on the way. first part of the road its about Auto dealers, pachinko, hotels and restaurant. after you can use some side road. near Ishibe but until you arrive near koka it's just a road.

Minakuchi juku or koka one of the 2 famous ninja village in japan. i already visited Iga village so i didnt visit the ninja house here. but if you have time do it and enjoy the few good things to see around koka if you have a car.

In Tsuchiyama-juku it's nice typical street tokaido style on the right side of the main street. but i didn't fund the bridge. I was looking for nice place to do a break and i fund this beautiful sanctuary with lot of shade and this stairs down to the river where you can relax. when i go back to walk i just took on the left and fund the bridge and the view you can actually see on the old estampe.

Seki-juku its one other of the old tokaido spot still visible today. you definitely have to stop here and enjoy the main street with some shop and restaurant. From here i start my additional trip to Ise. in old time japanese travel to ise on the old ise highway. (i still have 30km to walk to reach my hotel).

Today i start to walk from 10:00 check out time. was hard to start but the road was nice and was sunday so i can observed kids playing baseball or trying to catch frogs and families pick-niking near the river. sunday is same than in france. i fund a kind of coin so i decided from now its my lucky coin. sometimes in japan you don't know why you can find things you don't expect as this chalet and this crazy wedding chapel/cathedrale/hotel.

i discovered also the old ise highway i will use to come back. at the end the road being annoying and sometime unsecured for pedestrian so i have to use other itinerary to join Ise and my first guest house of the trip.