Japan Travel: Tsumago’s Honjin back to Edo period, Nagano, Japan
【★011★Nagano Kiso Valley Honjin】
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Tsumago was a post town on the Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo. It is known today as one of the best preserved post towns in Japan. The town and its residents go to great lengths to recreate the environment and atomosphere of the Edo Period. Cars are not allowed on the main street in the day and phone lines and power cables are kept concealed, allowing visitors to imagine they have slipped back to an earlier time.
Tsumago also recreates the post town ambience by maintaining its Honjin and Wakihonjin. In all post towns, the Honjin was the principal inn and served government officials who were traveling through. When more accomodations were required, the Wakihonjin served to accommodate the travelers of lower status. Tsumago also maintains the office where laborers and horses were rented to aid in travel.
Tsumago’s Honjin was reconstructed in the 1990s, but great efforts have been taken so that it resembles its condition in the 1830s, when it served as an inn.
Information on Honjin
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Closed: December 29 to January 1
Admission: 300 yen
700 yen combo ticket includes Honjin, Wakihonjin and Rekishi Shiryokan
AloJapan.com