Perpetual Zenith #18

For the weary travelers, Japanese post towns, shukuba (宿場), provide a much-needed respite from a long journey across mountainous areas of the land of the rising sun. In the mountain region of Nagano, one such small town is seated deep in the valley. Its name is Tsumago-juku. It’s not easy traveling to different shukubas. There are no hotels around and only a few ryokans (旅館), Japanese inns, are scattered around the valley. The famous shinkansen carrying salarymen and tourists don’t pass nearby. An intrepid traveler could possibly resort to a car or an occasional bus running on Japan’s strict but sparse rural schedule. The building where the tea-making and fire ceremonies take place was bu...View all