Sawayaka Walking in Shimada (1) - Travel during Edo period

Last Sunday, I went to Kanaya (about 40 minutes from Hamamatsu by train) to participate in Sawayaka Walking held by JR Central. Because of the coronavirus, many people prefer staying at home on weekends recently. But I just wanted to walk as I usually sit in front of the computer all day. When I arrived at Kanaya Station, I found all the staff giving out maps to the participants of the event wore masks.

In Japan, we often wear masks in winter or early spring to prevent diseases (cold, influenza, hay fever, etc.) or not to transmit diseases to others when going out. Now, masks are sold out in some convenient stores and drugstores and difficult to find. Seeing a great many people in the train and streets who wore masks, I realized again how serious the current situation is. I remembered healthcare professionals who were working devotedly, especially nurses in Wuhan who cut their hair to prevent infection. I was deeply impressed by their professionalism. I hope the coronavirus will be settled soon.

As for the course of walking, I got a map like this. Between Kanaya and Shimada (destination), there is a big river with a width of more than 1 km. It is called Oigawa or Oi River.

During the Edo period (1603-1869), this river was the hardest point on Tokaido Highway to pass because there was no bridge over it. It was technically impossible to build one at that time as the river was wide and fast-moving. So, travelers used to cross the river with help of local people who were occupationally engaged in carrying travelers to the other side.

Fortunately, they have bridges now. This is a bridge for both cars and pedestrians, and we walked there in strong wind. It may be the longest bridge I’ve ever crossed on foot. In Shimada, there is also the longest wooden bridge in the world (897.4m), which is only for pedestrians and bicycles.

Soon after arriving at the other side of river, we visited Shimada City Museum.

Now, they have an exhibition of “Sweets of Tokaido.” Tokaido was a highway between Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto with 53 post towns including Shimada, Kanaya, and Hamamatsu along it. Many towns had their local sweets, and travelers in old days enjoyed them as they traveled from town to town.

I think every sightseeing spot in Japan has a comic foreground.

Shimada City Museum is worth visiting if you are interested in travelers in the Edo period. At the counter, they are selling a set of post cards of 53 post towns, which I had never seen before, and separate post cards of some towns in Shizuoka Prefecture including Shimada and Kanaya, and other areas.

This is the entrance of the exhibition on the first floor.

On Tokaido Highway, there were a variety of people coming and going; merchants, samurai, monks, express messengers, pilgrims, etc. During the Edo Period, both men and women had their hair done up. One of the most popular hair styles for women was “Shimada-mage.” It was originated from Shimada and had several variations. The leftmost one is still typical for the bride in a traditional Japanese-style wedding.

I liked this one. This style was for a daughter of a rich merchant.

This is a typical traveler with a hat in his hand. In Japanese historical dramas, you can see this kind of costume sometimes.

And these are his belongings; a lunch box, wallet, folding pillow, Odawara lantern (folding lantern), etc.

These are guidebooks for travelers containing the names of the post towns, distance to the next post town, etc. Travelers had also a pass with them that served as ID at some check points.

To cross the river, travelers sat on a palanquin or litter, or on someone’s shoulder. The fee varied depending on the measure to cross the river and the depth of water. When feudal lords crossed the river by using a palanquin, it cost about 87,360 - 157,900 yen, while it was about 9,360 - 16,920 yen/person or 12,480 - 22,560 yen/2 persons in the case of ordinary people. I thought the fee was quite expensive, but for those who were engaged in it, it must have been very hard work especially in winter.

I went upstairs to see the exhibition of “Sweets of Tokaido.” I could see many traditional vegan sweets such as rice cakes, manju or buns stuffed with adzuki bean paste, and dumplings that are available as local specialties even today. Each local sweet has its history or legend, which I thought very interesting. Since it was prohibited to take pictures on the second floor, I took a picture of sweets from confectionary stores in Shimada instead when I returned to the first floor. Near the museum, they had an event “Japanese Sweet Bar”. It was another highlight of this walking event, and I left the museum with a great expectation.