Ten Keitora on the Nakasendō

With a free day, I jumped on the train and headed back to my local section of the Nakasendō for the umpteenth time.

The plan was to walk from Nakatsugawa to Ena — but on a whim, I jumped off at Ena instead, switched direction, and walked to Takenami through the forest and along quieter paths. I knew that stretch would be more peaceful, which was what I was after.

I also gave myself a small goal: photograph at least ten keitora trucks — those compact, mud-splattered little workhorses scattered across the Japanese countryside. I wasn’t allowed to catch a train home until I’d photographed at least ten.

Approaching Takenami Station I had nine, but after crossing Route 19, turning away from the station and making a little detour through the village, that number suddenly shot up to sixteen.

If there’s one thing more ubiquitous in rural Japan than a vegetable patch and rice field, it’s a keitora parked at an odd angle, often in the middle of nowhere. They used to come in white or silver, but in recent years they’ve evolved — and can now be spotted in any number of colours: orange, olive green, blue, and if you’re really lucky, bright pink.

Of the sixteen I photographed, these are the ten I kept.

Magome

Magome, Nakasendō: Holz, Stein, stille Häuser – und der Weg wirkt, als hätte er seit Jahrhunderten dieselbe Geduld.  Auf der Veranda kurz abgesetzt, Stöcke daneben, Schuhe schwer, Kopf leicht. Irgendwo sind Kyoto und Edo nur noch eine alte Verbindungslinie – hier ist einfach Postdorf‑Tempo. Das Schöne daran: Nichts drängelt. Selbst die Geschichte nicht. Sie sitzt nur da und schaut zu, wie man endlich wieder normal atmet. #oskarundco #oskar #nakasendo

https://web.oskarundco.org/2026/03/20/magome/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

In #Japan wandern wie zur #Edo-Zeit, das geht in den Bergen von #Gifu und #Nagano. Auf dem #Nakasendo gibt es Geschichte, Kultur und atemberaubende Berglandschaften. Im Zentrum stehen die beiden Orte #Magome und #Tsumago - doch es gibt noch mehr zu sehen. #Wandern #Reisen

https://sumikai.com/japan-erleben/der-nakasendo-wandern-auf-den-spuren-der-edo-zeit-359389/