Nakasendo highway

There are five routes that link Kyoto and Edo (the old name for Tokyo), but of those there were two of the most important ones. One is called Nakasendo 中山道, another is called Tokaido 東海道. For this journey I choose the Nakasendo, which suggested by the Japanese kanji as the route between mountains. It has 69 stations in between and will take 534 km of up and down the slopes through mountains. Although going through Nakasendo will be more difficult compares to Tokaido (which is more flat as it takes the route along the pacific coast), this line is not so rarely chosen by others for its beautiful scenery and historical preservation. Some people walk all through the way from Kyoto to Edo for up to 27 days, while I choose to ride my bicycle so I can explore wider places more efficiently in golden hour (more description on upcoming post). Nakasendo was built around 8th century when Nara was the capital city of Japan, in order to consolidate the growing Japan together. But its development reached its peak during the Edo period (1600-1868), when Japan moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo. Many parts along its way is preserved and retained its authenticity, and some claimed it as the heart of Japan. Some famous persons were reported to pass through the Nakasendo line. To name a few, the 17th century haiku master Matsuo Basho, 19th century writer Shimazaki Toson who wrote 夜明けの前 (Yoake no Mae; Before The Dawn), and the most extravagant of all was the journey of Princess Kazunomiya with her 15,000 servants on her way to marry Iemochi the 14th Tokugawa Shogun. But let all have their own reasons to plan and choose the route. As for me, the mystery of what lies between each journey is the gem of every travel!

map of Nakasendo from Kyoto (most left) to Edo (most right) 

taken from a book with my notes on it. 

About Travelling

I just did some worthy improvements on my website, specifically on "Maling Jemuran" (The Laundry Thief) section today. It is about 75% done, there are far too many photos of the collection that I need to select and upload and some technical problems. You still can check it out if you want. The link is:

www.aikourfia.com
(then click on "Maling Jemuran/The Laundry Thief" on the left menu)

While working on it, I remembered how I enjoyed the taking picture process, travelling by myself to strange places, finding new friends and "new families" along the way, saying hello and good bye. Nobody knows who I am. I have no label. No one expect me to be somebody, neither I don't expect others to be somebody to me. We use only senses and instinct. Free of any logical thinking, free of any prejudices. Everything is new, everything is surprise. It's the world I love, the world of travelling.

I admitted as a lone woman traveller I was not all in a safe and comfortable condition at all times, especially when I prefer thrift backpacking style of travelling. I did experience some sexual harassement and money trickery. But above those, I experienced many wonderful things which enriched my view of world, which differs from the world that I know. I learn many different ways of thinking, for that broadens my level of tolerance. And there is wisdom behind danger: when all you can do is to trust yourself in the hand of strangers, all you can do is to smile and to think that every strangers you meet are by no means enemies and thus, are friends. In that way, travelling has become a tool of pure expression in sincerity. A sincerity which is a kind of difficult when you already became a part of community where you have certain "label" attached to you.

And therefore, if you track my past works, they were all have the "spirit of a traveller", "spirit of a wanderer". So if in "Maling Jemuran/The Laundry Thief" I was wandering across villages in Indonesia hunting for certain "identities" through laundries, here in my next project "Journey To My Childhood" I'm looking forward to really immerse myself into the whole experience of the being a stranger in Japan looking for recalling my "lost childhood" or "the childhood that I have left behind". To this too, I want to blog my real time experiences I am going to encounter along the journey. Be it amusing, exciting, heartwarming, frightening, or lonely, or tedious, all are noteworthy to be recorded.