Fun of Good Old Japanese - 江戸・明治に学ぶ　楽しむ生き方

Karuizawa Town, which is one of the most popular summer resorts, was a transportation hub. Oiwake-juku ( post town ) in Karuizawa Town was the junction of Nakasendou and Hokkoku-kaidou. Nakasendou was the highway which linked Edo (old name of Tokyo) and Kyoto. The starting point of Hokkoku-kaidou to Niigata was Oiwake-juku. The junction, the teahouse and the milestone recall us the old time. The museum is an old inn style building. Most of all exhibits of the museum are about trips in the Edo period (1603 ～ 1868). When I visited, the special exhibition about three post towns in Karuizawa Town was held. Let’s see the old trips. ( Photos were taken and uploaded under the permission of the museum office. Taking photos of exhibits owned by a private individual were not allowed.) 日本を代表する避暑地･別荘地の軽井沢町は、関東に通じる碓氷峠を前にし、中山道だけではなく、新潟県（上越市）や群馬県（草津町）から来た道が集まる交通の要衝でした。追分宿は中山道と、善光寺を経由して新潟へ向かう北国街道が分かれる場所です。宿にある、分岐点（追分の分去れ）、茶屋、一里塚が往時を思い出させてくれます。 郷土館は、旅籠風に作られた建物で、展示品の大部分は江戸時代の旅に関するもの です。更に、企画展「浅...

Karuizawa, which is one of the most popular summer resorts, was a post town of an old highway called Nakasendou . The museum is near the road and shows us the history. I found rare exhibits such as bells attached to a horse. Photos were taken and uploaded under the permission of the museum office. 日本を代表する避暑地･別荘地の軽井沢は、中山道の宿場町 でした。資料館は街道のほど近くにあり、宿場だった時代、別荘地になった時代などを分かりやすく紹介しています。馬に付ける鈴など、珍しい品が展示されていました。 資料館の許可を得て撮影及び掲載しました。   The classy museum in the forest is looks like a villa. 資料館は、旧中山道から少し上がった森の中にあり、別荘風の上品な建物です。 There is a large panel inside the entrance of the exhibition area.  Karuizawa is in a highland (the elevation is around 1000m); it’s not a good place to grow rice  because of the cool weather. Moreover,  Mt. Asama is an active volcano, that has occasional eruptions.   It wasn’t easy to live there . In the  Edo period  (1603 ～ 1868) ,  the highway which links Tokyo and Kyoto (Nakasendou) was developed, and Karuizawa became an a...

The small wooden museum in Nagasaki City in western Japan is the place where the hero in the end of Edo period (1603 ～ 1868) stationed . His name is “Sakamoto Ryoma” (1864-1867) who was a lower-class samurai , but it is said that he contributed to change ruler from the shogun to the emperor a lot (Meiji Restoration). He was very popular among Japanese even now, because of his dynamic lifestyle. Sadly, he was assassinated just before the new government (Meiji) started when he was thirty-one. 長崎市の亀山社中記念館は、倒幕の熱い志を持った 坂本龍馬が亀山社中の拠点を置いた建物 です。元々は、亀山焼を扱っていた家でした。 龍馬といえば、多くの人は司馬遼太郎の小説を通して彼を知り、感銘を受けています。職員さんによると、司馬氏が調査に来たときは、玄関側の二間（現在の事務所と第一展示室）が亀山社中が使っている場所と考えられていて、「龍馬が来る」もそのイメージで書かれたそうです。でも、後で、長崎の街を望む庭側の二間（現在の第一展示室と第二展示室）を使っていたことが分かったそうです。マニアックな話ですが。   The uphill  road to the museum  is named “Ryoma Street”. 記念館への登り道 は「龍馬通り」と名付けられています。 The gateway of the museum  is at the middle of the steep slope. 急坂の途中に 記念館の入口 があります。 I passed  through the gate .  門をくぐっ...