igoiseeishoot: Morning in Magome, Nakasendo post-town

25 May 2016

Woke up slightly after 4 AM in the Tajimaya Ryokan, where we stayed in Magome. It could be the brightening sky or the birds chirping outside the window that woke me up earlier than usual. I could not get back to sleep anymore and just laid on the futon, placed on the tatami mat floor, and listened to the birds and sound of gurgling water flowing through the drain outside.

The view from my room at Tajimaya Ryokan.

These nesting house swifts are a common sight in Magome and other Japanese houses in the Kiso Valley.

The ryokan serves breakfast at 7.30 AM. We had planned to do a morning walk and photo shoot before that. It was drizzling slightly earlier on but the sky soon cleared as we left Tajimaya.

We walked in the direction of the bus stop that we came from yesterday. I wanted to see the beautiful landscape of paddy fields again.

Magome in the morning.

The “light that burns all night” and the waterwheel near the entrance to the Magome Town.

Beautiful red leaves in Spring!

The path that led to the padi fields also heads towards Ochiai, another post town along the old Nakasendo Highway. We met some school children on their way to school. They greeted us with a cheerful “Ohayō gozaimasu” as they walked pass. What politeness.

Newly planted Japonica rice. May is the season of rice planting.

Spring flowers a plenty.

Heading back to ryokan for breakfast.

Tajimaya serves the morning breakfast in the common room.

Japanese breakfast with some Western-style items. A filling meal of rice, miso soup, pickles, grilled fish, seaweed, tofu, eye roll, ham, green salad, mashed potatos, small piece of sausage. Green tea and coffee!