There are almost no articles on Saitama Prefecture in this blog. So, this week, I will attack Saitama Prefecture.
The course I came up with for Saitama Prefecture was to walk along a highway. Today, I walked along the Nikko Kaido north of the Oiwake (branch) of the Mito Kaido.
When I dropped by Otori Shrine, there was a cogon grass ring and I experienced my first cogon grass ring.
Senju-juku
Oiwake with Nikko Kaido and Mito Kaido is located in Senju-juku.
Keisei Sekiya Station
The plan was to go from Keisei Sekiya Station to Oiwake, passing by the west side of Tokyo Denki University and passing through Kitasenju Station to Oiwake.
Hydrangeas
I thought I wouldn’t get lost because it was a straight path, and the hydrangeas were beautiful, but I couldn’t see Tokyo Denki University for a long time.
Taroyama mountain
I found myself passing by Senju Asahi Park (Taroyama Park), about 450 meters northeast of Kitasenju Station. Maybe I have no sense of direction…
Hand pump and water tank for manhole toilet
But thanks to my lack of sense of direction, I found out what this equipment was, which I had been wondering about for a long time. It was a hand pump and water tank for a manhole toilet. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is steadily advancing its disaster countermeasures. However, I forgot to take a picture of the manhole.
Kita Senju Station
It was a long way from Senju Asahi Park, but I made my first attempt and went through Kita Senju Station.
Nikko Kaido
About 200 meters west of Kitasenju Station, you will come to Nikko Kaido.
It was a crazy sunny day today, and it was extremely hot.
Junction of Nikko Kaido and Mito Kaido
Soon, I came to a junction with Mito Kaido.
On the right is the Nihonbashi area, the road with the no-entry sign is the Mito Kaido, and the road with the yellow light is the Nikko Kaido.
Junction of Nikko Kaido and Shimotsuma Kaido
Less than 100 meters from there, I came to a junction with the Shimotsuma Road. This area seems to have been a key point for traffic.
Senju Shinbashi Bridge
Crossing the Arakawa River at Senju Shinbashi Bridge. Since there was no Arakawa spillway in the Edo period, tourists must have passed about 250 meters to the left (west) of the bridge.
After crossing the Arakawa spillway, there are no landmarks to be seen for a while. I was wondering if I would be able to write an article with only a few pictures.
Tobu Railway Old Track
The landmark that finally appeared was the stone monument “Tobu Railway Old Track”. It is located at a Y-junction about 300 meters south of Umejima Station.
The Tobu Isezaki Line was opened in 1899 (Meiji 32). At that time, the Arakawa Spillway did not exist, so the line from Nishiarai Station to Kitasenju Station was much straighter.
However, due to a major flood in 1910, the government decided to build the Arakawa Spillway the following year as a countermeasure against flooding, and construction work was carried out from 1913 to 1930. Since railroad bridges are usually built orthogonally to the river, the route went around Gotanno and Kosuge, and as a result, this is the site of the old railroad track.
Stylish 7-Eleven building
The road was not changing much again, so I took a picture of the stylish 7-Eleven building.
In the meantime, I saw many signs for Shimane Washi Shrine. I decided to stop by and see if I could get some pictures.
Shimane Washi Shrine
It was a good decision to stop by the shrine. I found a group of kindergarteners happily making their way through the Cogon Grass Ring! This is an ancient ritual called “Nagoshi-oharae”, which seems to be held at many shrines, but this is the first time I’ve seen a Cogon Grass Ring.
I waited for the children to finish going through it, and then I was allowed to go through it too.
Cogon Grass Ring
There are rules for passing through the ring. First, from the front, go through the Cogon Grass Ring in a leftward direction, then return to the front. Next, go through the ring to the right, and then again to the left before proceeding to the shrine.
Having followed the proper etiquette, I’m sure I’ll be in good health this summer.
By the way, the origin of the Eagle Shrine is said to be the arrival of Yamatotakeru-no-Mikoto, the god of Japan, at this place. I remembered that the ring of thatch originated from Susano-no-mikoto, but I guess the tolerant Japanese don’t care about details.
Ke-Naga River
Today, I heard the name of the Ke-Naga River for the first time. It was also today that I learned that this river is the border between Adachi Ward, Tokyo and Soka City, Saitama Prefecture.
Soka-juku
Sengen Shrine
After entering Soka, I saw numerous signs for Sengen Shrine, so I decided to stop by.
Chozuya
It was a good decision to stop by the shrine. I found this chozuya (purification trough)!
What’s so precious about chozuya, you ask?
High and low surveying metre
This is the side. Can you see that there is a symbol that looks like a Chinese character “不” carved on it?
The explanatory board says, “There is a high and low surveying metre (kigo) with a flake on the hand-washing stone,” and I think this is the metre. I’m not sure because the horizontal bar and right payment are not clear.
Incidentally, the metrics is a British-style level point adopted by the Ministry of the Interior. Later, it was replaced by the German style level point adopted by the Ministry of the Army, so it is no longer in use. In the first place, the hand washing stone is movable, so the level can be easily changed, right? I wonder if that is a good idea.
Ikeda store
Kyusuke
Soka is known for its Soka senbei (rice crackers). There are many stores along the Nikko Kaido. There is a store next to the factory of Ikedaya, and they sell the rice crackers directly, so I went in and bought some. It was Kyusuke (broken rice crackers).
Fujishiro Family Residence
Scenes typical of the old highway appear one after another. First, the Fujishiro Family Residence. It is a nationally registered tangible cultural property.
Site of the Shimizuhonjin
Next was the site of the Shimizuhonjin. On the explanatory board, there was a record of several famous feudal lords who stayed here. Among them, the name of Harunori Uesugi (Yozan) of the Yonezawa clan gave me a thrill. He was a man who taught that “if you do it, you will get it.” He encouraged frugality and thrift, but the fact that he stayed in the main camp means that he spent money where it was due.
Shimenya
While I was waiting at a traffic light in front of Soka Senbei Shimenya, I spotted a sign that read, “Handmade rice cracker making workshop / Please feel free to ask!”
I entered the store and told them that I wanted to try my hand at making handmade rice crackers, and they welcomed me with open arms.
I was told, “Please wait for about five minutes while we start the fire,” and as I waited, they offered me a cup of cold tea!
It was very hot and thirsty today, so it soaked into my body.
When the electric heating wire was warmed up, I took a piece of fabric and placed it on the heating wire. It was harder and heavier than I expected.
I was told to turn it over every three seconds, so I kept turning it over busily. This is the world of “Is the rice cracker cooked?” When the rice cracker swells a little, it is pressed down with an oshigawara to prevent it from bending while baking. The oshigawara is ceramic, and the oshigawara is also heavier than I expected. When it is a nice color, remove it to a plate, brush on some soy sauce, and it is ready to eat.
The rice crackers I baked
The fee for this fun experience was 70 yen per piece.
Rice Crackers of Shimenya
I was sorry to leave like this, so I bought a few products.
So I bought a few items and was given another cup of cold tea.
I really felt that taking care of customers like this is what real business is all about.
Next time I am in Soka, I will shop at Shimenya again.
Osen Park
This is Osen Park. This is the birthplace of Soka senbei.
Osen, a dumpling maker, used to throw away unsold dumplings. However, she thought it would be a waste of money, so she flattened them, dried them, and baked them to make senbei.
The round stone monument represents a rice cracker, and the long, thin stone monument represents chopsticks used for baking rice crackers.
Watchtower
Inside the watchtower
There is a pentagonal watchtower in Fudabagashi Park. It is said to be a facility for fire detection. The outside is old. But the inside is shining.
Yatate Bridge
This is the Yatate Bridge. This is a pedestrian bridge.
Soka City’s devotion to the Nikko Kaido is so great that they built such a splendid pedestrian bridge.
Soka Matsubara promenade
After passing the Yatate Bridge, you will reach the Soka Matsubara promenade. This place is worth a visit. The Yatate Bridge was a stage direction to show this scenery effectively. Well, it’s magnificent.
Hyakutai Bridge
There is also a Hyakutai Bridge for people walking from the opposite side.
I remember that in the Oku-no-Hosomichi (narrow path to Oshu) that I learned when I was a student, the word “hakutai” was written in ruby, so I felt a little uncomfortable.
Echigaya-juku
Gamo Bridge
I cross the Ayase River at the Gamo Bridge.
When I was a student, the water quality of the Ayase River was the worst in Japan.
When I checked the recent situation, I found that it was the second worst in 2014 and the fourth worst in 2015. Not much has changed.
I guess the water quality of the Ayase River is getting better, but other rivers are also doing their best, so I guess it’s hard to improve the ranking.
Prefectural Route 49
After that, I walked all the way back to Minamikoshigaya Station on Prefectural Route 49.
Minamikoshigaya Station
Walking data
Course: JR Joban Line Kitasenju Station -> Nikko Kaido -> JR Musashino Line Minamikoshigaya Station
Distance: 19.5km
Time: 5h39m
Water: 1.5 liters of sparkling water
