Day 11

Today marked the grand beginning of my Nakasendo hike. In a stroke of genius, I offloaded my 11kg luggage at a 7/11, where they kindly agreed to forward it to my hotel for Tuesday (because, who needs heavy lifting when you can delegate, right?). Armed with a tiny new backpack, I set off on my adventure. My plan? Take the tube straight to the train station. Naturally, I ended up at a bus station instead. But not to worry, buses to Magome were also available, so I embraced the detour.

Now, as luck would have it, the bus hit a traffic jam so epic, it doubled the travel time. Oh well, as I like to say, 'the route is the goal!' Once I arrived in Magome, I was ready to hit the trail—well, almost. Turns out, Google Maps can only take you where you want to go if you *tell* it where you want to go. A minor navigational hiccup later, I finally set off on the right track.

Magome was heaving with tourists—busloads of them, in fact—just a bit too much bustle for my liking. But once I escaped the crowd and got properly on the trail, it was blissfully quiet. Thanks to my earlier misadventures, I was running a bit late, but the timing worked out as the trail was practically empty, the sun was shining at a glorious 26°C, and everything was simply perfect.

After a few hours, I arrived in Tsumago, another charming post town, far less crowded and full of delightful little shops and cafés. I stopped in one and bought a sweet—having no idea what it was, of course. To my utter delight, it turned out to be a chestnut paste cookie, absolutely divine! Naturally, I went back and bought eight more. You know, just to stock up for future hikes.

From there, I caught a bus to Nagiso, where the owner of the ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn, complete with tatami mats and communal baths) kindly picked me up. This place is gorgeous, with just three rooms, and all the guests gather around the fireplace while I sit here typing this. I can’t wait to see what’s for dinner! It’s been a beautiful day—Zen moments included—and after 20,000 steps (14km), I’m quite sure I’ll sleep like a baby tonight!"