Roads and Post Towns
Kiso lacquerware is located in one of the 11 post towns along the Nakasendo, one of the five main roads of the Edo period. It developed along with the construction of the Nakasendo. The Kiso Valley is characterized by its quaint scenery that fascinates writers and artists, and as its poetry and woodblock prints became known to the world, the road and post towns became bustling with travelers, and the area prospered as a base for the production, sale, and distribution of local products, such as lacquerware. Kiso Hirasawa and Lacquerware Town
Narai-juku, known as "the 1,000th post town of Narai," flourished as the leading post town on the Kiso Kaido road and, together with the lacquerwork town of Kiso Hirasawa, developed as a famous production area for woodwork and lacquerware.
It would also be nice to walk from the 33rd post station on the Nakasendo, Sekisho Niekawa-juku (the northernmost of the 11 Kiso post stations), formerly known as Narakawa village , through Kiso Hirasawa in Urushi-cho (a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings), to the 34th post station on the Nakasendo, Narai-juku (a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings).
Kiso lacquerware , Kiso lacquerware and Shiojiri wine
From here, the Kisoji Monument, the northernmost point of the Kisoji (Niekawa-juku)