Takahara to Chikatsuyu to Tsugizkura, Day 4

Today, we walked over 14 km from Takahara through forest land, mostly uphill to our lunch stop at Gyuba-doji guchi bus stop, post 23.  Note the trail is very well posted with numbered markers every 500 meters.  We started at post 0 and yesterday walked to near post 8 or 4 km.  Thus the distance walked in the morning today was ((23-8)/2) or 7.5 km.  The inn gave us bagged lunchs and we bought drinks, cookies and plum ice cream from a shop at the picnic area at the bus stop.  After lunch, we had a little more forest walking before crossing a major river (used for cleansing the soul) and arriving at the village of Chitatsuyu-oji.  This translates as "blood or dew."  It relates to a story about a nobleman who while traveling needed some chopsticks for eating.  A companion brought some sticks that were somewhat red in color and the master asked if the red was blood or dew, so they named the village after that question.

We left the village and for most of the rest of the walk today, we were on paved back roads.  Our major afternoon stop was te Hidehira-zakura cherry tree, a historical location that was reknown for cherry trees gratfed on cedar trees, at post number 33.  While this is not scientifically possible, that is the story and there are some impressive trees at the site of this "oji" (pronounced ogee). 

It is called Tsurizakura-oji and has 700 year old trees that about 20 feet in circumference or so.  There is a nice shrine at the top of a stone staircase with the trees bordering the stairs.  

We walked down to the village of Tsurizakura, past a holy spring and to our inn for the night.  We showered and soaked, had beers in the "lobby," then had a very nice array of local delicacies for dinner.  There were a number of mushrooms, vegatables, fish and the like, with a special of thin slices of wild boar meat.