Photo above. Plum blossom in early bloom. Kameyama, on the Old Tōkaidō.

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Another Tōkaidō walk.

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This time from Kameyama (亀山) to Seki (関). Quiet roads, a leisurely distance, and a remarkably well-preserved village to finish the day. Finishing in Seki felt as though time stopped hundreds of years ago, offering a real glimpse of what Japan used to be like. It is the best preserved village I’ve yet to visit in Japan.

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Ever so slowly my legs are knocking off kilometre after kilometre of the Old Tōkaidō and it’s an absolute joy. This was the most enjoyable to date. (Previous days can be found here and here.)

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I’m not fooling myself though, this was a great section but I had originally planned to carry on where I left off at Atsuta Shrine a few weeks ago but one look at the route going straight through Nagoya put me off. 

National Route 1 all the way through Nagoya? 

Nope. Not me. 

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But I digress. This walking — this primitive, one foot in front of the other over and over — is forcing me to reassess future objectives and question my past. Why oh why didn’t I start this sooner? Why was I so stubbornly focused on life on two wheels? Why only mountains?

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But it’s okay. Now I know. 

Now I know that if you go a little deeper, take a closer look at the map, there’s even more out there to be uncovered.

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I could do this forever.

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