Highlight

• This special experience features a visit to a completely abandoned hamlet with numerous historic kominka (folk houses) built over
  200 years ago. A portion of the program fees will go toward local preservation efforts.
• As this is an isolated hamlet deep in the mountains, you will be able to experience tranquil natural surroundings without the noise
  found in urban areas. On a clear night, those staying overnight will also be able to enjoy a sky full of stars.
• Meals will consist of food that you prepare yourself using a traditional Japanese cooking stove and open hearth. This way you will experience traditional life in the Odaira-juku post town first hand.

Story

Odaira-juku is the name of a small hamlet lying secluded in the forests on a plateau by an old trade route halfway between the Kiso and the Ina Valley. In the winter of 1970, midst heavy snowfall, all villagers abandoned their homes in the mountains and descended down into the Ina Valley.
From the mid-1700s onward, the Odaira Kaido was an important trade route that linked the Kiso and Ina Valleys at their southern ends. Located on a pass halfway between the valleys, the Odaira-juku post town served as a place to rest for traders and pilgrims, travelling to worship at temples and shrines.

Odaira-juku prospered and sometimes as many as 120 people stayed at one of the inns in a single night. Later, with the rapid modernization of Japan after World War II, modern roads were built to replace the Odaira Kaido, trade receded, and while all around lifestyles were changing rapidly, life in Odaira-juku became more and more difficult, which finally led to the inhabitants leaving their homes. However, in 1973, when a company proposed to build holiday cottages in the abandoned hamlet, a movement to preserve the nature and heritage of Odaira-juku formed around some of the former inhabitants. They cut grass and restored the abandoned houses and since 2017, the local DMO has been taking the lead
in managing the area and preserving the historic buildings for the future while using them as an educational and tourist resource.

In this program, local guides, who are striving to preserve Odaira-juku for the future, will guide you around the old post town, where you will learn about its history and experience life in an Edo period mountain hamlet first hand.

Activity Level

• Activities consists of indoor experiences and a light walk around town, which are suitable for every fitness level

Technical Level

• As this is not a conventional tourist facility, this tour is geared toward those who can enjoy aspects outside of everyday life, which might
  be considered “inconvenient”.

Price Per Person

• 22,100JPY for a day trip
• 39,000JPY for an overnight stay

Language

English

Event Duration

Day Trip or Overnight Stay

Distance / Elevation

N/A

Age / Height:

11 y/o and above

Meeting Point

Odaira-juku

Disbanding Point

Odaira-juku

Program Availability

Early-May ~ Early-November

Participants

2 – 8 people

Application Deadline

90 days in advance

Agent Name

Minami Shinshu Tourism Bureau

Note

• Please understand that Odaira-juku is not a conventional tourist facility, but a heritage site where preservation efforts are undertaken through means of experience tours. While you may experience certain inconveniences, we hope that you will be able to appreciate them as the unique quality of your stay in Odaira-juku.
• The building where you stay is filled with valuable historical relics, so please take extreme care not to cause damage or fire.
• There is no mobile phone or wi-fi service.
• There is a public satellite telephone, which accepts 100 yen coins. The fees are 200 yen for the first 33 seconds, and 100 yen for every subsequent 30-second period.
• Tap water and the bath tub inside the
  house cannot be used.

Clothing/Wha to bring

• Light working gloves for cooking on the open hearth
• Clothing that suits the weather, is comfortable and may get dirty.

Included in the fee

• English speaking guide
• Preservation contribution fee
• Lunch ingredients (rice, vegetables, beef, pork, sausages)
• Firewood
• Cooking equipment rental fee
• Paper utensils (plates, cups, bowls, chopsticks)
• Water (one 2- liter bottle per person).

Not included in the fee

• Transportation costs
• Insurance (please purchase international travel insurance in your own country)
• Anything else not specified in “what is included” above.
  Bank transfer fees are borne by the customer.

Clothing/Wha to bring

• Light working gloves for cooking on the open hearth
• Clothing that suits the weather, is comfortable and may get dirty.
• Warm pyjamas
• Second set of clothing
• Toiletries and towel.
• In the night it can get cold in Odaira-juku, even in summer.

Included in the fee

• English speaking guide fee (only until the evening of the first day, after which time participants will be on their own)
• Preservation contribution fee
• Ingredients for lunch on the first day (rice, vegetables, beef, pork,
  sausages)
• Ingredients for dinner on the first night (rice, vegetables, curry or white stew base, pork)
• Ingredients for breakfast on the second day (packaged cup noodles, similar rice product, or cereals with milk)
• Firewood
• Cooking equipment rental fee
• Paper utensils (plates, cups, bowls, chopsticks)
• Water (2-liter bottles per person)
• Rental fee for sleeping bag and mat.

Not included in the fee

• Transportation costs, insurance (please purchase international travel insurance in your own country)
• Anything else not specified in “what is included” above.
  Bank transfer fees are borne by the customer.