Saturday, 3 May 2025

3rd May - Walk to Hagi

This was the day for the biggest walk of the trip - from Sasanami in the hills above Yoda Onsen, down to the coast at Hagi. It was on the Hagi Okan, a trail between the north and south coasts that was used by the daimyos and their retinues on their way to Edo, Tokyo. The section we chose to do is said to be the best part of it.

Breakfast was delicious, again. We had little to pack up, having sent our main bags onwards the previous day. After breakfast it was off down the driveway to the bus which would take us into the hills. It was a pleasant 51 minute ride through varied terrain. The trees are quite tropical, and at this time of year very green.

Heading inland to start our hike

At our stop, Asahi Roadside Station, we intended to stop at a very old cafe, but it wasn't open this morning, so we started our climb into the hills. It was a day for wildlife, and deadlife. We started with some cranes nesting in trees, then saw a tiny dead mole on the track. Not long after a snake slithered off the trail, and there was a rather nice lizard a bit further on. Later, we smelt something nasty, and a huge wild boar was lying beside the road, legs in the air. Not something you'd want to come across alive.

The trail was beside a lovely rushing river most of the way, sometimes a stone-paved track, sometimes more like a 4WD route. There were not as many historic spots along the way as we had on either the Nakasendo or the Kunisaki Peninsula walks, but still plenty to see.

The start of our trail

It was well marked with these blue signs


At one point we came upon a family sowing their rice paddies with the aid of a dinky little machine. Trays of rice seedlings are stacked on the back of it, and somehow it separates them on at a time into 4 rows which it plants neatly into the mud.

The rice planting machine and extra trays of seedlings


Heading down toward Hagi, we came across a village festival. We didn't find what it was about, but the street had lots of stall, and there were children doing dances at a public building. Being latish lunchtime, we picked up some food from the stalls - some tempura sweet potato slices, and a couple of waffle-like fish-shaped treats with some sweet filling inside.

Performance at the festival

Making the fish-shaped waffles





Finally down at the outskirts of Hagi, we found our way to the train station to transfer to Higashi-Hagi, another train station much nearer our accommodation. From there it was a short walk to the 7-Eleven where our bags were hopefully waiting for us. The woman at the counter seemed a bit lost, but a young man headed out the back, and after a slightly worrying delay, he wheeled our bags out.

The lovely old Meiji-era Hagi Station

Our accommodation was a complete apartment, distinguished by the lights all being controlled by remotes and therefore very tricky to manage. Dinner was sets, one eggy and one noodly, from a nice little place with a big window displaying the eating options.