Narai-juku

Narai-juku

Keisai Eisen's print of Narai-juku, part of the The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō series

Narai-juku (奈良井宿, Narai-juku^?) was the thirty-fourth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō, as well as the second of eleven stations along the Kisoji.^[1] It is located in the present-day city of Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

History

Narai-juku had the highest elevation of all the spots along the Kisoji. Because of all the visitors going through the Torii Pass (鳥居峠 Torii Tōge), Narai flourished as a post town and was referred to as "Narai of 1,000 buildings" (奈良井千軒 Narai senken).^[2] It has since become one of Japan's Nationally-designated Architectural Preservation Sites, so the buildings have been kept much like they originally were in the Edo period.^[2]

Neighboring post towns

Nakasendō & Kisoji

Niekawa-juku - Narai-juku - Yabuhara-juku

References

1. ^ Narai-jyuku. Narai-juku. Accessed September 25, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b} Kisoji Shukuba-machi Series: Narai-juku. Higashi Nihon Denshin Denwa. Accessed July 24, 2007.

Coordinates: 35°57′55″N 137°48′41″E / 35.96528°N 137.81139°E / 35.96528; 137.81139