The Old Hokuriku Kaido - Exploring a Forgotten Highway

The best way to discover little-known sights and make even familiar places feel brand new,

is to go exploring by bicycle.

This time, we'll be riding along the old Hokuriku Kaido Highway.

This was once a major trade route linking the old capital of Kyoto to its neighboring provinces along the Sea of Japan coast.

Thanks to travelers and trade, a unique culture developed along the old road.

My mission in life now is to pass on
all my skills to the next generation.

We'll discover some of that history through encounters along the way.

These houses are part of our heritage.
I hope to pass on this legacy.

The old railway tunnel.

This is cool.

Come with us now, on a 270-kilometer ride along the old Hokuriku Kaido Highway.

We begin our ride by the shore of Lake Kitagata, near the northern edge of Fukui.

Our cyclist this time is Michael Rice, from the USA.

Spurred by a passionate interest in Japanese culture, Michael has explored most of Japan by bike.

And so this time I'm going to ride the Kyu Hokuriku Kaido.

And this is a historical road that's going along the Sea of Japan coast.

And so I'm really excited about this trip because I love this area.

I've been here lots of times before, but this is going to be someplace I've never gone.

I've never gone along this path.

Okay, we're ready to go.

I can't wait for this trip!

The Hokuriku Kaido was a highway that ran for about 400 kilometers through a region along the west coast known historically as Hokuriku.

In pre-modern times, travel and trade throughout Japan depended on a system of highways known as Kaido.

Our ride along most of this old route will take us through the four prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata.

We're close to the coast here, and on this mid-October morning there's a chill wind from the sea.

From this point on we'll be riding on the old highway.

Coming up first is a pass taking us over the mountains from Fukui into Ishikawa, and its capital, Kanazawa.

It's gravel.

Many sections of the old highway have fallen into disuse, lingering on as rough forest trails.

This is muddy and slippery and tree branches everywhere.

Talk about feeling nature.

This is the ancient path.

Oh, more stones.

I guess these mark that we're on the Kyu Kaido, on the ancient road.

Inscribed with prayers for safety on the road, these stones will have watched countless weary travelers pass.

I hope to see these little Buddhas all around the trip, wishing me good luck I hope.

That was fun.

40-kilometers from our start, we're now in Ishikawa, entering the city of Hakusan.

"Amezen."

Is that candy or what?

Hoping to find some... Oh, sweets! Here's some sweets.

Oh, this looks good.

Hello!

They have all kinds of jelly, and a green tea jelly, soy bean powder.

- These all look so tasty!
- Thank you.

Do you have a local specialty?

You must try our "ankoro mochi."

This is a famous regional snack, first made about 300 years ago in this very shop.

Travelers would rest at teahouses along the way to regain their strength, and this was a favorite energy food.

Our business started way back in the days
when people wore their hair in a top-knot.

Michael has worked up a serious appetite on that rough trail over the mountains.

Wow, this is nice.

Wow, red beans.

Very red.

This is one of the perfect cycling foods.

So it's got the rice ball inside the sweet beans.

It has good carbs and protein.

This is so good.

Thank you very much!
That was delicious.

Coming into the big city.

Michael has now clocked up 60 kilometers, and has reached his goal for today, Kanazawa.

Castles walls are really high.

It really is a massive castle complex.

The construction of the castle about 450 years ago marked the beginning of Kanazawa's growth into a major city with a population today of 450,000.

Kanazawa grew into a thriving station on the old highway, and the castle lord's samurai retainers, merchants and craftsmen used profits from the trade it brought to build fine homes like these.

Many of these old wooden homes, known as machiya, still survive from that period.

We've come to visit someone living in a machiya the way they did in the old days.

This is the place.

Anyone home?

Can I come in?

Of course. You're welcome.

-This building has an amazing atmosphere.
-Thank you.

Yamada Noriko is an architect who has devoted her life to restoring machiya and preserving Kanazawa's old townscape.

Were all old houses narrow like this?

Yes, just 2.5 ken wide.
Ken is the traditional unit of length, equal to 1.82m.

The dense population of a thriving castle town meant houses had to be crowded together.

- I don't think my hand will fit.
- It's a very narrow gap.

Seen from above, it would look like one
American-sized house.

That's true.

- But these are three Japanese-size homes.
- Yes.

There's actually plenty of headroom.

- There's such an atmosphere here.
- Thank you.

- So this is one room?
- Yes. You can see by the mat layout.

- It's lovely.
- This one is the biggest room.

This machiya was built about a century ago.

Yamada restored it herself.

- What is this area?
- It's called an "engawa."

The sliding screens pack away
in storage spaces at each side.

Slide these away to get a balcony.

And close these to block the outside world.

So you can sit down and enjoy the balcony, enjoy the street view.

So now this is outdoors, but if we close it up it becomes part of the room indoors.

- It's narrow, but it makes a great space.
- Yes, this feels very nice.

Over 5,000 of Kanazawa's old machiya still remain.

But many are being demolished after being left unoccupied too long.

Today, Yamada has come with a group of schoolchildren to clean up an abandoned machiya.

This is part of a project she started 13 years ago.

At that time, 270 machiya were being demolished each year.

Yamada, out of sympathy for the soon to be destroyed houses, decided to ensure the old homes ended their days with dignity.

For funerals, we clean up the deceased
and make sure they are looking their best.

I think we should do the same
for a house before it gets demolished.

Make it nice for its final send off.

Kimono?

Look. Old photos.

Maybe these are the people who lived here in this house.

Their wedding photo.

- How do you feel about these old houses?
- They'd be very comfortable to live in.

These houses are treasures,
legacies of the families who lived in them.

Many are still perfectly useable,
and it's a shame they're being demolished.

Thanks to Yamada's efforts and the growing numbers of people wanting to live in machiya, only about 100 houses are currently in danger of demolition.

These houses are part of our heritage.
I hope to pass on this legacy.

Machiya - preserving family memories and a city's history.

Today, we'll cycle north from Kanazawa to the pass that marks the boundary between Ishikawa and Toyama.

This looks like quite a road.

Too slippery.

Okay, time to carry.

The road over Kurikara Pass is said to date from about 1,300 years ago.

This road through the mountains was treacherous, but it was the only way travelers could cross from one province into the next.

Following the ancient path, many hundreds of years old.

I can just imagine all the amazing people who've walked this path over the history of it.

A big climb coming.

Please pray to get me up this climb.

Pray I'm going to make it to the top.

I made it!

I thought I made it.

Still more climbing.

That was tough going, but Michael has finally reached the top of Kurikara Pass.

Thank you for your support.

Waiting at the top of the pass is the 1,300-year old Kurikara Fudoji Temple.

Travelers would stop here to offer thanks after their climb.

As a key point on the trade route,
this area became very prosperous.

During the wars in the 12th century,
the temple was burned down.

This pass, a key point on the route, was the site of battles that often destroyed the temple.

But it was always rebuilt by devoted travelers on the Kaido.

Travelers prayed for protection on the road
and to get to their destination safely.

And I imagine they also prayed
for the health of the families they left behind.

We're now entering the suburbs of Toyama City.

Michael has come to visit an artist based in this area.

I think this is the place.

- Anyone home?
- Hello.

I'm Mikey.

Come in. You're welcome.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

Peter Ivy is an American artist who works in glass.

Welcome, come on in.

Thank you.

This is kind of our gallery space that we have.

Oh, nice.

Wow. All of the glass here?

All of this glass is made here, yes.

Wow, it’s so light.

They’re quite thin.

Very thin.

Those are quite a challenge to produce.

Glasses for, you know, for salad.

You know, it's very easy.

Typically, I use, if I'm using hashi or a fork, I’ll use something with a square corner.

And if I'm eating yogurt or something with a spoon, I use a round shape.

Peter designs many of his pieces to add beauty as well as functionality to everyday life.

So why practical things, like things you use in the kitchen?

Well, because... mostly just because I want to enjoy drinking a glass of water.

You know, something as simple as drinking a glass of water to me, I think, I very much feel that those little things in life

should be celebrated and not forgotten, or not just taken for granted.

And you put it to your mouth, do I put the corner or do I put the edge?

These are thoughts that, you know, ordinarily we just kind of bypass.

But when I had an exhibition, I was just blown away by someone would come into the exhibition in Japan and they would just really look at something and they're not going to buy it.

They're not, you know, I mean, they may or they may not.

It has nothing to do with it.

Yeah, I get that sense also that Japanese, they really appreciate the details that many times an American would overlook.

Peter came to live in Toyama in 2007.

Toyama has long had an established glass craft industry, and today there are still over 100 glass artists working here.

Peter's studio is an old farmhouse well away from the city center.

Here he can enjoy living in a village community, with peace and quiet to create his art.

- Oh, hello neighbor!
- Hello.

You're always giving me things!

I brought these fruits for you today.

- Really? All this for me?
- You're welcome.

Living like this in the Toyama countryside has changed Peter's way of thinking in many ways.

People here have a tendency towards a much more active relationship to their surroundings and to the items that they come into contact with.

It was a huge influence for me.

I mean, it was a part of myself that existed but didn't have a culture to fit into.

And I have a lot of the same feelings as you do about Japan, how it's such a special place and such a unique place and how it can bring out the creativity.

And I can see that in your lifestyle here and in the art that you make.

Thank you very much.

I really appreciate that.

I might take another drink.

Sure. We have more if you like.

I just really appreciate the glass.

An artist who finally found his true calling, here in Hokuriku.

Looks like I finally get to the ocean.

This is the fishing port of Uozu, on the Sea of Japan coast.

Oh, I see a high school.

Michael decides to check out a local school.

Good morning! I'm Michael.

I'm Hamamoto, the head teacher here.
Very pleased to have you visit us.

This school has a rather unique students' club.

- What are you making?
- Apple butter.

We developed a recipe using Kazumi apples.

- What kind of apple is that?
- They're a local specialty here in Uozu.

The Community Business Club develops products using local materials.

They created their apple butter three years ago, using local Uozu apples.

Their butter proved a big hit in Uozu.

To help them make best use of local ingredients, the club depends on support from local tradespeople.

Good morning!
It's the school community business club.

Such a smell of apples!

- It's heavy. Are you OK?
- Fine, thank you.

Many apples aren't good enough to sell in the shop, but they're ideal for making butter.

They take any apples with slight defects,
bruises or discolorations.

They don't look perfect, but they're fine to eat.

I'm very happy these girls can use them.

The girls' next stop today will be a neighborhood bakery.

This bakery, which supplies bread for school meals, was happy to help the club develop a bun with an apple butter filling.

Fold the edges in like this to make a ball.

- How's this?
- You did it? It's a bit tricky.

Uozu has a major problem with many young people leaving the area.

Through their club activities, these highschoolers are rediscovering the appeal of their hometown.

Now we bake it for about 10 minutes.

I'm so hungry now!

- Take care, they'll be hot.
- So cute!

They look just like apples.

Perfect!

Smells good.

You can really taste the apples!

The sweet custard adds flavor without
drowning the texture of the apples.

How does it feel,
creating new products with high-schoolers?

I've never done this before.

It's great fun.

Highschoolers helping to revitalize their town.

From Uozu, Michael is now following the Hokuriko Kaido towards the next prefecture, Niigata.

This stretch of the old highway is now mostly unpaved track and farm paths.

Woo! I made it into Niigata, the final prefecture on this long tour.

The mountains of Nagano up there, the ocean, the Sea of Japan, they're right here.

Michael has arrived in Itoigawa, where he will spend the night.

Leaving his bike at the hotel, he goes for a stroll to check out the town.

This place looks interesting.

The big balls like that, it usually means they make sake here.

Welcome!

Kobayashi Daisuke is the 18th generation of a family that's been making sake for 370 years.

Let me show you around.

What a beautiful smell!

- Sake gives off this aroma as it ferments.
- It's so sweet.

And those are the tanks where
fermentation is going on right now.

This smell makes me want a drink.

If you look in here, you'll see it fermenting.

We make our sake with
a special kind of rice grown in Niigata.

- And the water is local too?
- Yes, we have our own well, right here.

This is my father.
He's the "toji," the chief brewer.

- Your father? Pleased to meet you, sir.
- Hello.

As toji, or head brewer, Kobayashi Mikio determines the taste of their sake.

Why do you have to keep stirring it?

The center gets very hot as it ferments,
but it stays cold around the sides.

I stir it to keep the temperature even.

Time to try a product that's taken 370 years to perfect.

Here you are. Please enjoy.

It's sweet. That smell.

This is so delicious.

This is what really good sake should be like.

The smell is very sweet, then when you drink it, you feel a little spiciness to it, a little dryness to it.

It's so well-balanced, it's really good.

Perfect.

For centuries, travelers along the old highway would stop at places like this to enjoy the local sake.

Tragically, a great fire here in 2016 destroyed the Kobayashi sake brewery as well as the family home.

Everything seemed lost, but their passion for making sake remained strong, and the Kobayashis rebuilt their brewery.

This is the other essential ingredient - pure Niigata spring water.

This is the water we use for the sake.
See what you think.

Ah. It has a very clean taste.

And the aftertaste is very nice.
I can taste the minerals.

Every sake brewery uses its own water,
and it's the key to their unique taste.

Our aim is always to find ways to make
the best sake using our particular water.

Sake made the traditional way, with local rice and local water.

Morning sun feels great...

We start the last day by leaving the old highway for a while to enjoy the sea views from a nearby cycle trail.

What a great bike trail.

Good morning!

The trail follows the route of a discontinued railway line, taking us through some of the old tunnels.

The old railway tunnel.

This is cool.

Love the coastline views.

For a landlocked boy from Kansas and Colorado, the ocean feels so refreshing.

The Sea of Japan is such a beautiful view, and blue view.

All the houses are stuck together.

I wonder why they do that.

Rich in sea bream and crabs, this part of the coast attracted so many fishing families that houses had to really be squeezed into the limited space.

The streets are so narrow.

Thank you.

Michael has now ridden 210 kilometers, and is nearing the town of Takada, end point of the old Hokuriku Kaido.

Takada grew as a castle town in the 17th century.

They've got the roofs coming out here.

This area gets some of Japan's heaviest snowfall, with drifts that can be over two meters deep.

Buildings have these projecting eaves to protect pedestrians during the snowy season.

Ah, look at this lace here.

Oh wow, this looks really interesting.

I wonder if this is one of the old arts they've been doing here for a long time.

- Hello!
- Hello! Do come in.

- Does your craft have a history in this area?
- Yes, it goes back about 135 years.

There are only a few of us still doing it.

This lacemaking workshop in Takada has been in Yoshida Setsuko's family for three generations.

Yoshida's specialty, Battenberg lace, has been in Takada so long it's now officially classed a traditional local craft.

This design is 50 or 60 years old.

- Is it a tablecloth?
- That's right.

Just making the hand-stitched parts
takes me about a week.

- You do it all yourself?
- Yes, just me.

It takes a lot of work,
even when you're very experienced.

80 percent of each piece must be done by hand.

This offers artisans a chance to show off their skills.

This complex pattern, called a Spider Web, is often seen in Battenberg lace.

Hand-made lace is very durable - if well maintained and repaired, it can last for over 50 years.

This parasol took a year to make.

I think it's my best piece.

Are these grapes? Exquisite.

Such a fashionable item.

Yoshida takes Michael to see a family heirloom that her workshop still relies on.

This old machine makes the tape that's used as the base material for Battenberg lace.

Takada has been a center for this style of lacemaking since the 19th century, when it was introduced from America at the time Japan opened up to western culture.

The ending of the age of the samurai cost many in this old castle town their livelihoods.

They turned to making Battenberg lace, which became Takada's primary industry.

Piano covers were our biggest selling item.

Right. Pianos I've seen in Japanese homes
always have lace covers like this.

That's because they were
sold as a set with each piano.

Is that so?

Battenberg lace is perfect for piano covers.

Don't you think this design is a great match?

This year, Yoshida started teaching classes in making Battenberg lace.

At its peak, Takada had 8,000 lace artisans.

But, from the 1980s, inexpensive foreign lace began to dominate, and today, there are only a dozen or so left.

It was the worry that her family skills might be lost that drove Yoshida to start these classes.

I have to keep going a bit longer
for the sake of these youngsters.

My task in life now is to pass on
all my skills to the next generation.

Michael's goal is now drawing near.

Starting to get glimpses of the ocean.

To the top of the hill.

A goal and a finish.

So, finished at the Sea of Japan.

We're here.

A small park looking out over the sea.

This is where our journey ends.

And so on this trip, this is the first trip I've actually gone through four before prefectures, you know, starting in Fukui and ending in Niigata.

Each prefecture has their own unique things, but they've also all got a connection.

And I could see in the people there, there's a real sense of pride in where they live and what they do.

For example, an artist doing traditional art here.

So I found that in this region of Japan especially, there's a real sense of wanting to share what you have of value with everyone else.

And that's something really special.

Even today, the unique traditions and culture that developed along the route of the ancient highway give a distinctive flavor to the Hokuriku region.