Expand Your Horizons in Ena

You look out the window as you whiz by the countryside in a car, bus, or train and maybe ponder once in a while, “wouldn’t it be quite wonderful to live in such a beautiful place?” Well, let me assure you, it is indeed quite wonderful.

Affordability and convenience are two of the most important criteria for many budget travelers when selecting accommodations. My stay in Ena was the result of finding an affordable guesthouse through Airbnb that also provided me the chance to exit the cityscape and dwell in the peaceful countryside for a change. I chose this guesthouse also because it was conveniently located near Nakatsugawa, which is where you can take a bus to Magome to walk the Magome-Tsumago trail, a section of the old Nakasendo highway. If you are also planning to walk the trail, consider lodging in the countryside instead of paying a large sum staying the night in Nagoya and then having to commute a greater distance to reach Magome early the next day.

As expected with the countryside, everything is quite a distance apart from each other. The guesthouse I stayed at was a 5-minute drive from the closest train station, Iibama Station, and a 20-minute walk from the historic castle town of Iwamura. Even if you do have to travel the distance to reach the nearest restaurants or convenient stores, the endless expanse of green fields, tile-roofed houses, and majestic trees all around is an incredible setting to walk or bike through.

I am quite sure I walked for eight hours non-stop during my one full day in Ena, only sitting down when it came to lunchtime. Eight hours is a considerably long time I would say, but it seemed to go by quickly as I enjoyed feasting my eyes on the greenery. The most rewarding part of my day was the golden hour right before the sunset. I climbed to an observation deck not far from the guesthouse and the view was absolutely stunning. Distant mountain ranges that I was not even aware of became visible as blue watercolor ridges across the background, the sunlight warmed the never-ending fields of green into a brilliant gold, and the countryside was simply breathtaking.

You know Tokyo, you know Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagoya, but these cities are only one aspect of Japan. Venture out into the countryside once in a while and truly appreciate how big the world can be.