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The 34th post town on the Nakasendo, attractive NARAI , 30km southwest of Matsumoto, was the most prosperous of the eleven juku along the Kisoji. The village's distinctive wooden buildings, with window shutters and renji-goshi lattice work, have been beautifully preserved - Narai's only drawback are the cars that pass through the main street, making it hard to forget what century you're in. The main road of restored houses and shops stretches for around 1km south from the train station at the north end of the village. Look out for the shop selling kasira ningyo , colourfully painted, traditional dolls and toys made of wood. About halfway down the road stands Nakamura House (daily 9am-4.30pm; Y200), dating from the 1830s and once the home of a merchant who made his fortune in combs, one of the area's specialities. Side streets lead off to pretty temples and shrines in the foothills and, on the other side, to the rocky banks of the Narai-gawa crossed by the Kiso-no-Ohashi, an arched wooden bridge. Narai is a 45-minute train journey from Matsumoto along the Chuo line. A lovely place to stay is Iseya (tel 0264/34-3051; Y15,000-20,000), a minshuku in a traditional house along the main street, with an ornamental garden - rates include two meals. Dotted along the main street are several cafes with soaring wooden-beamed ceilings and irori , central charcoal fires, serving soba noodles and other local dishes.
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