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Just thirty years ago the now-thriving village of TSUMAGO , 80km south of Matsumoto, was virtually a ghost town, with most of its traditional Edo-era houses on the point of collapse. The concerted efforts of the locals helped restore the wooden houses that now line the long main street, earned the village protected status and helped spark the idea of cultural preservation across Japan. Telegraph poles and TV aerials have been banished from sight so that the scene that greets you on the pedestrian-only street is probably very similar to that encountered by lords and their samurai passing through the village hundreds of years ago. The highlight in Tsumago is the folk museum, Okuya Kyodokan (daily 9am-4.45pm; Y600), inside a rambling mansion that was once one of the village's designated post inns where the daimyo 's retinue rested. Inside is a fine range of exhibits on the history of the Nakasendo and the village, including photographs showing just how dilapidated Tsumago once was. For an extra Y100 you can also enter the Kyu-honjin on the opposite side of the street - this was where the daimyo used to stay. The front porch, when it's not thronged with day-trippers, is a fine place to sit and soak up Tsumago's quiet atmosphere. For a bird's-eye view of the village, head uphill to the former site of Tsumago castle, destroyed sometime in the late sixteenth century. To get to the hill, follow the path just outside the village on the hiking route to Nagiso . The closest train station to Tsumago is at Nagiso, from where the village is an hour's walk south or a ten-minute bus ride. There's a tourist information booth beside Nagiso Station (tel 0264/57-2302), where you can pick up a map of the area, and another booth in the centre of Tsumago (daily except Wed 9am-5pm; tel 0264/57-3123), where you can get help with accommodation and arrange to have your bag forwarded if you're planning to hike to Magome. Two good places to stay are the friendly minshuku Daikichi (tel 0264/57-2595; Y10,000-15,000), at the northern end of the village, where the rates include two meals of local specialities, and the more upmarket, 140-year-old ryokan, Matsushiro-ya (tel 0264/57-3022; Y20,000-30,000), in the centre of Tsumago, with large tatami rooms and a shared bathroom. The area's only youth hostel , Kiso-Ryojoan (tel 0264/23-7716; under Y3000), is nowhere near either Tsumago or Magome, but it's a gem worth making a detour for. Twenty-five minutes by bus from Kiso-Fukushima Station on the Chuo line between Narai and Nagiso, the hostel is in a large traditional building in the peaceful mountain village of Ohara . Excellent food, including nabe stews and sukiyaki (a succulent beef dish), is served by very friendly staff, and frequent bus connections to Kiso-Fukushima means you can use the hostel as a base from which to explore the valley's post towns. There's no shortage of lunchtime restaurants and cafes in Tsumago. Most places serve sansai soba (buckwheat noodles topped with mountain vegetables) and gohei-mochi (balls of pounded rice on a skewer coated with a sweet nut sauce). A good place to sample these local specialities is Enoki Zaka , a bustling cafe a few doors north of the Okuya Kyodokan museum.
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