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Tourism - 27 Turns:
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The famous 27 Turns are a part of the Tokaido
trading route that once connected Kyoto and Edo (former name of Tokyo). To make
the route within Okazaki more defensible, 27 turns were added. The complete
walking distance of 5km can be accomplished in 1.5hrs and leads through downtown
Okazaki, passing places of interest including the Okazaki Credit Union Data
Museum, Kagota Park, Okazaki Castle, the Hatcho
Miso factory and numerous temples and shrines, ending the 27 Turns walk
in front of the Hideyoshi Toyotomi statue on the Yahagi River bridge.
The tour starts in the eastern part of downtown Okazaki close to the City Hospital.
The wooden gate that once served as a checkpoint for the Okazaki relay station
is no longer used anymore but reminds visitors of Okazaki's importance as relay
station.
The wooden gate, once entrance to the Okazaki relay station
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
Along the old route, the path is marked by cornerstones like the one below, each about 80cm (2.5ft) high. They are easy to overlook sometimes. The engravings are in Japanese only and sometimes hard to read.
Some of the cornerstones that mark the 27 Turns throughout Okazaki
(Click on any of the picture to enlarge)
The best part of tour runs along the Tenmadori (the Tenma street) which is nicely located in downtown Okazaki and wields many traditional shops as well as history. Here you can find wafuku (traditional Japanese clothes), wagami (Japanese paper), the Okazaki Grand Cinema and Nagataya - probably the best butcher in town, in business since the Edo period.
The remains of the former post station next to Nagataya
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
A particular cornerstone displays a a woodblock printing by the famous artist Utagawa Hiroshige who painted 53 stages along the trade route between Edo (former name of Tokyo) and Kyoto, known as Gojusan Tsugi. His illustration of the Fujikawa relay station has become very famous and even today stands as a symbol for the region.
The elaborate cornerstone version with an illustration by the famous artist Utagawa Hiroshige
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
When the 27 Turns tour leaves the Tenma Street before connecting with Kagota Park, just a few steps away is the Okazaki Credit Union Data Museum located. The former head office of Okazaki Bank was constructed in 1917. The western-style brick buildung accomodates an impressive collection of money and other artifacts.
The Okazaki Credit Union Data Museum
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
The next stop is the Kagotasoumon. Once a gateway for travellers in the Edo period and eastern entrance to the castle surroundings, which were protected by the Otogawa river in the south and the Yahagi river in the West. The gate's equivalent on the western border of Okazaki is the Matsubasoumon in modern central Okazaki. In present times, the gate wields no functionality anymore but, located in an idyllic surrounding, constitutes a good photo opportunity before continuing northwards to Kagota Park, where travellers and seekers of the past can rest their weary feet and enjoy their bentos.
Kagotasoumon in front of Kogato Park
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
The next part of the tour leads through the modern part of Okazaki alongside big shopping malls and parking centers. Japan is a country where the modern and the traditional aspects of life often lie very close together and yet, the traces of the past can barely be felt along this particular street. The only noteworthy stop is the stone map, as seen below. Better remember it well as the next part of the ancient trail is hard to find until you meet with the lovely Iga River that leads to Igahachimangu in the north and to the castle in the south.
One of several maps of the 27 Turns along the route, engraved in stone
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
West of the Iga River, the 27 Turns cross the busy Road 248 and graze the Hatcho Miso plant, where the Emperor's choice of Miso is produced in a process of two years or more. If you have enough time available, enjoy the guided tour inside the plant.
The alleyway behind the Hatcho Miso plant
(Click on any of pictures to enlarge)
The final section of the 27 Turns leads over the majestic Yahagi River.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a simple farmer who became a powerful ruler of Japan,
something unheard of before in the history of Japan. He was a member of the
powerful Oda clan. Hachisuka Koroku served under him as the leader of samurai-like
groups skilled in guerilla warfare and tactics. The statue stands where, according
to legends, Toyotomi Hideyoshi encountered Koroku Hachisuka.
How to get there:
The Hideyoshi statue at the end of the Yahagi River bridge
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
No need to take any buses or trains - the 27 turns are located within Okazaki downtown, north of the Otogawa River. Walking from Higashi Okazaki station to the starting point of the 27 Turns in Okazaki takes about 20min.
As walking the whole 27 Turns tour takes at least 80mins and offers little entertainment in some parts, visitors in haste should at least pay a visit to the following areas: Tenma Street and Kogato Park, Iga River and the castle area (especially during Hanami in April) and the Hatcho Miso plant
The 27 Turns tour in an overview
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
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