Isabella Bird's 'Unbeaten Tracks in Japan': An awful inn in a poor farming village (Pt. 12)

In late June 1878, Isabella Bird and her companions journeyed along the Ojika River, heading towards Lake Ikari in Tochigi Prefecture. They passed through Yokokawa and took the Aizu Nishi Kaido, a historic highway connecting Aizu in Fukushima Prefecture with Shimotsuke, now part of Tochigi Prefecture. Despite describing the region as Japan's "unbeaten tracks," Bird noted that the area was not untouched by human activity; post towns had existed along the route since the Edo period, and a teahouse stood at Sanno Pass.

In her memoir, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Bird reflects on her six-day journey, recounting the diverse landscapes they traversed, including mountains, valleys, and rice paddies. The region was characterized by poverty, with dilapidated temples and crumbling Buddha statues. Villages like Kawashima, known as Kayashima in the text, were particularly impoverished, with residents struggling to make ends meet.

Bird's accommodations were far from ideal. The yadoya, or inn, was described as "awful," with a large wood fire in the kitchen creating a smoky, stifling atmosphere. The room itself was dark, dirty, and noisy, with sewage odors permeating the air. Despite the hardships, Bird managed to find sustenance, albeit limited, in the form of black beans and boiled cucumbers. The inhabitants of the village celebrated the rice harvest holiday, filling the streets with revelry and drumming, which disrupted the foreigner's rest.