Sakamoto-shuku

A post town built by the Tokugawa shogunate.

Even now, the signboards for the old stores are still seen outside, and the town evokes that feeling of an ancient Japan. Within the town, there are flowing canals and you can feel the lifestyle of the local citizens.

The Nakasendo Sakamoto-shuku, which was built at the foot of Usuitoge Pass, a difficult point on the Nakasendo route, was known as the 17th post town from Edo and was one of the largest towns along the route. Sakamoto-shuku was placed here by the Tokugawa shogunate as an equipped post for travelers to get over the pass, and its long and narrow distribution, known as “Unagi no nedoko” (the Eel Bed), still remains as a holdover from the past. There are flowing canals within the town and even now, the old signboards can still be seen as relics of old-time Japan. The post station itself has a small café.