Verdant greens of bamboos in summer and infinite red
shades of maple’s foliage in the fall

 
One great interest of the area is nature itself. The lush flora and vegetation along this route is worth admiring. Dominated by the blossoming of wild cheery trees in spring, verdant greens of bamboos in summer, infinite red shades of maple’s foliage in the fall, and abundant snow present during winter.
The natural setting, offering a wide range of beautiful sceneries such as blooming glens, cosy river banks, graceful waterfalls and sources, make this area a perfect place for hiking. One should particularly not miss the Tsurugadaki (crane) waterfall, a few hundred meters from the Aratani Shrine. It owes its name to the shape taken by the water, dropping off for some 60 meters and finally evoking the image of a white crane rising up from the ground.
 

Walking through these allaying sceneries, one hardly thinks of how demanding it was to live in such remote places.

 
The other marvel of this road is that it offers a very instructive view of how the Japanese long lived in such mountainous areas.
Going through the four villages of the Higashitani area in order, we pass by Aratani, Imadachi, Suginomizu, and Ozuchi, the last two marking out the end of the road, these traditional houses have not changed so much during the past century.
Built in a highly traditional style, they are generally inhabited from March up to the edge of December, when the harshness of winter’s heavy snowing encourages the villagers to go and wait for the spring’s warmth down in the valley. But that was not always the case as the friendly people of Higashitani often tell. The houses were large enough to shelter extended families, gathering around the traditional hearth in the lobby, which is the core of every traditional Japanese house. Walking through these allaying sceneries, one hardly thinks of how demanding it was to live in such remote places. Cold snowy winters and wandering bears and boars damaging the fields, such things remain through the words from locals. But this is how it was. Some people from Higashitani used to and still live as the seasons dictate, getting their vegetables from the fields and taking their fresh water directly from the mountain sources. Until a few decades ago, children would also go to school, as shown on photographs in the town meeting halls…