[Kawakami Village] A perfect travel companion! Asahikan, a long-established inn established in the Meiji era

I visited Asahikan, a traditional inn founded in 1881 in the Kashiwagi district of Kawakami Village. They offer takeout bento boxes, which is why I visited. 🚶

The Kashiwagi district once flourished as a post town for pilgrims to Mount Omine. Inns and shops lined the Higashi-Kumano Kaido (formerly Route 169), and in the past, it was as bustling as the Sako district, where the village office is now located.

However, with the opening of a bus service to Dorogawa in the Taisho era, climbers began to migrate to the hot springs area closer to the mountain, and the area declined. Currently, only Asahikan remains in operation. 😔

It seems to have remained bustling even after the war, but traffic volume decreased when the national highway was diverted outside the village during the construction of the Osako Dam to allow access for heavy machinery. This is said to be another reason for the decline. 😞

After receiving my bento box, I enjoyed some tea and looked around the area around the entrance while waiting for the bus. There was a storefront counter, a remnant of a cigarette shop, and a telephone booth like the one seen in Totoro.☎️

The telephone booth's phone was installed with a push-button phone by a curious hand, and the receiver is still in working order. Amazing! By the way, the telephone exchange was apparently located in the post office 100 meters north.📮

Now, the bento box, which I was curious about, was a nostalgic style wrapped in bamboo skin.🍱 It contained a kelp and plum rice ball, sweetened amago trout, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), fried chicken, three mountain vegetable side dishes, and yuzu yokan (sweet bento).

The sweetened amago trout was soft and tender, even down to the bone, so you could eat every last bit.🐟 The mountain vegetable side dishes were also delicious, infused with broth! The rice balls were also large and filling.🍙

The yuzu yokan dessert is a specialty of Asahikan, a three-generation business. This yokan, made with home-grown yuzu peel and colored a festive red with food coloring, has a refreshing taste that's both sweet and refreshing with the yuzu. 🥰

All of this is great for just 950 yen! ☺️ Reservations are required, but if you're in the Kawakami area, be sure to give it a try! It's also recommended to take a stroll around Kashiwagi, a neighborhood left behind by the times.

I think I'll try staying overnight next time. 🥳

⁡⁡【 𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 】⁡
📍 154 Kashiwagi, Kawakami Village, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture
🚗 Approximately 30 minutes from Kintetsu Yamato-Kamiichi Station
🚍 Approximately 3 minutes walk from Yamabuki Bus/Yu-Yu Bus "Kashiwagi" stop
🍱 ¥950 per unit (reservations required 3 days in advance)
🅿️ Available (10 units)

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