Ooi-juku (Nakasendo Post Town)

Ooi-juku is the 46th post town out of 69 on the historic Nakasendo route from Edo (now Tokyo). Once the most prosperous post town on the Mino Road, it was said to be the 9th busiest in the entire country. Elegant remnants such as the stately gate of the former honjin (inn for feudal lords) and old merchant houses with traditional lattice doors quietly remain, evoking the town's lively past. Within the post town, there are six "masugata" (right-angle bends in the road), designed to prevent enemy intrusion—a unique feature unmatched by any other post town in Japan. Although the original Ooi-juku Honjin was destroyed by fire in 1947, the front gate and garden still remain today. In 2000, the city restored and opened the "Nakasendo Hishiya Historical Museum", a former wealthy landowner’s residence from the Edo period (the Koyama family). In 2021, the Meiji Emperor’s temporary lodging site in Ooi was renewed and reopened. Visitors can deepen their understanding of post towns and the Nakasendo while experiencing authentic traditional townhouses.