Kumagawa-juku Historic Post Town

Kumagawa-juku was once a vital stop on the Saba Kaido Road (literally, the “mackerel highway”), the trade route that carried seafood and other goods from Wakasa Bay (a bay facing the Sea of Japan north of Kyoto) to the kitchens of Kyoto. During the Edo period, the town received special favor from a feudal lord, allowing it to flourish as a transport hub and a strategically important location once home to a castle (Kumagawa Castle, whose ruins can be visited from the town). The streets that developed along the Kitagawa River still have their Edo period post town atmosphere, earning designation as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1996 and recognition as part of the Japan Heritage “Connecting the Sea and Kyoto ~ Imperial food purveyors and the Mackerel Road ~in 2015.
Today, visitors can stroll past rows of white-walled kura storehouses, traditional machiya townhouses, and the Maegawa River, flowing in a small stream in front of many of the homes here. Some buildings have been renovated into cafés, pottery workshops, or guesthouses, and the mix of preserved heritage and creative reuse has drawn visitors from across Japan.
For those who want to explore the area further, Kumagawa also serves as a gateway to outdoor activities like hiking on the Kumagawa Trail, kayaking, and even zen meditation amidst the natural landscapes. Kumagawa-juku remains a place where the legacy of Edo period travel still lingers, whether you come for the history or the outdoors.