木曾路歩き

	Section Index Dividing Mountains Naraigawa River

Mountains & Rivers

奈良井川

▲Naraigawa river runs through the ravine : Narai town lies on the left side of the river.

The river flows down to Shiojiri in parallel with Kisoji-road.
We find Narai station and the bridge over the railway of JR on the left river-bank. On the right riverside runs National Road No.19. The river will arrive at Hirasawa town in 3 kilometers.

◆Naraigawa River◆

Naraigawa is the river which is made of many water-branches on the slope of the east side of the skyline continuing from Mt. Kiso-komagatake. To trace the river from the upper reach, please drive a car along Gombe-kaido from Ina City. Run through Gombe Tunnel and Bansho Tunnel, then right after passing Habuchi Tunnel, turn right and you will find the way sticking on the steep mountain. You may drive a car, looking down at the bottom of the deep ravine. In 7 kilometers, you will find the lake of Narai Dam, thereafter in 3 kilometers you will arrive at Narai-juku town. Narai Dam is a kind of embankment dam build with accumulated rocks. A thick bank of rocks blocks the water. The bank dams the mountain stream made of many waters on the ridge-slope, flowing down together into the deep ravine-bottom, and makes a lake. The water concentrated in the dam-lake streams down little by little through the floodgate of the dam into Naraigawa river which flows northwards there. ▲The floodgate of the dam The river turns right in front of Narai town and changes its stream northeastwards. Thereafter flows down through the ravine, gathering the mountain streams one after another, and reachs Shiojiri. Moreover the river, flowing down northwards, meets Azusagawa river and other rivers in Matsumoto Basin, as well makes a large confluence-river named Sai-gawa river. It continues to flow down through the ravine and meets Chikuma-gawa river in Nagano Basin. Thereafter the river gets out Nagano Prefecture and into Niigata Prefecture, where it is called Shinaogawa river as it flows from Shinao province, flowing into the Japan Sea in the end. Thus Naraigawa river is one of the origins of the longest river inJapan. The way from Shiojiri to Narai is the trip tracing back Naraigawa.	Mt. Kiso-komagatake prolongs its ridge-line from south to north.
	The lake of Narai Dam : The water is accumulated in the lake from Spring to Summer every year. The water of the dam will reach the Japan Sea afetr a long trip.
	The steep ridge-line prolonged from the highest peak of Japan Alps. In the west-side of the lake the huge wall of mountains are confronting.
	The brook is Naraigawa river right down the dam. But the width of the river is getting larger before long.
	In Spring the volume of the river-water increases, gethering the snow water of mountains.

▲Town of Narai-juku : A view from the mountain-path
Coming over Torii Ridge-Pass and walking down the mountain-path, we find Narai town through woods.
In the old days, the traveller who had been walking in the deep mountain-forest would feel relief when they come to the place to look down the town.