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the mountains into the Tonegawa valley, and the whole silk-districts around Mayebashi. The road is for the greatest part not shaded, tolerably smooth, but steep. Yokobori consists of a row of houses on both sides of the street. One ri further on, at Kitamoku, the Agatsumagawa is crossed by a large wooden bridge; this river is another right feeder of the Tonegawa. After climbing the hill which rises here directly at the right bank of the river, for the last time, on the home road one of those beautiful views is to be had of the river valley and over the villages lying scattered in it, such as one often sees in the interior of Japan.
The road leads now through a very fertile district to the large town of Shibukawa, where for the first time from Niigata jinrikishas were again met with; this town is situated at a little distance from the right Tonegawa bank, and about 3 ri from Mayebashi; it is an important trading town.
While from Shibukawa one road goes S. E. to Mayebashi, another goes generally ascending S., over Kaneko, to Takasaki. Almost uninterruptedly the road is on both sides lined with houses and very prosperous looking farms; the intervals being occupied by temporary small booths, in which fruits, such as suikas, makuas, pears and cucumbers are sold.
On this part of the road, women and girls were always industriously occupied in reeling off the silk cocoons; while the chief business of the men seemed to be sleeping; there was, at least, scarcely any house in which one or two were not laid stretched in the arms of Morpheus, while their wives and daughters were cheerfully at work.
At Kaneko is the finest honjin I have seen, but it now belongs to a silk-merchant; from this place to Takasaki the road slowly descends through the fields, and Takasaki itself, as it is seen from this side, stretching over a considerable extent with its castle walls and numerous white plastered buildings, projecting against the green hills, gives a pleasing impression.
