I live in Nerima in Tokyo but last weekend I went on a trip
to the Kansai region of Japan with my friend.
We went on a hiking trip near Takarazuka. The route is unofficial. There are actually signs warning you not to
hike there but we passed a number of people on the same route so it is not
really dangerous.
The hiking route takes about two and a half hours and runs
along an old abandoned railway line. The
starting point is close to Namaze Station on the JR Fukuchiyama Line and the
end point is near Takedao Station on the same line.
The gravel path laid out for the train tracks is still there
and so are many of the sleepers that used to lie under the tracks. The metal tracks themselves have been taken
away.
The most interesting thing, especially for a blind person,
is the fact that the course has six or seven tunnels which you have to
walk through. People usually buy a
flashlight to help them get through because some of the tunnels are very long
and they become pitch black in the middle. My friend said that with the very cheap
flashlight we bought for the trip it was quite scary going through them.
For me, it was really enjoyable. I can’t appreciate the change in light but I
noticed as soon as we entered the tunnels.
The air suddenly became cooler.
The noise our feet made on the gravel suddenly started to echo in the
tunnel. Sounds became audible over a
longer distance. We could hear hikers
coming in the other direction for a long time before they came close. It felt quite eerie, like we were hearing
ghosts.
For any blind traveller I would really recommend hiking
along this abandoned railway line for the wonderful variety of sounds and
feelings you can enjoy there. For
sighted people it is even better. I also
walked the route when I could see and I remember spectacular views of a river
which runs beside the tracks for much of the way, bridges, look-out points and
wildlife. Just make sure you have the
energy to go for two and a half hours along a bumpy path. My friend and I got lost in Amagasaki trying
to get from Hanshin Amagasaki to JR Amagasaki on foot and the thirty minute journey
took us about two hours. With this walk
added to the hiking course we walked over 27,000 steps that day. Set off in a good pair of shoes!
Important or difficult vocabulary:
To be abandoned – to be no longer in use; to have been left
without being cared for
Gravel – a number of small stones or rocks laid out
together, usually to make a path
Railway sleepers – large wooden blocks placed underneath the
metal tracks that a train runs on
To be pitch black – to be completely black
