If you have been watching TV Tokyo’s “Local Route Bus Connection Journey” series, you may have heard of a place called Shimokyoraishi. The “Yamanashi Kotsu Bus Shimokyoraishi Line” that goes to this rather grim place will soon be discontinued. While the JR Chuo Main Line runs along the northern bank of the Kamanashi River, this bus route runs northwest along National Route 20 (Koshu Kaido) on the southern bank, reaching its final stop, Shimokyoraishi, about 3 km from the border between Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures. It is said that buses used to reach around the prefectural border, but before the route was shortened, it was incredibly rutted. …… First, we will examine how this bus route appeared in the program so many times, along with actual data. Then, we will trace the history of the bus routes along the Koshu-kaido road until they were discontinued and became increasingly disconnected.
First, let’s look back at the times Shimokyoraiishi bus stop has appeared in the “Local Bus Connection Journey” series (based on the author’s research; please forgive any omissions). Shimokyoraiishi bus stop appeared 18 times (*author’s research) (aired on September 13, 2014):
Madonna is Mami Nomura. Walk to Yatsugatake Art Museum after getting off the bus.
Special Edition Atami to Kanazawa (November 26, 2016):
The Madonna was Sae Miyazawa. This was practically the first match for the pair of Mr. Yoji Tanaka and Mr. Keisuke Haneda. Walk to Fujimi Station after getting off the train.
Cab 10,000 yen OK for 2 days Mt. Takao – Lake Suwa, Nagano (broadcast May 16, 2020):
Transfer from Shimokyoraiishi to the school bus bound for Yamaguchi
Z Part 18 (broadcast Jan. 8, 2022):
Day 3, stay overnight in Nirasaki City
Local Bus Ride-On Showdown Trip: Battle of the Battles (aired September 14, 2022):
Ikuto Kawai (A.B.C-Z) got information on a bus bound for Shimokyoraiseki at Kofu Station, The first seven years of the series, however, saw the duo travel all over Tokaido, Tohoku, Hokkaido, Kansai, etc., and the Koshu Kaido (Yamanashi Prefecture) route, which obviously has inconvenient bus connections, may have been an afterthought. However, Mami Nomura, the Madonna of the series, showed one of the best legs in the series in her appearance (Vol. 18), walking the route from the Shimokyoraiishi bus stop to the Yatsugatake Art Museum, with its many elevation differences. The Koshu Kaido route has been used several times since then, and has become widely known not only in the “transit” series but also in TV Tokyo’s travel series. The only bus transit route from Yamanashi Prefecture to Nagano Prefecture is along the Kamanashi River. The JR Chuo Main Line runs through Nagasaka and Kobuchizawa Stations on the northern bank of the river, and there are few national roads or highways. It is now well known that the only way to connect from Tokyo to Shiojiri in Nagano Prefecture is via Shimokyoraiishi. The Shimokyoraiishi bus stop has only five round trips per day, and this area is not that well known even within Hokuto City. Despite this, the area is not that well known, even within Hokuto City, and some people have visited the bus stop as part of the “Local Bus Riders’ Journey” series and as a sacred place for “rider buses. However, the Koshu Kaido, along which buses run, has a centuries-old tradition as one of the five highways (the others being Tokaido, Nakasendo, Nikko Kaido, and Oshu Kaido) established by the Edo shogunate. Now that the bus service has sadly come to an end, let us trace the history of the Koshu Kaido Shimo-Kyorai-ishijuku, which is located along the bus route.
© Source travel watch