¡®One of the principal points to which travelers will direct their steps is the Lake of Chuzenji,¡± writes Ernest Mason Satow (1843-1929) in ¡°A Guide Book To Nikko,¡± the first English tourist guide of the area published in 1875. Satow, a British diplomat and Japanologist, arrived in Japan in 1862 at a time when the nation was facing a shift in political power and rule from the shogunate to the Emperor in the form of the Meiji Restoration.
¡°Within a week after his (Satow¡¯s) arrival, the country experienced the ¡®Namamugi Incident,¡¯ in which a British merchant was killed on the Tokaido road. But, still, he decided to stay in Japan,¡± says Kimio Kojima, the owner of local liquor shop Raku Sen Koh Kojimaya who often volunteers to give lectures about the area. ¡°Traveling from east to west, he worked for almost 20 years to establish a strong bond with clans such as the Satsuma and the Choshu.¡±
It¡¯s late November and I¡¯m on a Tobu Top Tours travel agency tour to Oku-Nikko, where Kojima, as our guide, is taking us around the area, explaining its history as we travel. Although it¡¯s too late for the autumn leaves that the area is famous for, Kojima¡¯s knowledge of the historical background of his hometown and his commentary about the international exchanges that took place there make the trip different from the usual sightseeing tour.
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