The route to Ca’enne follows what’s known as the Jomon Road.
After passing through small-town farms and fields of rice paddies in the Toyohira district of Chino, Nagano Prefecture, the road continues into an area of holiday villas and golf courses scattered among the forests at the foot of the Yatsugatake mountains. Along the way, it passes the Togariishi archaeological site, a collection of ruins and one of the first Jomon Period (10,000-200 B.C.) settlements discovered in Japan.
It’s easy to see why the country’s ancient inhabitants chose to settle here. Even today, fresh spring water flows through the area, with streams full of fish and eel, while wild boar and deer roam forests rich with edible herbs and plants. For nomads weary of constant wandering in search of food, it must have seemed like paradise.
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