Mikuni Pass Hot Springs Tour and Trip (Niigata Prefecture)

A museum that tells the history of Honjin on the Mikuni Kaido road
Onyado Honjin in Mikuni Pass Onsen was founded as an inn in 1610 during the Keicho era, and has a history of about 400 years. It has served as the head inn of Asagai-juku since 1635, when alternate attendance was introduced, and the current head of the family is the 18th generation. The old gate has been relocated to the main entrance, and a welcome sign from when feudal lords Accommodation there is hung in front of the lobby on the first floor. The Honjin Historical Museum inside the inn displays kimonos worn by feudal lords of the time, documents handed down by the head of the family, the Watanuki family, and guest registers, conveying the history of Asagai-juku Honjin to the present day.

"Asagai-juku" at Mikuni Mikuni Pass, a difficult spot on the Mikuni Highway
The Mikuni Kaido connects Teradomari on the Hokuriku Kaido with Takasaki on the Nakasendo. During the Edo period, the shogunate placed Sado Island, home to gold mines, under their direct control, and placed importance on the Mikuni Kaido, the shortest route between Edo and Sado. They improved the difficult mountain passes and established post towns. The first post town in Echigo was Asagai-juku. Asagai-juku played an important role as a rest stop for those crossing difficult areas, and the Watanuki family, who became the main inn, were the regular lodgings for daimyo from Nagaoka, Muramatsu and Yoita domains, as well as high-ranking officials such as the Sado magistrate. The main inn still retains its appearance today as a hot spring inn.