Page:TASJ-1-3.djvu/77

 Shinanogawa to Nagaoka, which is a distance of nearly 6 ri. About half-way between those two places, and situated at 5 or 6 cho from the left bank of the river, is Yoïta, a very large, but poor-looking town, with a beautiful Honjin or Daimio’s hotel. The river between Okodz and Nagaoka and down Okodz as far as the separating point of the Nakanokuchi, is very broad, but full of sand-banks and islands. About 1 ri upwards of Yoïta the sand-banks are covered with heavy gravel, which becomes larger and larger, until, before Nagaoka is arrived at, the pieces reach the size of pebble-stones. Nagaoka, 40 miles above Niigata, is the most important place in Echigo; it is renowned for its silk manufactures and is the staple place of trade from Echigo overland to the South. It is not situated directly on the Shinanogawa, but its suburbs extend to it. Formerly it was the seat of a Daimio, who was Minister to the Taicoon; afterwards it became the capital of the Nagaoka-ken, which was united last year with the Niigata-ken. The town is spaciously built with wide streets; about the number of the inhabitants or of the houses I could not get any information, but judging from the extent of the place, it must be considerably greater than that of Niigata.

Here follow the distances of the different places along the Mikuni Road. I have added the height above the sea level, as I determined it by means of an aneroid barometer, but these observations were very roughly made, as I had neither the time nor the means of making them with accuracy; they may serve, however, to give a general idea of this part of the road.