Chosenji temple.

Today we are in Narai which, as you can see, is a mountain village some fifty minutes by train from Matsumoto.

This is the bell tower of the Buddhist temple.
One climbs the steps, pulls the heavy rope in order to hit the bell with a heavy wooden striker, bows reverently twice towards the Golden Buddha in the temple, and then make your prayer.
Naraijuku was one of the post towns on the Nakasendo Highway, officially ruled by the Edo Shogunate and situated exactly between Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyoto the ancient capital.
Narai is an important cultural asset, containing an historic row of Edo period wooden dwellings and a series of significant religious shrines.
This town is at the north end of the Torii Pass through the mountains, considered the most challenging on the ancient Nakasando highway.
Narai prospered as a place of rest for those using the pass.