As our bus commences its climb through the Hida Highlands in Gifu Prefecture to the quiet mountain village of Shirakawa-go, I cannot help wondering what the samurai of bygone days would have made of the smooth road and tunnels cut through the mountains.
Probably not much, as the modern infrastructure would certainly have made it easier for the authorities of the time to capture the Samurai runaways who sought refuge in this mountainous terrain more than two centuries ago.