Kuchinawazaka

Kuchinawazaka is a steep, stone-paved slope rising from the streets of the Teramachi temple district. Its name comes from the Japanese word for snake, kuchinawa, describing the way the road winds back and forth like a reptile as it climbs the hill. In the late nineteenth century, the novelist Doppo Kunikida lived nearby and wrote about the atmosphere of this slope. Today, rows of stone walls and old Buddhist temples line the path, keeping the incline quiet and isolated from city traffic.