米原市柏原は、江戸時代中山道69の宿場町の内60番目の宿として、たいそう賑わった宿場町です。長さが1.5kmと近江国最大級の宿場であり、宿場町特有の２階建の軒の低い家々や常夜灯が当時の面影を今に伝えています。

中でも柏原宿の特産である伊吹山の薬草を原料とした伊吹艾(もぐさ)を商う「伊吹堂亀屋佐京商店」は、今も昔と変わらぬたたずまいで日本一大きい福助とともに旅人を迎えてくれます。
ゲストハウス周辺は柏原宿資料館、成菩提院、徳源院、北畠具行の墓、寝物語の里など歴史散策もできます。

米原駅から柏原駅は電車で約13分・関ヶ原駅からは約6分です。

※通りのお店は夕方には閉まってしまうので、食べ物や飲み物は購入してからお越しください。最寄りのコンビニエンスストア（ローソン）までは、車で約5分、徒歩で約15分です。

"Kashiwabara-juku (柏原宿, Kashiwabara-juku) was the sixtieth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day city of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
Records of Kashiwabara-juku itself date back to the Middle Ages when it was mentioned in the Taiheiki, a historical epic of Japan. A post station was first established in the Kashiwabara-juku area in 646. The Kashiwabara-juku established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the 17th century was approximately 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from east to west, making it one of the larger post stations along the Nakasendō.
In 1996, a study was conducted which showed that over one-fifth of the structures in the Kashiwabara-juku area were built in the either the Edo or Meiji periods. Nowadays, it is known for its mugwort, which is the local specialty. At one point, there were over ten shops that specialized in mugwort products."
[Quotations from Wikipedia]

About 13min from JR Maibara-station to JR Kashiwabara-station.
About 6min from JR Sekigahara-station to JR Kashiwabara-station.

※Shops along the street close in the evening, so please purchase food and drinks before coming. The nearest convenience store (Lawson) is about 5 minutes by car or 15 minutes on foot.