Mekawa Village near Ishibe

A large teahouse stands on the left of the picture. The characters Iseya can be seen on the noren at the eaves, and in front of the shop are seated customers and working people. A group in hats walk together along the road in front of the teahouse, and one man among them calls out to a woman walking ahead. The teahouse roof is large, and an indigo curtain is stretched under the eaves. From the window of the building at the far left too, people lean out to look at the street.

A resting place set between post stations was called a tateba, and there were teahouses serving specialties. The Megawa tateba was known for nameshi (rice cooked with chopped greens) and tofu dengaku. The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum explains that Hiroshige took up the Iseya at Megawa introduced in the Tokaido Meisho Zue just as it was.

A large mountain towers in the background, and along the road at right a person with a load recedes into the distance. The top of the sky is dyed red. The bustling storefront full of people and the quiet far end of the highway make a contrast in one picture. The trees lined up on the right have lost their leaves, and a grassy area spreads like a band beside the road in the foreground.