(d)
(i) caption of photo 1: The Seiganto-ji Temple, backdropped by the Nachi Waterfall, is one of the most sacred, iconic sites of the Kumano Kodo trail in rural Japan. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Seiganto-ji  青岸渡寺
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiganto-ji
(Nachi Falls 那智滝 (113 meters))
(ii) caption of photo 3: The post town of Narai is an authentic centuries-old gem on the Nakasendo Way. You can imagine samurai walking through the hamlet. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Na-ra-i-juku  奈良井宿
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narai-juku

宿 (whose Chinese pronunciation is juku) here is short for 宿場 or 宿駅, either of which is defined as "relay station or post station (esp. on Edo-period highway)."

(b) "along another historic path, the centuries-old Nakasendo trail once used for commerce and still flecked with authentic post towns that look like Hollywood movie sets. Feudal barons, samurai, merchants and princesses regularly took this route in the Japanese Alps to get between political hubs Kyoto and Tokyo. * * * These two off-the-beaten-track walks headlined 'Japan Hiking Highlights,' an enthralling 11-day small-group trip run by tour operator Oku Japan (okujapan.com). * * * apprentice geisha (maiko) [舞子] * * * We concluded our trip in Tokyo among the neon marquees, bustling crowds and infamous Asahi beer headquarters adorned with a massive flame-like sculpture that locals dub the 'golden turd.' * * * yukata [浴衣] * * * the meditative soaking [in onsen 温泉] did wonders for my quads. * * * we arrived at the Takijiri [滝尻(王子); see Note (b)(iv)] trailhead of the classic imperial Nakahechi route, one of several pathways of the Kumano Kodo.   I didn't worry about the poisonous mamushi [蝮 (pit viper)] snakes, the giant stinging 'murder hornets,' or the jumbo venomous mukade [百足] centipedes because Kumano's almighty mountain god was by my side. * * * torii gates festooned with shide, the zig-zagging folded white papers that represent purity and protection. Smaller oji sub-shrines, guarded by lion-dog statues, dappled the trail. So did the Jizo [jizō 地蔵] stone figures"
(i) Nakasendō  中山道 was was one of Edo Five Routes  五街道.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_Five_Routes

Kanji 山 has two Chinese pronunciations: san and sen -- the latter is rare.
(ii) The kanji 奥 (with Japanese pronunciation oku) means inner part/ interior.
(iii) One can not see the golden turd in en.wikipedia.org for Asahi Brewery. One can use images.google.com to search (asahi brewery headquarters).
(iv) The quads (usually in plural; dictionary form is quad) are short for quadriceps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriceps
(v) The shide is not English but Japanese, hence its pronunciation the Japanese way.
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shide_(Shinto)
(vi) "Smaller oji sub-shrines, guarded by lion-dog statues, dappled the trail."

九十九王子 ōji refers to 99 sub-shrines hastily built in the 12th to 13th centuries by 皇族・貴人 (therefore 王子), as guides during 熊野詣, per ja.wikipedia.org for 九十九王子.