Tokaido Road
Photo: Artanisen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Tokaido Road (東海道 Tōkaidō) has been the most important route in Japan since the Edo period, connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. Today, the road plays an important part of the Golden Route, possibly the most popular itinerary for first time visitors to the country.
Clocking in at 514 km, in the Edo days the road was covered in around two weeks on foot at a punishing pace of up to 40 km per day. Today, the Shinkansen bullet train can whisk you from Tokyo to Kyoto in 139 minutes, but Golden Route itineraries usually run for 5-7 days. The original road started in Edo (now Tokyo) and ended in Kyoto, but it was extended to include Osaka in the 1620s and it's now considered a part of the Golden Route.
UnderstandKaidō (街道) were roads which were created during the Edo period (1603-1868). These roads served multiple purposes, including trade, diplomacy and pilgrimage.
PrepareMost of the stops are located within walking distance of stations along the Tokaido Main Line.
Get inThe first station from the East end is Nihonbashi Bridge, in the heart of Tokyo.
GoThis section will list each of the historical post stations (宿場 shukuba, abbreviated 宿 -juku) of this road. The ones marked in blue are stations located near stops on the Tokaido Shinkansen.
BuyShukuba Seal Stamps (宿場印 shukuba-shirushi) were sold from October 7, 2020 at the first 12 stations from Nihonbashi to Mishima-juku.
Go nextSome Golden Route tours go beyond Osaka, travelling to Kobe, Himeji, Okayama and Hiroshima.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Tokaido Road" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Artanisen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons