OLD ROAD TO TŌKAIDŌ
Like other major roads, the Tokaido Road was laid out during the Kamakura period to link the center of power with other major cities, including Kyoto. It underwent considerable expansion during the Edo period, when it became a veritable pedestrian highway. Lords from all over the country had to travel to Edo regularly, and those coming from the south of the archipelago all passed through the Tokaido. We can follow this paved road to Moto-Hakone (3h30 walk). It's now mainly used by hikers, but under the cedar trees planted over 360 years ago to shelter walkers, you can still feel the buzz and bustle of old-time walkers, the squeaking of palanquins. We then pass the Amazake-Chaya tea house, which has been serving a fermented rice drink (amazake) and rice dumplings to travelers and hikers for 12 generations. There were 53 such stops along the route, called shukuba and immortalized in 1832 by Hiroshige in the "53 Tokaido Stations". Today, only a handful remain, including Amazake Chaya and Chojiya in Shizuoka prefecture. On the Lake Ashi side, the road continues along the 2 km-long avenue of cryptomerias or sugi-namiki (alley of old cedars) to the Hakone checkpoint. This brings a pleasant end to this historic walk in the footsteps of Japanese lords and their retinues.
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