Traffic on Old Tokaido Highway
yajikitaMany people will be concerned about traffic. Let me explain what route we will follow.
The road connecting Tokyo and Kyoto is the most well-developed route in Japan. Busy people today travel in the following ways.
- Tomei Highway(E1)
- Shin-Tomei Highway(E1A)
- National Route 1 (Tokaido)
- Tokaido Shinkansen
- Tokaido Main Line
These routes are not suitable for bicycles due to heavy traffic. We will follow Old Tokaido(Blue Line)
What is the Old Tokaido look like?
During the Edo period, the width of the road was defined by the Tokugawa shogun as approximately 10.7 meters. New roads(Nataial Road 1) were built next to Tokaido as a result of motorization, and trucks and other large vehicles began to use those roads. In Shizuoka Prefecture, a free, signal-free road known as the National Route 1 bypass is in place along the entire prefecture.
Therefore, the old Tokaido is unexpectedly suitable for cycling with relatively little traffic.
It seems that no trace of the past remains, but there are many places where one can feel a sense of history. The old road is now used as a road for daily life, and you can feel the lifestyle of the people.
In many places, people are proud of the history of their post-towns and are making efforts to pass it on to future generations.
The tour traces old roads as much as possible and travels along the same paths as people in the Edo period.
