Itinerary

The 492-km journey to Kyoto begins at Nihonbashi. It was the starting point of the five major roads across Japan, and distance is still measured from here.

Many historical sites remain along the Tokaido Highway, allowing visitors to feel the traces of history even in the metropolis of Tokyo. The old Tokaido Highway has been turned into a shopping street and residential streets, where you can also enjoy the local atmosphere.

After passing the first post-town Shinagawa, we will cross the Tama River. In the past, there were no bridges and travelers crossed on foot. The scene is depicted in old Ukiyoe. One of the pleasures of traveling on the Tokaido Highway is comparing it with the past and present.

Then, it passes through Yokohama City and goes to Fujisawa.

At 3 p.m. you will arrive at your hotel in Enoshima and have time to enjoy the popular tourist destination since the Samurai period. The island offers a variety of attractions, including a shrine, park, observation tower, and caves as well as the beautiful Views of Mount Fuji on days with good visibility.

The highlight is crossing the Hakone Pass(846m), the most difficult point on the Tokaido Highway. Don't worry, we have the latest e-bike.

The road before Hakone Pass is flat and passes through Hiratsuka, Oiso, and Odawara. Along the way, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of impressively shaped mountains, small rows of pine trees, and the coast.

We rest at an atmospheric thatched tea house redolent of an earlier age and descend to Lake Ashi. During the Edo period, Hakone was also known for its Sekisho barrier station. Sekisho was a checkpoint that controlled passage along the old highway and was a feared place for unqualified travelers. We will pass through the reconstructed Sekisho and the old cedar tree street before journeying on to Mishima.

We will stay in Mishima which is locally called the city of water.  The spring water from Mt. Fuji flows down into the town. Enjoy strolling along little streams where you can sense the beauty of running water. Don’t forget to try a local specialty food Unagi(sea eel)

This is a day when you can enjoy the various faces of Mt.Fuji. Mt. Fuji looks different from different angles, delighting travelers on the Tokaido Highway.

The first spot of Mt.Fuji is at Senbon Matsubara in Numazu known for its beautiful natural scenery, including evergreen pine trees, snow-capped Mt.Fuji, and the sun setting over Suruga Bay. The road along the coast is a cycling path allowing travelers to comfortably enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji.

When heading west on the Tokaido Highway, Mt.Fuji is always visible on the right. However, the road to the Yoshiwara was greatly curved, so it is rare for Mt. Fuji to be seen on the left side of the road, making it a popular spot for "Left-fuji" which is also depicted in ukiyo-e.

The highlight of Mt. Fuji on the Tokaido Highway would be the Satta Pass between Kanbara and Yui. The majestic Mt. Fuji and the absorbing blue Suruga Bay are still here, as they have always been. The Tokaido Main Line(Train), National Route 1, and Tomei Expressway now overlap at the foot of the pass, making it a popular spot for taking pictures with Mt.Fuji.

Passing through Okitsu and Ejiri, we will stay in Fuchu(Shizuoka). Enjoy a lively night out in the biggest city of Shizuoka.

Following the same paths as people in the past, you can eat the same foods and experience the same journeys as in those days. Along the way, many old-established stores that have been around since the Edo period remain, and we stop at many of them as a rest stop.

Leaving Fuchu, before crossing the Abe River, there is an Ishibeya founded in 1804. We can eat fresh Abegawa mochi (rice cakes), which are made traditionally. There is a restaurant in Maruko called Chojiya, which was established in 1596. The outside appearance is the same as ukiyoe in the Edo period.

At Utsunoya Pass, you can feel the history of technological evolution and traffic changes. There are four tunnels from different eras. The Meiji-era tunnel made of red bricks is registered as a tangible cultural property.

We will visit the world's longest wooden bridge (897m) in Shimada and challenge the Nakayama Pass with its beautiful tea fields. A tea house with a history of more than 300 years remains where they still sell candy(Kosodate Ame), a local specialty since the Edo period.

Your accommodation tonight is near Kakegawa Castle, so you should go there as long as you still have some energy left.

Departing from Kakegawa, the next post town, Fukuroi, is known as a town right in the middle of the Tokaido Highway. The road to Fukuroi passes through a quiet row of pine trees.

One of the larger cities on the Tokaido Highway is Hamamatsu. Passing through lively Hamamatsu city, you arrive at beautiful Lake Hamana. From Bentenjima Beach Park, it is possible to see the figure of the floating Shinto Torii gate just like a famous one in Hiroshima.

We stop at Arai Sekisyo（Checkpoint) in the Lake Hamanako area. The Arai sekisho was built in 1600, but was forced to relocate twice and in 1858 was reconstructed into the building that remains today. It is the only existing checkpoint building in Japan and is designated as a special national historic site. 

Passing through Shirasuka, with its beautiful sea scenery, we will pass through peaceful cabbage fields and rice fields to arrive at Yoshida (Toyohashi), where we will stay today.

If time allows, a visit to the nearby Toyokawa Inari is recommended. Toyokawa Inari is one of Japan's three most famous Inari shrines, and more than a thousand stone fox statues will greet you there.

Today's destination is the major city of Nagoya.

There are around 300 large pine trees lined up for 600m from Goyu to Akasaka post towns still intact from the olden days. There are many rows of pine trees as you travel along the Tokaido Highway, but this is the best pine tree street on Tokaido Highway.

We will stop at Ohashiya to experience how people used to rest in the accommodation. Ohashiya was the last inn on the Tokaido Highway to operate in its original Edo-period building, but closed in 2015 to be reopened as a museum.…

In the town of  Okazaki, we will follow the 27 turns that were built for the town's defense. The area is also famous for miso (fermented soybean paste), and we will visit the Hatcho miso factory. Hatcho Miso is a strong and dark red Miso made continuously in Okazaki for over 800 years. Japan produces various Miso types, but Hatcho Miso was the only supplier of Miso to the royal family from 1892 until 1954. ・

Before arriving at Nagoya, we will visit Arimatsu. Arimatsu flourished as a production center for tie-dyeing. The beautiful townscape and traditional handicrafts can be discovered in this area.

Travelers on the Tokaido Highway traveled by boat from Miya to Kuwana.  We travel by train in today's world. We will start again from the park where the ship arrived at those times.

The Tokaido Highway has become a roofed shopping street in Yokkaichi. The atmosphere of the old days does not remain, but it is still the center of the town.

The highlight of the day is Sekijuku. Of the 53 stations along the Tokaido highway, the best preserved is Seki-Juku. While Tsumago-juku and Magome-juku on the Nakasendo route in Nagano get the most attention, Seki-juku on the Tokaido is one of Mie Prefecture’s hidden gems. Many of the buildings have been kept in their original state to allow visitors a chance to walk through history and experience how travelers felt hundreds of years ago.

The second most difficult point on the Tokaido Highway was the Suzuka Pass. After passing over the Suzuka Pass, we will arrive at Mizuguchi, where we will stay for the night today.

We finally arrive at our goal, Kyoto. The ride to Kusatsu is a gentle downhill and pleasant.

Kusatsu was a place for branching and merging with the two major highways, the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. It was also a lively place for many travelers and goods because it was connected closely to the way to Yabase port which was an important place of ship transportation of the Lake Biwa.

We also stop at Kusatsujuku Honjin. A ``honjin'' was placed at each post station and was used by feudal lords and court nobles to rest. Kusatsu-juku Honjin is one of the largest Honjin buildings in Japan that still exists.

We across the Seta no Karahashi Bridge known as one of the three Famous Bridges of Japan. Then, after crossing Mount Osaka, we finally arrive at Kyoto, the city of the thousand years.

The end of the Tokaido Highway is Sanjo Ohashi Bridge. Though dinner is not included tonight, we highly recommend joining your group for a farewell meal at one of your tour leader's favorite restaurants in the city as a great way to toast the end of a fantastic trip.