Last Updated: Feb 9, 2025

The Tokaido & the Nakasendo

Japan’s Dual Highways to Kyoto

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

When I sat down to write this week’s article, I suddenly realized that ALL of the spots I’ve visited recently have been for creator gigs and the accompanying posts are still tied up in lengthy approval processes. At a loss for what to write about, I figured I might as well tackle something that I reference in almost every article but have never really taken the time to properly flesh out. So, on that note, today we’ll be taking a look at an important pair of highways — the Tokaido and the Nakasendo — which conveniently connected the Tokugawa shogunate’s stronghold in present-day Tokyo (then called Edo) with Kyoto.

If you’ve done any sort of traveling in central Japan before yourselves, you’ve likely come across one of these terms at some point in your journey. Considered two of the five major highways that made up the lion’s share of Japan’s infrastructure during the Edo period (1603–1868), the Tokaido and Nakasendo offered distinct routes to and from Japan’s former capital. Back then, most travel was still largely done on foot as wheeled carts were almost nonexistent and heavy cargo was usually sent by boat. This meant that a journey along the Tokaido or Nakasendo could take well over a week if not longer. Talk about getting your steps in…