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In the Edo period, because traveling was mostly by foot, a wide variety of accommodations were available in the post towns. Regular travelers such as merchants, craftsman or peasants were staying at [...]

From Day Number: 8 Leg Title: Tsumago Leg Description: Take the bullet train to Tsumago, a town filled with traditional buildings where you’ll spend the night in a traditional ryokan, a type of travellers’ inn from the Edo period. Tsumago is one...

“The entire Kiso Road is in the mountains.”  This is the famous opening line of the novel Before The Dawn written by Toson Shimazaki, who was born in Magome, Japan in 1872.  The Kiso Road is part of the Nakasendo, an inland route connecting Kyoto and...

Back in the Edo Period (1603-1868), the city of Edo (now called Tokyo) became the de facto capital of Japan. While Kyoto remained the cultural capital, the administration of the Tokugawa Shiogun operated out of Edo. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun...

The Nakasendo (literally “The Way through the Mountains”) is an ancient highway that linked the cities of Kyoto and Tokyo. Dating back to the 7th century, the route was used at its peak during the Edo Period (1600-1868), as one of the Five...