The Tokaido is an ancient road that went from Tokyo to Kyoto, mainly tracing Japan’s southern coastline. It was probably the busiest and most important road in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867). Millions of samurai, pilgrims, daimyo, and ordinary folk would have once traveled the Tokaido. The mountainous lakeside town of Hakone boomed in the Edo period too. Its position along the Tokaido, the last mountain pass before Edo and the Kanto Plain, made it, in effect, the border of Kanto. To protect the area, a huge checkpoint was built where people and their belongings were all strictly checked. It created a bottleneck in the road and long waits. All of this meant there were lots of jobs and high demand for businesses in Hakone and the ancient town boomed.

Fast forward to the present day and Hakone and Lake Ashi have turned into huge tourist attractions. The town is now full of onsen ryokan and shops offering delicious food and luxury traditional stays. The Tokaido road itself, however, in parts remains exactly as it was. Traditional cobblestones, known as ishidatami, still pave the forest road which is littered with relics of its ancient past. Hiking the Tokaido you can expect to see ancient tea houses which have been in business for hundreds of years, deep beautiful forests, Lake Ashi (with great views of Mount Fuji on a clear day), the historical Checkpoint Museum, and much, much more.

The tour starts at Mishima Station or Hakone-Yumoto Station. This is a private tour, so if this arrangement doesn’t work for you or you would prefer to be picked up, please let us know and we can customize the tour to fit your needs. From there we will travel by bus to Lake Ashi with stunning views of Mount Fuji on a clear day. We will visit the Checkpoint Museum to learn about the history of the area before setting off. From there we will hike stunning cobblestone paths in the deep forest. A a few kilometers we will reach Amazake Chaya, an ancient tea house, stretching back over 400 years. We will have a drink and traditional Japanese sweets (included). Continuing the hike we will then walk to the ancient artisans town of Hatajuku. Along the way we will have lunch. In Hatajuku we will learn about the local craft of yosegi-zaiku and, if you like, get hands on trying it (additional 1,000 JPY). From here the hike can continue a little bit more, or come to an end. A quick bus journey will take us to Hakone Yumoto where a hot spring bath is the perfect way to end the day! Of course, as this is a private tour, the details can be customized according to your needs.