Hikes in Japan: The Old Tokaido Road Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Old Tokaido Road Trail
• Location: Hakone, Japan
• Distance: 2.8 miles (4.5 km)
• Max Elevation: 2,656 feet (809 m)
• Elevation Gain: 619 feet (188 meters)
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

From Tokyo the Hakone region is easily reached by train or bus.  See this link for transportation options.  For this hike my kids and I made the easy drive over to Hakone from the Tokyo area.

Parking

For those driving to Hakone for this hike, I recommend parking at the P4 Haccho Parking Lot.  This is one of the few free parking lots in Hakone and it is located adjacent to the trailhead for the Tokaido Road Trail.  The parking lot is quite large, but on weekends make sure to arrive early to ensure you get a space.

Narrative

My family and I have been playing the past couple of years a board game called Tokaido which features players traversing the Tokaido Road between Kyoto and Edo which is modern day Tokyo.  The Tokaido Road has been in place for centuries, but during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1680 they decided to pave the old trail with stone to make it into a road.  During a recent trip to resort area of Hakone outside of Tokyo my kids and I decided to go and hike a portion of this old road that still exists.  From the P4 Haccho Parking Lot my kids and I spotted the path that leads to the trailhead.  There is no sign just a trail through the trees:

The trail leads up this staircase to the actual trailhead:

At the trailhead there is a sign explaining the history of the Tokaido Road in the Hakone area.  According to the sign the Tokaido was shifted to pass through this area in 1618 and was a difficult stretch of the road to pass:

The trailhead also has a map of this remaining portion of the Tokaido Road that runs from Lake Ashi to the village of Hatajuku.  The sign said that the Tokugawa government actually planted the cedar trees along this section of the trail to provide better shade for travelers:

From the trailhead the road passes over a modern construction, a wooden bridge.  This wooden bridge is used to pass over a busy road near the trailhead:

After crossing the bridge we saw the old stones of the Tokaido Road in front of us.  What my kids and I noticed was that the stone road actually was not very comfortable to walk on due to not being perfectly flat.  We could only imagine how the feet of Japanese people hundreds of years ago felt walking this road in just straw sandals:

The trail next passed by a small shinto shrine:

From there the trail then crossed a small road:

For this hike we planned to just hike to the Amazake Teahouse and back.  For those looking for a longer hike they can more than double this distance of this walk by going all the way to Hatajuku and back:

During this hike there is really no views that can be seen due to the surrounding forest.  There is one area where part of the Hakone volcano can be seen:

As the trail neared the teahouse it slowly descended into a valley.  This section of the trail would be a challenge on the return trip because of how steep it is:

Just before approaching the teahouse the Tokaido crosses over a busy road.  We were very careful here when crossing:

We soon found ourselves walking up behind the historic Amazake Teahouse:

Once there we checked out the teahouse and its adjacent Tokaido Road museum.  You can read more about both these locations at my prior posting.

Places in Japan: The Amazake Tea House

Conclusion

A hike to the Amazake Teahouse on the Old Tokaido Road is an easy walk for anyone visiting the Hakone area.  This less than three mile-walk allows visitors to enjoy the beautiful forest and experience a bit of Japan’s historical and cultural past.