Nakasendo highway

There are five routes that link Kyoto and Edo (the old name for Tokyo), but of those there were two of the most important ones. One is called Nakasendo 中山道, another is called Tokaido 東海道. For this journey I choose the Nakasendo, which suggested by the Japanese kanji as the route between mountains. It has 69 stations in between and will take 534 km of up and down the slopes through mountains. Although going through Nakasendo will be more difficult compares to Tokaido (which is more flat as it takes the route along the pacific coast), this line is not so rarely chosen by others for its beautiful scenery and historical preservation. Some people walk all through the way from Kyoto to Edo for up to 27 days, while I choose to ride my bicycle so I can explore wider places more efficiently in golden hour (more description on upcoming post). Nakasendo was built around 8th century when Nara was the capital city of Japan, in order to consolidate the growing Japan together. But its development reached its peak during the Edo period (1600-1868), when Japan moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo. Many parts along its way is preserved and retained its authenticity, and some claimed it as the heart of Japan. Some famous persons were reported to pass through the Nakasendo line. To name a few, the 17th century haiku master Matsuo Basho, 19th century writer Shimazaki Toson who wrote 夜明けの前 (Yoake no Mae; Before The Dawn), and the most extravagant of all was the journey of Princess Kazunomiya with her 15,000 servants on her way to marry Iemochi the 14th Tokugawa Shogun. But let all have their own reasons to plan and choose the route. As for me, the mystery of what lies between each journey is the gem of every travel!

map of Nakasendo from Kyoto (most left) to Edo (most right) 

taken from a book with my notes on it.