Old Tokaido Route
Trip Start
Jul 26, 2008
1
8
12
Trip End
Aug 03, 2008
Futagawa,
Japan
Sunday, August 24, 2008
I thought I should have visited Futagawa at first, because it had a good museum, Futagawa Honjin Museum, displaying some travel goods, showing how travels were in Edo Period, and explaining the functions of Edo Five Routes and post towns
Hand-Carried Litter
. Thanks to the museum, I was able to the outline of Old Tokaido Route travels. The museum had two annexes, Hatago Seimeiya Inn and Futagawa Honjin Inn. The latter one was originally built in 1807 and renovated many times. Because it is a museum, not a ruin, most parts are apparently new.The museum was in Futagawa which was one stop away from Toyohashi (Old Yoshida, next post town), but I knew there was nothing to see in Toyohashi. So I took a train to Ko and walked to Goyu Post Town, which was famous for a pine tree avenue. The pine trees were originally planted about 400 years ago to protect the travellers and the part of Tokaido Route. It was supposed to be a nostalgic anvenue, but a lot of cars and no hikers were passing by. Near the Shin-Goyu Bridge, the Pine Tree Avenue Museum had a 380 year old pine tree stump in its front, although it was already closed at four. Anyway, the distance between Goyu and Akasaka is 1.7km, although the average interval of Tokaido Post Towns was 8.8km. It was a very easy walk.
The aim to visit Akasaka was to drop by Hatago Ohashiya Inn and, actually, there was nothing else to see. The inn was established in 1649 and the innate original part of the building was almost 300 years old. Interestingly, you can stay in the inn even now
Pill Case
. The rumor had it that Meiji Emperor and Matsuo Basho, a poet in Edo Period, had stayed there. So it is popular among senior travelers of Old Tokaido Route. It was still open to public even at half past five in the evening and I could enter. The landlady gave me some information and allowed me to see inside of the inn, although I paid a small donation. As a matter of course, it would have been a better experience, if I had stayed there.Additional Note
I also visited Miya Post Town, 41st of the Old Tokaido Route, but nothing special to see there but a restored ferry port. The post town had the largest number of inns of the Old Tokaido Route, which had originally a ferry port to travel to Kuwana, 42nd post town. Now the ferry port was a small park with a drum tower and night-light. The ferry port is called 7ri Ferry Port, because the distance between Miya and Kuwana was 7ri (28km) and it was the hardest part of Tokaido travel in Edo period. Actually, I found a new ferry port, but I was not sure if it was available. So I stayed there only 10 minutes and left. By the way, a lot of seniors enjoy walking along the Old Tokaido Route so that they can feel the same way as the travellers in Edo Period. If I had also walked, the park would have given me a good relaxation. By the way, Miya means Atsuta Shrine in this case. So I thought I had to visit the shrine, too. Atsuta shrine is the second greatest shrine next to Ise Grand Shrine. I have not visited the shrine these days, but it was surely interesting from a historic point of view.
