Well-traveled historic section of Japan’s Old Tokaido Road invites visitors to step back in time

The long history of Japan is told in many historic sites around the country — and at sightseeing spots along Hakone Hachiri in Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures, visitors can step back in time to experience what it was like to travel the country almost 400 years ago.

Hakone Hachiri is a 20-mile-long section of the Old Tokaido Road that runs between Odawara and Mishima cities, located about an hour away from Tokyo by shinkansen, the country’s high-speed rail system. (The journey via car, bus or local trains is a bit longer, and can run anywhere from 2 to 3 hours.)

While most foreign tourists are familiar with the general Hakone region due to its proximity to Mount Fuji, as well as its many upscale ryokan, or traditional Japanese inns, there’s plenty of history in the region worth exploring as well. For history buffs, a day spent exploring this small section of the historic Tokaido Road is a welcome respite to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

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