TōkaidōArticle Free Pass Tōkaidō, ( (Japanese:: “Eastern Sea
Road”), ) historic road that connected Ōsaka and Kyōto with Edo
(now Tokyo) in Japan. The Tōkaidō was 303 miles (488 km) long
and ran mostly along the Pacific (i.e., southern) coast of the
island of Honshu. From ancient times the road was the chief
route from the capital city of Kyōto eastward to central Honshu.
The Tōkaidō became even more important during the Tokugawa (Edo)
period (1603–1867), since it connected Edo, the capital city of
the Tokugawa shogunate, with western Honshu. Along the Tōkaidō
were 53 post-station towns whose inns and vendors provided
lodging, refreshment, and gifts for the road’s travelers. The
road was well known for its picturesque views, which were
recorded by the artist Hiroshige in a series of woodblock prints
entitled “Fifty-three Stations of the Tßkaidß” (1832). During
the Tokugawa period, the Tōkaidō is recorded as having a smooth,
well-kept roadbed that averaged 18 feet (5.5 m) in width. This
roadbed consisted of a