A virtual hike along Hakone’s “Old Road” from the beautiful pond called Otama-ga-Ike to one of Japan’s oldest continuously operating teahouses.
Read moreHiking the Hakone Old Road, Part 2: Otama-ga-ike to Hatajuku
Tokaido
Hiking the Hakone Old Road, Part 1: Lake Ashi to Otamaga-ike
In June (2021), I used one of the last pleasant days before the rainy season set in to hike a section of the Hakone Old Road between Ashinoko (Lake Ashi) and Harajuku, with a short detour to a lesser known pond called Otamaga-ike along the way.
Read moreMarking the Way on the Tokaido
This waterfall runs down a mountain and crosses the original path of the old Tokaido near Hakone. During the Edo period (1603-1868) the Tokaidō was one of five major travel roads, and one of the two most important linking the former capital city of Kyoto with the then-new capital, Edo (now called Tokyo). The Tokaidō, or “East Sea Road” roughly paralleled the southeastern coast of Honshū (Japan’s largest island). Its 53 stations, or post towns, were (and remain, to an extent) famous subjects of Japanese art and literature. I hiked a section of the old Tokaidō near Hakone last autumn, and visited again in
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