The Old Tōkaidō Road (Kyū Tōkaidō, 旧東海道) is easily one of Japan’s most historically important roads. Spanning roughly 500 km (approximately 300 miles) from the modern-day capital of Tokyo to the ancient capital of Kyoto, the Tōkaidō was a backbone of Japan during the Edo Period (1600-1868). Both commoners and samurai made use of the Tōkaidō when traveling to and from Japan’s two most important cities. While the Old Tōkaidō for the most part does not exist anymore, modern train lines and roads preserve its legacy to this day in that many of them follow routes based on this historic road. In short, although samurai may no longer roam Japan, the impact of the Tōkaidō can still be felt to this day.
In September of 2021 I embarked on an epic journey to walk the Tōkaidō. As someone who is legally blind I knew this would not be easy. I knew I would face many challenges, such as getting lost and bad weather. And yet I went through with it. On September 21st I departed from what is considered the endpoint of the Tōkaidō: Sanjō Ōhashi (三条大橋)–the bridge at Sanjo–in Kyoto. Twenty nine days later I arrived in my final destination: Nihonbashi (日本橋) in Tokyo, a.k.a. the beginning of the Old Tōkaidō Road. Along the way I documented the entire journey and then edited the videos I took into an 11-part series.
Dubbed the Tōkaidō Challenge, this video series shows everything I experienced from beginning to end. It shows the difficult parts and the fun parts. It also shows the hotels I stayed at and how much I paid for each. It includes advice for people looking to walk the Tōkaidō for themselves and much more. If you are interested in walking the Tōkaidō, Japan in general or enjoy adventures, I recommend you give it a watch. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the JapanKyo YouTube channel.
My 500 KM Walk Across JAPAN🗾 (Kyoto to Tokyo) | Tokaido Challenge Part 1
This video covers the area from the bridge at Sanjo (Sanjō Ōhashi) in Kyoto to Minakuchi in Shiga Prefecture.
Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Hard Times in Rural JAPAN😫 | Tokaido Challenge Part 2
In this video I walk from Minakuchi to Seki (Seki-juku) and then I cover the area between Seki and Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture.
The Nagoya Chapter | 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 3
Part 3 covers the distance from Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture to Chiryu in Aichi Prefecture.
The Road to Hamamatsu… Wasn’t Easy!😬 | 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 4
Part 4 covers the area between Chiryu in Aichi Prefecture and Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Into the Mountains of Shizuoka😱| 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 5
Part 5 covers the area between Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture and Rokugo Station in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
An UNFORGETTABLE Experience on the Shizuoka Coast🤯| 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 6
Part 6 covers the area between Shizuoka City and Yaizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture. It also showcases an amazing cycling course along the Yaizu coast which includes multiple tunnels. One of these tunnels took around 15 minutes to talk through. This is a can’t miss!
Defeated by Shizuoka’s Mountains😭| 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 7
Part 7 covers the area between Yaizu Station and Rokugo Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as Shizuoka Station to Numazu Station in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture.
A Must Visit Cycling Course in Shizuoka! | 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 8
Part 8 covers the area between Numazu City and Mishima Station in Shizuoka Prefecture. We also pass by Senbonmatsubara Kōen (The Park of the Field of One Thousand Pine Trees) in Numazu City.
Adventures in Kanagawa: ALMOST in TOKYO! 🤯 | 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 9
Part 9 covers the area between Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture and Rokugodote Station in Ota City, Tokyo.
Hiking HAKONE: The Tokaido’s Biggest Challenge😱| 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 10
Part 10 covers the area between Odawara Station and the top of Hakone. We also show the restored Old Tokaido Road trail up Hakone mountain and the restored checkpoint on the shore of Lake Ashi.
Watch Me Arrive in Tokyo After Walking Across Japan | 👨🦯Kyoto-Tokyo Walk: Tokaido Challenge Part 11
Part 11 covers the area between Rokugodote Station in Tokyo and my final destination: Nihonbashi.
On a final note, I will be doing another large scale walk across Japan in October of 2024. This one is called the Miyajima Challenge. It will cover the area from Sanjō Ōhashi (the bridge at Sanjo) in Kyoto to Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture. I will be filming videos the entire way so they will be going up to the JapanKyo YouTube channel once they are edited. Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don’t miss out on the video series! I will also be posting photos and videos in real time directly to my X/Twitter account and possibly my Instagram account as well so consider following those accounts for more content!
SPONSORS
The Tokaido Challenge was made possible thanks to the sponsorship of
- Hawaii Association of the Blind (Main Sponsor)
- Ichizo Kobayashi
- JapanKyo supporters who docated via Patreon and Ko-fi
Thank you so much to all who made this possible!
