Nakasendo Way

A journey to the heart of Japan

Brought to you by Walk Japan

  • The Journey
    • Map
    • Introduction
    • 1. Kyoto to Sekigahara
    • 2. Sekigahara to Nakatsugawa
    • 3. Nakatsugawa to Kiso-Fukushima
    • 4. Kiso-Fukushima to Nagakubo
    • 5. Nagakubo to Karuizawa
    • 6. Karuizawa to Fukiage
    • 7. Fukiage to Tokyo
    • Post-towns
  • Post Towns
    • About Post Towns
    • Articles
  • History
    • Early History
    • Go-Kaido
    • Politics in the 19th Century: Shogun vs Emperor
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  • Culture
    • Basho and Poetry
    • Forestry
    • Hot Springs and Shrines
    • Religions
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  • People
    • Basho’s Life and Work
    • Hiroshige
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  • Themes
    • Battle of Sekigahara
    • Forestry
    • Pilgrimage
    • Rural Problems
    • Explore topics
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  • Popular
    • Tokugawa Political System
    • The Highway
    • The Story of the Battle of Sekigahara
    • Omote-ura – Public and Private Faces
    • The Kisoji Post-towns
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    • City life
    • History
    • Post-Towns
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Home / Topics

Topics

The major topics, sub-topics and post-towns are listed below. (We have taken some literary license in this project in that we have omitted some of the post-towns and substituted places, such as mountain passes or fictional inns. We have, however, honored the historic reality of 69 post-towns by having 69 places, post-towns, passes and inns.)

General subject Topics Post-town
(or place)
Kyoto Development
  1. Kyoto Development Issues
Kyoto
Politics in the 19th Century: Shogun vs Emperor
  1. Takayama Hikokuro
  2. Shogunate
  3. Tokugawa Political System
  4. Emperor and Shogun: The Political Scene in the 1860s
  5. The Journey to Osaka Toge
Sanjo Ohashi
Climate and Geography
  1. The Japanese Landscape
  2. Seasons and Climate
  3. The Journey to Otsu
Osaka-toge (pass)
Post-Towns
  1. Hiroshige
  2. The Function of Post-Towns
  3. The Journey to Seta
Otsu
The Imperial Dynasty
  1. Descent from the Gods
  2. The Origins of the Japanese People
  3. Dynastic Struggles
  4. The Journey to Omi Kokufu
Seta
Early History
  1. Chinese Influence
  2. The First Cities
  3. The Early Road System
  4. Korean Influence
  5. The Journey to Kusatsu
Omi Kokufu
Go-Kaido(The Five Highways)
  1. Sankin kotai and the Hostage System
  2. The Five Roads
  3. Express Post
  4. The Journey to Takamiya
Kusatsu
Omi Merchants and Commerce
  1. Commerce
  2. Omi Merchants
  3. The Journey to Hikone
Takamiya
Castle Towns
  1. Ii Naosuke
  2. Castle Towns
  3. The Story of Hikone Castle Town
  4. The Journey to Toriimoto
Hikone
Artisans
  1. The Japanese Family System
  2. Craft Industry
  3. The Journey to Surihari-toge
Toriimoto
Fire
  1. Tea Houses
  2. Fire
  3. The Journey to Bamba
Surihari-toge (pass)
Road Transportation
  1. Road Transport
  2. Porters and Carriers
  3. The Journey to Sekigahara
Bamba
The Economy
  1. The Japanese Economy
An Inn near Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara
  1. The Battleground at Sekigahara
  2. The Story of the Battle of Sekigahara
  3. The Outcome of the Battle of Sekigahara
  4. The Warring States Period
  5. The Journey to Tarui
Sekigahara
Rivers and Water
  1. River Crossings
  2. River and Sea Transport
  3. Hydro-electric Power
  4. The Journey to Mieji
Tarui
Agriculture
  1. Agriculture
  2. Rice Farming
  3. Upland Farming
  4. Market Gardening
  5. The Journey to Gifu
Mieji
The Military
  1. Self Defense Forces
  2. Oda Nobunaga
  3. Prefectural Capitals
  4. The Journey to Mitake
Gifu
Road and Wayside Features
  1. Namiki
  2. Ichirizuka
  3. Dosojin
  4. Ishidatami
  5. The Journey to Saito
Mitake
Religions
  1. Christianity
  2. Shinto
  3. Buddhism
  4. The Journey to Hosokute
Saito
Rural Problems
  1. Rural Depopulation
  2. The Graying of Japan
  3. The Journey to Biwa-toge
Hosokute
Travelers on the Nakasendo
  1. The Story of Princess Kazunomiya
  2. Who Traveled the Nakasendo?
  3. The Journey to Okute
Biwa-toge (pass)
Post-town Layout
  1. Post-town Layout
  2. Honjin (primary inn)
  3. Waki-honjin (assistant principal inn)
  4. Kosatsuba (official notice boards)
  5. Masugata (right-angle turns)
  6. Toiya/Tonya (shipping agent)
  7. Bansho (guard stations)
  8. Joyato (all-night lanterns)
  9. The Journey to Jusan-toge
Okute
Rural Sports
  1. Golf
  2. Rural Sports
  3. The Journey to Nakatsugawa
Jusan-toge (pass)
Education
  1. The Education System
An Inn near Nakatsugawa
Elections and Modern Politics
  1. Political Campaigning
  2. The Present Political Structure
  3. Political Parties
  4. The 1992 Upper House Election
  5. The Journey to Shinchaya
Nakatsugawa
Basho and Poetry
  1. Haiku/Haikai Poems
  2. Basho’s Life and Work
  3. The Journey to Magome
Shinchaya
Shimazaki Toson and Novels
  1. The Novel in Japan
  2. Toson’s Life and Work
  3. The Journey to Odaki-Medaki
Magome
Samurai
  1. The Way of the Sword
  2. Ronin (masterless samurai)
  3. Miyamoto Musashi
  4. The Journey to O-tsumago
Odaki-Medaki
Traditional Architecture
  1. The Traditional Inn
  2. Traditional House Architecture
  3. Gardens
  4. The Kura (storehouse)
  5. The Journey to Tsumago
O-tsumago
Tourism
  1. The Japanese Tourist
  2. The Journey to Midono
Tsumago
Railways
  1. Railways
  2. The Impact of the Railways
  3. The Romanticism of the Railways
  4. The Journey to Agematsu
Midono
Forestry
  1. The Kiso Forest
  2. The Journey to Kiso-Fukushima
Agematsu
Constitutions
  1. Personal Freedom and Civil Liberty
  2. The Meiji Constitution
  3. The Present Constitution and Political System
  4. Article 9
An Inn near Kiso-Fukushima
Pilgrimage
  1. Ontake
  2. Pilgrimage
  3. Ise Shrines
  4. The Journey to Mienokoshi
Kiso-Fukushima
National Sports
  1. Sumo Wrestling
  2. Baseball and other National Sports
  3. The Journey to Torii-toge
Mienokoshi
Mountain Passes
  1. Toge – Mountain Passes
  2. Landslides
  3. The Journey to Narai
Torii-toge (pass)
Change in the Kiso Valley
  1. A Century of Change in the Kiso Valley
  2. The Journey to Niegawa
Narai
Barrier Stations
  1. Barrier Stations
  2. The Niegawa Barrier
  3. The Journey to Shiojiri
Niegawa
Family Crests
  1. Mon (family crests)
  2. The Journey to Shiojiri-toge
Shiojiri
Lake Suwa and Mount Fuji
  1. Lake Suwa
  2. Mount Fuji
  3. Takeda Shingen
  4. The Journey to Shimo-Suwa
Shiojiri Toge (pass)
Hot Springs and Shrines
  1. Hot Springs
  2. Ichinomiya — Main Shinto Shrines
  3. The Journey to Wada-toge
Shimo-Suwa
Waste and Pollution
  1. Waste Disposal
  2. Pollution
  3. The Journey to Nagakubo
Wada Toge (pass)
Baths and Bathing
  1. Bathing
An Inn near Nagakubo
Festivals
  1. The Boys’ Festival
  2. The Girls’ Festival
  3. Festivals
  4. The Journey to Ashita
Nagakubo
Old and New Roads
  1. The Ashita Honjin (primary inn)
  2. The Old and New Highways
  3. The Journey to Mochizuki
Ashita
Food and Drink
  1. Sake
  2. Beer, Whiskey and Drinking Habits
  3. Food
  4. The Journey to Shionada
Mochizuki
Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  1. Mount Asama
  2. Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  3. Major Disasters
  4. The Journey to Otai
Shionada
Immigrant Workers
  1. Immigrant Workers
  2. The Journey to Oiwake
Otai
Edo Period Night Life
  1. Oiwake – Road Junctions
  2. Post-town Nightlife
  3. The Journey to Karuizawa
Oiwake
Marriage
  1. The Marriage Ceremony
An Inn near Karuizawa
Western Influences
  1. Karuizawa
  2. Western Influences
  3. Besso (country villas)
  4. Manga (cartoons and comics)
  5. The Journey to Sakamoto
Karuizawa
Travel Guides and Literature
  1. Travel Guides and Literature
  2. The Journey to Annaka
Sakamoto
“Small” Castle Towns
  1. Annaka Castle Town
  2. The Minor Daimyo (feudal lords)
  3. The Journey to Takasaki
Annaka
Household Guardians
  1. Daruma
  2. Household Spirits
  3. The Journey to Honjo
Takasaki
Facades
  1. Omote–Ura (inside–outside, the public face–private reality)
  2. The Journey to Okabe
Honjo
Travel
  1. 17th Century Travel
  2. 20th Century Travel
  3. The Journey to Fukaya
Okabe
Gambling
  1. Pachinko (pinball game machines)
  2. Gambling
  3. The Yakuza (organized criminals)
  4. The Journey to Kumagaya
Fukaya
Protest and Revolt
  1. Peasant Revolts
  2. Modern Protests
  3. The Journey to Fukiage
Kumagaya
Living Conditions
  1. Living Conditions
An Inn near Fukiage
Climatic Disasters
  1. Floods
  2. Climatic Disasters
  3. The Journey to Kitamoto
Fukiage
Rest Stops and Suburbs
  1. Tateba (rest stops)
  2. Suburban Development
  3. The Journey to Omiya
Kitamoto
Futuristic Railways
  1. The Shinkansen
  2. Future Railways
  3. The Journey to Urawa
Omiya
Urban Renewal
  1. Urban Renewal
  2. The Inheritance Laws
  3. The Journey to Arakawa River
Urawa
Tokyo Prefecture
  1. Tokyo Prefecture
  2. Administrative Boundaries
  3. The Journey to Itabashi
Arakawa River
Gentrified Post-towns
  1. Gentrified Post-towns
  2. Modern Nightlife
  3. The Journey to the University of Tokyo
Itabashi
University Education
  1. The University of Tokyo
  2. University Education
  3. The Journey to Kanda
University of Tokyo
“Village” Tokyo
  1. High-rise Buildings
  2. “Village” Tokyo
  3. The Journey to Nihonbashi
Kanda
Nihonbashi
  1. Nihonbashi
  2. Department Stores
  3. The 1923 Earthquake
Nihonbashi
Further Reading
  1. Additional Reading
  2. Further Information on the Nakasendo
An Inn in Tokyo
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From the glossary

  • Waseda University

    Waseda University was established by Okuma Shigenobu in 1882. Okuma was a member of the government until the Political Crisis of 1881 which resulted in him being purged for suggesting a liberal constitution at an early date. Waseda has grown into a prominent private university in Tokyo and has traditionally had strong ties to liberal, constitutional political causes.

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