Tokaido Walk (4) Kanagawa-Totsuka (off Tokyo): Nov. 20, 2010

I took the part 4 of my Tokaido walk today. It was from Yokohama (Kanagawa shukuba station) to Totsuka shukuba station.

Old Tokaido runs through residential area near JR Yokohama station.

The road was flat from Nihonbashi (Tokyo) to Kanagawa Shukuba station (near Yokohama). Passing Yokohama, I found hills in the north side of the road. Houses and apartments spread to the very foot of the hills.

Between Yokohama and Hodogaya, I found followings:

- A small shopping street named Matsubara Street. Matsubara means a seaside field of pine trees. The place was quite near to the sea in the Edo era.

- An old bridge preserved in a small park near Tennoji railway station. It has been moved from nearby Kiji River. (top picture)

- The first meeting of old Tokaido and National Rout 1. Old Tokaido has been converted into Nation Rout 1 in many parts between Yokohama and Kyoto. Both roads run in parallel in other parts.

Hodogaya is the 4th shukuba station from Nihonbashi. Old hotels and station facilities remain here. JR Hodogaya Satation was build near the shukuba station.

Between Hodogaya and Totsuka, the 6th shukuba station, I found

- Old Tokaido, National Rout 1 and JR Tokaido Line run in parallel near Hodogaya.

- A steep slope called Gonta-zaka. This was the first hard place to walk for the travelers from Nihonbashi in the Edo era.

- The border between old Musashi prefecture and and Sagami prefecture. The former covers current Tokyo, eastern Kanagawa and southern Saitama while the latter covers western Kanagawa.

- Shinano-saka. Parts of the road were developed at the foot of cliffs.

- Shinano Milestone: The original form is preserved here. There is a pair of 9-meter-square milestones in both side of the road. Nettle trees were planted in the squares.

- Factories of Bridgestone, Polar Cosmetic, Yamazaki Bred and other companies: They stand along National Rout 1.

I arrived at JR Totsuka station. It is more than 40 km from Nihonbashi. Fast travellers walked the course (Nihonbashi-Totsuka) in a day in the Edo period.