平塚宿(Hiratsuka inn town): surprising discovery, rivalry against Oiso inn town

 First, I thought Hiratsuka will be a boring in town. I have to say that, I was wrong. Of course, comparing to places like Tsumago or Magome Nakasendo inn towns, Hiratsuka would be probably boring because there are very few old houses and buildings. At least on the main street side, there are virtually no old houses and buildings.

Right before entering Hiratsuka inn town, near JR Hiratsuka station, take a right for north. There we will see a big Torii gate. This is Hiratsuka-Hachimangu shrine. Allegedly it was established in 380. Indeed, this is an ancient shrine. 







Then we continue on old Tokaido. Soon we see arcade streets called Shonan Star Mall. This is like 1960-1980d style shopping mall with bunch of small shops. 

Here comes the Edo-side guard/gate, Edogata-Mitsuke(江戸方見附). 
And so far, there is no old houses that tell us how Hiratsuka inn town used to look like.






There is a clue for the reason. I could probably say the same thing to other inn towns we have passed by so far. 

Not far from old Tokaido route, there is a monument for the victims of 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. Many old houses were destroyed. Of course, Hiratsuka was destroyed during WWII as well. But monuments related to this earthquake are seen throughout Kanagawa and Tokyo at least. 




Let’s get back to Tokaido highway. 

Around Tokaido, theee are always shrines and temples. There is a park that the origin on the name “Hiratsuka” comes from. 

When I continued on Google street view, without seeing anything significant, I am getting out of Hiratsuka inn town. This street view is Kyoto side of guard/gate. But is that really all? So I further investigated. 


So, one block north of Tokaido toward Kyoto side, I found a street with several old warehouses, looking like these were built in late 1800s. Do not underestimate Hiratsuka inn town today. It’s worth walking around. 

Lastly, there is an interesting story about Hiratsuka inn town. In Edo time, some rushing travelers from Edo were skipping Hiratsuka, because Oiso inn town is actually, less than an hour walk from Hiratsuka. Oiso was known as a tourist site. Hiratsuka residences and businesses were worried that travelers won’t stop by Hiratsuka which won’t bring money. So, inn workers pointed at Mt.Koma on west side of the inn town and told them, “It’s getting dark now, and you will have to walk over that mountain. Why don’t you stay here tonight?”. 

There is actually no need of climbing over Mt.Koma, and Tokaido between Hiratsuka and Oiso is pretty much flat…



References: 

Bombing of Hiratsuka during WWII. Wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hiratsuka_in_World_War_II (Accessed in 2/18/2025)  

Course to tour historic sites in the Tokaido post town of Hiratsuka-juku. Kanagawa Prefecture. https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/ph7/cnt/f7631/tokaido_hiratsuka.html (Accessed in 2/18/2025) 

A Historical Overview of Hiratsuka Hachimanguu Mo Shrine. Hiratsuka Hachimanguu Shrine. http://www.hachiman.org/yurai_english.php (Accessed in 2/18/2025)

Mt.Koma. Hiratsuka Tourist Association. (高麗山　平塚市観光協会) https://www.hiratsuka-kankou.com/spot/tokaido10.html#close (Accessed in 2/18/2025)

Exploring Tokaido Hiratsuka Inn Town. Hiratsuka Tourism Association(東海道平塚宿をめぐる　平塚市観光協会) https://www.hiratsuka-kankou.com/tanoshimikata/tokaido.html (Accessed in 2/18/3025)

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