山陽道/西国街道(San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido overview)

While we are still working on Tokaido chapter, I decided to start working on San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido chapter. 

What were routes covering west of Tokaido prior to modern-day Japan? Which was the popular route in west Japan that people used in order to go east? 

Today JR Tokaido line officially goes down to JR Kobe station in Kobe city, and Tokaido Shinkansen goes down to Shin-Osaka station. Beyond these stations, you will notice that these train line names are changed: JR San’yo line from Kobe station, and San’yo Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka station. 

Old San’yodo(旧山陽道) starts at Kyoto, and goes through north shore of the river Yodo, bypassing modern-day downtown Osaka, then through Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima, and to Shimonoseki, with the 577km length in total. This route is actually longer than old Tokaido or old Nakasendo. Until the administrative capital was moved from Kyoto to Edo(modern-day Tokyo), San’yodo was regarded as more prestigious than Tokaido and Nakasendo. 

Apparently there were several changes in its route, and depending on periods of time, it was called ancient San’yodo(古代山陽道), medieval San’yodo(中世山陽道), and early-modern San’yodo(近世山陽道). 

Early-modern San’yodo is also called Saigoku Kaido(西国街道). 

In this blog, we are following early-modern San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido. 

San’yodo covers many major tourist sites and has quite a lot of off the beaten paths: Kobe, Himeji, Okayama, Yakage, Onomichi, Saijo, Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Tokuyama, Yamaguchi and Shimonoseki. 

(Picture below: Himeji castle, taken by this author in 2024)

San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido inn towns are:

Kyoto prefecture: 

Kyoto-Toji as the starting point: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-beginning-of-sanyodosaigoku-kaido.html?m=1

Yamasaki: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/04/yamazaki-inn-town-at-bottom-of-first.html?m=1

Osaka prefecture: 

Akutagawa: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/04/akutagawa-inn-town.html?m=1

Koriyama: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/04/kooriyama-inn-town-for-whatever-reason.html?m=1

Segawa: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/04/segawa-inn-town-close-to-osaka.html?m=1

Hyogo prefecture: 

Koya: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/04/koya-inn-town-now-were-in-hyogo.html?m=1

Nishinomiya: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/entering-japans-sake-giant-nishinomiya.html?m=1

Two routes between Nishinomiya and Hyogotsu: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/nada-sake-giant-between-nishinomiya-and.html?m=1

Hyogotsu: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-foundation-of-todays-kobe-port.html?m=1

Okuradani: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/okuradani-inn-town-it-is-part-of-akashi.html?m=1

Okubo: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/okubo-inn-town.html?m=1

Kakogawa: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/kakogawa-inn-town-major-part-of-inn.html?m=1

Gochaku: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/gochaku-inn-town-young-masataka-kurodas.html?m=1

Himeji part 1: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/1himeji-inn-towncastle-town-part-1.html?m=1

Himeji part 2: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/2himeji-inn-towncastle-town-part-2.html?m=1

Ikaruga: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/ikaruga-inn-town-prince-shotokus.html?m=1

Shojo: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/shojo-inn-town-rare-tatami-embarkment.html?m=1

Katashima: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/05/katashima-inn-town.html?m=1

Une: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/06/une-inn-town-last-inn-town-before.html?m=1

Okayama prefecture: 

Mitsuishi: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/4686993918749982482/7794403135009410196?hl=en

Katakami: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/06/katakami-inn-town-i-would-call-this.html?m=1

Inbe(not an inn town): https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/4686993918749982482/8457277911095850464?hl=en

Kagato(an unofficial inn town): https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/4686993918749982482/8716852973812715588?hl=en

Fujii: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/4686993918749982482/2915679680812107564?hl=en

Okayama: https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/4686993918749982482/2728891799481513775?hl=en

Yasaka(an unofficial inn town): https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/06/yasaka-unofficial-inn-town-literally.html?m=1

Itakura: https://off-the-beaten-paths-japan.blogspot.com/2025/06/itakura-inn-town-small-quiet-inn-town.html?m=1

Kawabe: 

Yakage part 1:

Yakage part 2: 

Nanokaichi: 

Takaya:

Hiroshima prefecture: 

Kannabe, Imazu, Onomichi, Mihara, Hongo, Yokkaichi/Saijo, Kaitaichi, Hiroshima, Hatsukaichi, Kuba, Sekido

Yamaguchi prefecture: 

Kuga, Takamori, Imaichi, Yobisaka, Kuboichi, Hanaoka, Tokuyama, Fukugawa, Tonomi, Miyaichi, Ogori, Yamanaka, Funaki, Asaichi, Yoshida, Ozuki, Chofu, Shimonoseki

While I was in Japan two weeks ago, I looked for books specialized in San’yodo/ Saigoku Kaido route at several major bookstores. I could not find any good one. I will probably find some good ones at local libraries in Western Japan.


Saigoku Kaido(西国街道) on Wikipedia

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A5%BF%E5%9B%BD%E8%A1%97%E9%81%93

San’yodo(山陽道) on Wikipedia 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E9%99%BD%E9%81%93

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