First big checkpoint: 箱根宿(Hakone inn town)

In this route if Hakone, Google map shows 3 Tokaido routes, which is confusing. 

First, there are two National R-1s. R-1 bypass route goes further southeast down. And another R-1 comes down from Kowakudani, via Motohakone then joins again with old Tokaido route. 

Second, it’s Kanagawa prefectural R-732 which goes parallel to old Tokaido route. 

Then you see old Tokaido route aka 旧東海道(Kyu-Tokaido). 

However, look at the next picture. There are two “Old Tokaido” routes. 

I have not figured out how this happened. This is one of fun things to figure out by visiting Hakone and asking a local guide about. 

Mountain part of Tokaido trail in Hakone is vastly untouched, or well-preserved. Cedar tree trail part(which I circled red), is definitely beautiful. There is no street view on this part, however, go online with “Tokaido Lake Ashi cedar tree” and you will find a lot of pictures and videos. 

You eventually end up joining National R-1, then soon you are turning right into Sekisho Street. Sekisho(関所) means a checkpoint. This street takes you straight to Hakone checkpoint. 

Today, you can just go through this Edo-time checkpoint without being stopped. In order to go inside the checkpoint complex, you will need to buy a ticket(500 yen for adult), which includes museum complex. 

Coming from Edo side, we have to go through 江戸口千人溜まり(Edoguchi-Sennindamari), which literally means Edo-side gate of a thousand pooling. 

Anybody who went through Tokyo Haneda international airport immigration, this sounds familiar, right? 

After passing the gate, you had to show your passport, aka 手形(Tegata) at 番所(Basho) which is the main office. Apparently, an elephant brought from Southeast Asia crossed this checkpoint in mid-Edo period. Then you pass through Kyoto-side gate. 

Hakone checkpoint is the only Edo-time checkpoint that has been restored in the complete form. 

This is the view from R-1 toward Kyoto-side gate of the checkpoint.

Including the checkpoint, major parts of Hakone inn town seems to have been rebuilt recently,  probably after WWII, or even like 1970-2000s. Some of checkpoint structures are of Edo-period, but the main building has been rebuilt in 2000s. 

Today, Amano honjin inn has only a sign that say it was an Honjin. The current building is a complex of cafe and a souvenir shop. 

So, I could argue that there seems to be nothing authentically Edo-time in Hakone. But I can counter argue that there are still lots of (onsen) inns in Hakone inn town, which makes Hakone inn town literally an “inn town”. 

If you are looking for Tsumago-like inn town, definitely Hakone is not the one you will enjoy. However, including the following picture, many parts of Tokaido trail in Hakone are either untouched or well preserved. 

The red circle I marked has a bunch of stone-carved Buddha statues, relocated from Komagata shrine, in downtown Hakone. 

There are a couple of ways to get to Hakone inn town. There are buses from several directions. Plus, Hakone has a port for Togendai which has a ropeway to Owakudani volcanic valley and Gora, where you can get on Hakone Tozan railways train. 

Now, we are heading down to Mishima. 

References:

Hakone Sekisho. Hakone Town Board of Education. https://www.hakonesekisyo.jp/english/main/main.html (Accessed in 4/16/2025)