Old Tokaido and Hakone Checkpoint

Hakone used to be a checkpoint to control traffic along the Tokaido (東海道, Tōkaidō), the main highway which linked Tokyo with Kyoto during the feudal Edo Period. Due to the mountainous terrain and lack of alternative routes, it was a particularly important checkpoint to restrict the flow of people and goods into and out of Tokyo.

Today, a short, cedar lined passage of the old Tokaido and a reconstruction of the Hakone Checkpoint (箱根関所, Hakone Sekisho) are located between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-machi along the shore of Lake Ashinoko.

In 2007, the reconstruction of the Hakone Checkpoint was completed after three years of construction work. The checkpoint now appears true to its original form, including gates, fence, housing for officers and foot soldiers, a prison chamber and a lookout tower. The Hakone Sekisho Shiryokan, a small museum with various related exhibits, stands nearby.

It is possible to walk a longer passage of the old Tokaido (also referred to as Kyu-kaido, 旧街道) between Moto-Hakone and Hakone-Yumoto. Some of the original stone pavement remains, and the best preserved section leads from Moto-Hakone to Hatajuku (75-100 minutes) via the Amasake Chaya, a tea house serving amazake (hot, sweet rice wine with low or no alcohol content) and various Japanese-style snacks.

A few steps past the Amasake Chaya stands a small museum which is free to enter and features life-size reconstructions explaining the purpose of and life along the long road to Tokyo. Between Hatajuku and Hakone-Yumoto (90-120 minutes), the trail follows the road, which is neither particularly scenic nor pleasant to walk due to car traffic and the absence of a sidewalk for pedestrians.