Held on 10th March of this year, the free Tokaido Walking Tour brings you through part of Tokyo along the historic path connecting Kyoto to Tokyo. Built around 400 years ago the path was the most important of the five routes of the Edo period in Japan and many lodging places were built along the way for travelers.
For the event, a special route will be offered for tourists and foreign residents. The route will bring you from the start point at Hama River Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Tears, to Shinagawa Shrine (the oldest shrine in Shinagawa), and finally to Shinagawa-shuku Koryukan, a community lounge.
Visitors may participate and collect a prize by completing a Tokaido picture postcard in a Ukiyo-e style, a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th to 19th century. Along the walk, you can also and enjoy artistic performances and local foods.
If you would like to participate as a group, the event starts at 2:00 pm from Tachiaigawa Station, located on the Keikyu Line. Japan Travel will be there to greet anyone arriving and provide them with the postcard. A Shinagawa designed tote bag will also be given to all members who participate in the walk. At the final stop, you'll receive the last stamp and receive your prize!
For anyone interested in attending you are welcome to show up at the station and look for a Japan Travel sign. Feel free to message us at info@japantravel.com if you have any questions and we hope to see you there!
Running alongside this event is the Tokaido Ukiyo-e Stamp Rally from 1-21 March. Participants can freely walk around the larger Edo area Tokaido route, which is approximately 13km long. The route spans the Tokaido Kawasaki-shuku Koryukan, Kamata, Mihara-dori, Tachiaigawa, and Shinagawa-shuku Koryukan. For this version anyone may participate, but you will need to start from the beginning in Kawasaki and complete the full walk to get all five stamps necessary for the Tokaido Ukiyo-e picture postcard.
Ignatius Koh @ignatius.koh
I'm Ignatius Koh, a third-year undergraduate at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. I have a keen interest in journalism - most particularly in sports and human interest stories. I do a little photography on the ...