Looking forward via historic travel and looking back via heritage tourism: an analysis of roads, mobility and imagination of place along the Tōkaidō Road in Edo Period, Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Tōkaidō Road was the legendary highway constructed during the Edo period (1603–1868) in Japan connecting Edo, the home of the shogun, to Kyoto, the home of the emperor. Along the route were 53 post-stations (shuku) or towns catering to all manner of travellers from the daimyō (lords) and their great processions to pilgrims and later, lay travellers. Publication of period guidebooks, fictional journeys and the woodblock prints of artists like Hiroshige inspired increasing numbers of travellers who looked forward to adventures along the Tōkaidō Road. The heritage of the Tōkaidō Road today remains in the forms of signposts, markers, check points and preserved Edo towns visited by contemporary tourists. This paper examines historical travel along the Tōkaidō through Edo-era literature and art in the context of roads, mobility and imageries of place. Site visits to the preserved post-station of Seki and the reconstructed checkpoint at Hakone explore contemporary heritage tourism offering a nostalgic look back in time to Edo, Japan. Looking forward from the past through historic travel and looking back from the present via heritage tourism reveals the timelessness and popularity of the Tōkaidō Road.