If you stand on the bridge at Nihonbashi today, it feels like just another busy part of Tokyo. Cars, expressways, people moving past without thinking twice.
But during the Edo period, this was the center of Japan.
Not symbolically — literally.
Every official distance in the country was measured from Nihonbashi. And from this single point, five major highways spread out across the country. These were the Five Roads of Edo, or Gokaido. If you wanted to understand how Japan functioned during this time — politically, economically, even culturally — it all starts here.
These weren’t just roads. They were the system that held the country together.
Understanding the five roads of edo
The Tokugawa shogunate didn’t build these roads just for convenience. They were about control.
Under a system known as sankin-kotai, regional lords (daimyo) were required to travel regularly between their home domains and Edo. These journeys weren’t small — they involved large processions of samurai, attendants, and supplies moving across the country.
Those processions needed infrastructure. Safe roads. Reliable places to stay. Food. Horses.
So the government developed and maintained these five highways, and along them grew post towns — places designed specifically for travelers. Over time, these towns became lively hubs full of inns, restaurants, and local culture.
What started as a political system ended up shaping the movement of an entire nation.
The tokaido: the main artery
The most famous route was the Tokaido, running along the Pacific coast between Edo and Kyoto.
This was the road.
It had 53 official post towns and was by far the busiest of the five. Merchants, officials, pilgrims — everyone used it. You had wide open coastal views, river crossings without bridges, and towns that were constantly alive with activity.
If you’ve ever seen Edo-period prints of travelers in straw hats walking through rain or crossing bridges, you’re probably looking at scenes from the Tokaido.
the nakasendo: through the mountains
If the Tokaido was busy and coastal, the Nakasendo was quieter and more rugged.
This road cut through the mountains of central Japan, connecting Edo and Kyoto without following the coast. It had 69 post towns and avoided major rivers, which made it more reliable in bad weather.
Today, this is one of the best places to actually experience what Edo-period travel felt like. Sections of the road still pass through preserved towns where the atmosphere hasn’t changed all that much.
the koshu kaido: into the interior
The Koshu Kaido headed west from Edo toward the Kai region.
This route moved away from the coastal and central corridors and into more mountainous, inland territory. It was important not just for travel, but for access to resources and as a defensive route protecting Edo from the west.
Even today, parts of this road trace through what is now suburban Tokyo before opening into deeper valleys.
the nikko kaido: A sacred journey
The Nikko Kaido led north to Nikko, one of the most important religious sites in Japan.
Its destination was the shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who established the Tokugawa government.
Because of that, this wasn’t just a road — it was a pilgrimage route. Daimyo, officials, and ordinary travelers all used it to visit the ornate temples and shrines hidden in the mountains.
the oshu kaido: the long road north
Finally, the Oshu Kaido extended far into northern Japan.
It shared part of its route with the Nikko Kaido before continuing deeper into the Tohoku region. This was the road that connected Edo to distant northern domains, making it essential for administration and communication across long distances.
It’s less famous than the others, but it played a critical role in linking the edges of the country back to the center.
more than just roads
What’s interesting is that these roads didn’t just move people — they moved culture.
Goods, ideas, fashion, food — everything traveled along these routes. Over time, they helped create a shared sense of Japan as a connected place, rather than isolated regions.
And Edo itself grew because of it. With daimyo constantly arriving and leaving, the city became one of the largest in the world at the time.
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Walking Them Today
The amazing thing is that these roads haven’t completely disappeared.
In some places, you can still walk the same paths people used hundreds of years ago. The experience is slower, quieter, and gives you a very different sense of Japan — one that’s easy to miss if you only see the modern cities.
And it all still starts at Nihonbashi.
That’s where the journeys began then, and in a lot of ways, it’s still where the story of Edo Japan begins now.
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