Nakasendo

The Nakasendo (中山道) was one of two Tokugawa-era roads connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the coastal Tokaido, the Nakasendo travelled inland, hence its name, which means "Road through the Middle of the Moutains" or "Road through the Central Mountains."

Perhaps the most famous section of the Nakasendo is the stretch between Magome and Tsumago in the Kiso Valley, made famous by the 19th century writer Shimazaki Toson, who chronicled the effects of the Meiji Restoration on the valley in his novel Yoake no Mae ("Before the Dawn"). This section of the road can still be travelled along comfortably by foot, and Tsumago has preserved its traditional architecture. The poet Basho also travelled along the Nakasendo.\n