53 Stations of the Tōkaidō

The 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō (東海道五十三次) are the rest areas along the Tōkaidō, which was a coastal route that ran from Nihonbashi in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto. There were originally 53 government post stations along the Tōkaidō, where travelers had to present traveling permits at each station if wanting to cross.

In 1619, the Ōsaka Kaidō (大阪街道) was developed to extend the Tōkaidō so that it would reach Kōraibashi in modern-day Osaka. Instead of going to Sanjō Ōhashi, travelers would leave from Ōtsu-juku and travel towards Fushimi-juku. Because of the addition of these four post towns, the Tōkaidō is occasionally referred to as having 57 stations. Another name for this extension was Kyōkaidō (京街道).

The inland Nakasendō also started at Nihonbashi, and converged with the Tōkaidō at Kusatsu-juku. Shio no Michi intersected with the Tōkaidō at Okazaki-shuku.