Tokaido Shinagawa-juku

Tokaido Road was one of the main roads established during the Edo Period. Tokaido Shinagawa-shuku was the first stop on the road that connected Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. The station had a honjin and waki-honjin (main and auxiliary lodgings for feudal lords and his vassals) and hatago inns where common people stayed, and toiyaba, the administrative office for freight forwarders. During the Edo Period (1603-1868), Shinagawa was a lively town with a population of 7,000 and 1,600 houses. The Old Tokaido Road, which still has the same width as it did in the Edo Period, is now a tourist attraction with a free-of-charge rest house, dagashiya (traditional snack stores) which are hard to find these days, and a wide variety of historical and scenic sites. A tour around the major spots will take about two hours at a leisurely pace. Sento, or traditional style public baths, are still in operation although the number is decreasing. It is really a nice experience to relax in a large bathtub after walking around. Shinagawa-shuku is close to Kitashinagawa, Shin-Banba and Aomono-Yokocho stations on the Keikyu Main Line.