Hakone Checkpoint

During the Edo period, commerce between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) was made possible via a unique “highway” known as that time as the Tokaido. Being the economic lifeline between these two major cities, the Tokaido was monitored both economically and politically and featured many heavily militarised checkpoints. Rebuilt in 2007, the Hakone checkpoint was one of the most famous of them as it was the official checkpoint separating Tokyo to the rest of Japan.