Tokaido Highway - Mariko Juku

MARIKO POST STATION

Highlights of the Area: Chojiya Restaurant, Craft Center, Utsunoya Pass

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

The Old Tokaido Highway became firmly established in the early 17th century as the main thoroughfare for travelers between the new capital of Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto.

Tokaido Highway

The 20th Post Town of Mariko is a small village on the outskirts of Shizuoka City that is working hard to protect what remains of the Old Tokaido Highway and preserve the town’s heritage.

The town of Mariko is perhaps most famous for the iconic Chojiya Restaurant, established in 1596, that was immortalized in Hiroshige’s woodblock print image of the restaurant and its patrons.

Mariko Post Town on Tokaido — Mariko depicted in Utagawa Hiroshige’s “Fifty-three Stations on the *Tokaido*”

Close to Chojiya Restaurant is the Takumishuku Traditional Hand Craft Arts Center which preserves local handicraft traditions such as Suruga Bamboo Crafts.

For visitors with limited time, it is possible to do a half day tour to both Chojiya and Takumi Shuku, get a great insight into life during the time of the Tokaido Highway, and learn a new craft, and enjoy a new culinary experience.

For the more energetic visitors to Shizuoka that would like to stretch their legs and gain a deeper experience into what life would have been like on the Tokaido Highway 400 years ago, take a day to explore.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

Take a bus or taxi to Takumi Shuku from Shizuoka Station on the Tokaido Main Line.

The Center opens at 10am and it is worth allocating at least a couple of hours to try some of the craft experiences on offer and grab a coffee at the cafe. For younger children, there is an indoor wooden playground featuring locally sourced timber.

Takumishuku is nestled in the idyllic outskirts of Shizuoka City.

From Takumishuku, the Chojiya Restaurant is within walking distance and it is a great place to enjoy the traditional mountain yam (Tororo) meal and view the small Tokaido themed gallery.

Traditional thatched building of Chojiya

For visitors that are interested in stretching their legs and exploring more of the Old Tokaido Highway, after enjoying a meal at Chojiya it is time to follow in the footsteps of past travelers and head to the infamous Utsunoya-toge Pass.

It’s a 3.5km walk to the Utsunoyatoge Rest Area (Shizuoka side) from the town of Mariko – it is a relatively uneventful walk so taking a taxi ride will save your legs for the rest of the trail and save some time.

From there, make your way to the Utsunoya area that preserves the essence of a historic highway town. Make sure to visit the “Meiji Tunnel”, Japan’s first toll tunnel.

The brick-built Meiji Tunnel, exuding a nostalgic charm, has become a popular spot for hikers.

Before you realize the residential area gives way to mountains and nature and it becomes easier to get a picture of what traveling in this area would have been like during the peak of the Tokaido Highway.

A short walk from the Rest Area and you arrive at the Utsunoya Pass. You can then make a further hike on the ancient Tsuta no Hosomichi road back to the roadside station or take a bus to Shizuoka Station.