Tokaido was "Highway 1" in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867) between Edo (today's Tokyo)
and Kyoto. Extending 300 miles, the Japanese traveled on it by foot or on horse until today's modern transportation systems. The journey would normally take travelers at least two weeks on foot. There were at least 50 different places where they provided Yado (inns), Yasumi-Chaya (resting places for tea) or restaurants and good scenery. Ukiyoe became extremely popular among the Japanese by many famous artists, such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro or Sharaku and their successors. These artists competed for fame with these stages. Many of those paintings are now Japanese national treasures and have become very important collectible arts in the world today.

F10, Nihonbashi (Nihon Bridge in Tokyo)
The Maki-e on the cap painted by the artist Shojo was originated by Hiroshige's Nihonbashi, which is today's rebuilt Nihonbashi near to the Imperial Place. Nihonbashi was the first station of the Tokaido Highway to Kyoto. The painting on the barrel is Tozuka, which is now located in the city of Yokohama, around 25 miles from Tokyo. It was considered the second station for travelers who left Nihonbashi early in the morning to stay for the first night.

F11, Sohshu Umezawasa (View Of Mt. Fuji & Cranes From Sohshu Umezawasa)
This was from Hokusai's Original of Fugaku 36 Kei (36 sceneries) with Mt. Fuji in the morning and flying cranes on the cap and cranes playing on marshes on the barrel. The place was called Soshu Umezawasa.

F23, Aka Fuji (Red Fuji & The Sea)
Another very famous painting from Hokusai recorded in the Fugaku 36 Kei as Sanka Haku-u (Showers under Fuji) on the cap and the twilight sea at Surugasayu on the barrel.

F24, Odawara-no Kawa-go-e (River Crossing at Odawara)
The scenery of Odawara (around 50 miles south of Tokyo) on the cap and Kawagoe on the barrel. The Kawagoe shows interesting ways to cross rivers at that time by travelers using palanquins as their "human vehicles".

Remarks: Today's Tokaido has become a freeway that runs parallel with the Bullet Trains. If you want to drive from Tokyo to Kyoto, you'll have to pay at least US$150.00 just for the toll for the 300-mile long freeway, or around 50 cents a mile plus $4.00-5.00/gallon of gas.