The Nakasendo terminates in Tokyo at Nihonbashi Bridge, “Bridge of Japan” and the heart of Edo where all Japanese roads began. When Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the construction of the bridge, his intent was to make it the central point from which all distances were measured throughout the country. It essentially made the bridge ‘the nation’s cartological zero point’.
The wooden bridge was replaced in 1911 by a beautiful twin-arched stone bridge with candelabras, four lions at the corners and a kirin statue in the centre. During the 1960s, Japan built a massive expressway directly over Nihonbashi, hugely overshadowing this once highly significant and historical bridge. The views are now long gone but before the expressway, on a clear day, Mt Fuji could be seen from the bridge.
Instead of ending my journey at Nihonbashi, I headed to the Imperial Palace to explore. Located within a large park, the palace is home to the Emperor of Japan and built on the site of the old Edo Castle. At the end of the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogun at the time was requested to depart Edo Castle and the Emperor of the new Meiji period moved in. The current palace was built in the late 1880s after the previous one was destroyed by fire. The grounds, surrounded by a moat, are filled with gardens and quaint bridges, connecting the various residences and administrative offices.
Ending my journey with a meander, I reflect on the history
of the Nakasendo, the powerful Tokugawa shogunate, the wonderful quiet wooded
sections amongst the preserved old post-towns, the steep hills with stone
paving and I imagine the massive journeys daimyos would undertake every other
year going back and forth between Kyoto and Edo.
Farewell for now.
I had to really focus to squeeze this challenge in before the year's end. I started it and then for 10 days was out of town and could only get on a treadmill. I couldn't pronounce the names and places, yet really chose this challenge for the cool medal!
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