Tokaido

Tokaido (literally, East Sea Route) is the name of several things

• National Route 1, which links Tokyo and Kyoto
• JR railway trunk line, which links Tokyo and Kobe
• one of the Edo Five Routes, which linked Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyoto along shore
• ancient route from Kyoto to eastern provincess along the south shore, or the set of provincess linked by the route

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The Tōkaidō (東海道) was one of two Tokugawa-era roads connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendo, the Tōkaidō travelled along the east coast of Honshu, hence its name, which means "East Sea Road." The famous artist Hiroshige depicted the Tōkaidō in his work, and the poet Basho travelled along the road.

Today, the Tōkaidō corridor is almost certainly the most heavily travelled transporation corridor in Japan, connecting Tokyo (Japan's capital and largest city) to Nagoya and Osaka (Japan's third and second largest cities respectively) via Kyoto. The Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka route is followed by the Tokaido Main Line (railway line) and the Tomei and Meishin Expressways, as well as the Tokaido Shinkansen.