Jun 25, 2026 · 15 min · 11 segments
Tired of walking? Wondering how the smooth roads of the Edo period came to be? Join your **Edo Storyteller** for a 400-year transportation revolution! Before you can rent a horse, we need to uncover…
Edo StorytellerHost
In ancient Japan, unlike modern asphalt roads, where you can walk steadily even in high hills, the road conditions were generally terrible.
The fact that we now have the smooth, flat gokaido, which means the five roots to walk on, and comfortable post stations to rest at, is actually the result of over 400 years of hardware updates.
Hidden behind this is the secret of rule that allowed Tokugawa Ieyasu to transform Japan from a war-torn, chaotic nation into the Golden Age of Edo.
The Five Roots were essentially a military internet, paved by generations of overlords, from Minamoto no Yaritomo to Oda Nobugana.
In ancient Japan, unlike modern asphalt roads, where you can walk steadily even in high hills, the road conditions were generally terrible.
The fact that we now have the smooth, flat gokaido, which means the five roots to walk on, and comfortable post stations to rest at, is actually the result of over 400 years of hardware updates.
Hidden behind this is the secret of rule that allowed Tokugawa Ieyasu to transform Japan from a war-torn, chaotic nation into the Golden Age of Edo.
The Five Roots were essentially a military internet, paved by generations of overlords, from Minamoto no Yaritomo to Oda Nobugana.
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3 of 5
Myth: Ieyasu Invented Tokaido
Surprising truth about who really created Tokaido
Roads Built for Ieyasu's Commute
How gossipy commutes redesigned Japan's highways entirely
Edo's Fiber-Optic Highways
Edo's roads as a fiber network today
+2 more clips · 5 min 31 sec of audio in all
7 of 25
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