Hakone Sekisho (Edo-period checkpoint)

The Hakone Sekisho is the reconstruction of the Tokaido road checkpoint that operated for more than 260 years, from 1619 until the Meiji Restoration in 1869, controlling the movement of people between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and the rest of the country. The Tokugawa shogunate established this barrier especially to prevent the departure of female hostages (the rule was that daimyo families lived in Edo as a guarantee of loyalty) and the entry of weapons. The original ruins and the complete reconstruction of the main building, the inspection hall and the guard houses were raised in 2007 using traditional craft techniques and historic Edo-period documents as a reference. The adjoining museum displays the originals of the transit passports, the official seals and documents about the control system. Admission costs 500 ¥ for adults. It is located at the port of Moto-Hakone, beside Lake Ashi, a two-minute walk from the torii of the Hakone shrine and at the end of the pirate-ship route. It can be combined with the lake cruise and the shrine in the same half-morning.