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[[Odawara]], home to [[Odawara castle]] in [[Sagami province]] (today, [[Kanagawa prefecture]], was the ninth [[post-stations|post-station]] from [[Edo]] ([[Nihonbashi]]) on the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô Highway]].

[[Odawara]], home to [[Odawara castle]] in [[Sagami province]] (today, [[Kanagawa prefecture]], was the ninth [[post-stations|post-station]] from [[Edo]] ([[Nihonbashi]]) on the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô Highway]].

Located between the Sakawa River to the east (which was forded on foot in summer, and had a bridge thrown over it in winter) and the Hakone Pass, the most difficult crossing on the Tôkaidô, to the west, Odawara saw most visitors stay the night, rather than simply passing through. Odawara was thus home to the largest ''[[honjin]]'' and ''[[waki-honjin]]'' on the road, boasting four of each, along with 90 other ''[[hatago]]'' inns. Most of these were clustered together in the neighborhoods known as Miyanomae-chô and Honchô, along with numerous shops selling local specialty goods and traveling necessities. Some of these shops survive today, selling local specialties such as ''[[kamaboko]]'' (fishcakes), ''[[umeboshi]]'' (dried plum), ''uirô'' sweets, and Odawara lanterns.

Located between the Sakawa River to the east (which was forded on foot in summer, and had a bridge thrown over it in winter) and the Hakone Pass, the most difficult crossing on the Tôkaidô, to the west, Odawara saw most visitors stay the night, rather than simply passing through. Odawara was thus home to the largest ''[[honjin]]'' and ''[[waki-honjin]]'' on the road, boasting four of each, along with 90 other ''[[hatago]]'' inns, and about thirty other teahouses and restaurants. Most of these were clustered together in the neighborhoods known as Miyanomae-chô and Honchô, along with numerous shops selling local specialty goods and traveling necessities. Some of these shops survive today, selling local specialties such as ''[[kamaboko]]'' (fishcakes), ''[[umeboshi]]'' (dried plum), ''uirô'' sweets, and Odawara lanterns.

The inns at Odawara are estimated to have housed around 1,000 visitors on average each night circa 1850, while an additional 2,500 or so people passed through the town, many of them stopping at teahouses, restaurants, or elsewhere to rest.

The inns at Odawara are estimated to have housed around 1,000 visitors on average each night circa 1850, while an additional 2,500 or so people passed through the town, many of them stopping at teahouses, restaurants, or elsewhere to rest. Many of these inns declined severely after the advent of the [[railroad]] decreased the need for them; however, at least two Edo period inns are known to have still been in operation into the 1970s.

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