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The vast majority of travelers walked the Tôkaidô. For an individual, the journey typically took about thirteen days on average.<ref>Plaques at the Odawara post station.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/8396933861/sizes/l]</ref> Large groups, such as a ''daimyô's sankin kôtai'' entourage, moved more slowly.

The vast majority of travelers walked the Tôkaidô. For an individual, the journey typically took about thirteen days on average.<ref>Plaques at the Odawara post station.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/8396933861/sizes/l]</ref> Large groups, such as a ''daimyô's sankin kôtai'' entourage, moved more slowly.

Though considered a single highway, there were a number of rivers which were not bridged by the Tôkaidô. Rather, travelers were left to take ferries across. Regulations were put into place, however, requiring that travelers cross at these designated crossings, and not at other locations up- or down-river. In total, the Tôkaidô journey included eight river crossings by ferry, and four rivers where travelers had to ford the river on their own. Bridges were built and maintained at several other river crossings along the route, where the bridges were less likely to be lost in flash floods.<ref name=linking/>  

Though considered a single highway, there were a number of rivers which were not bridged by the Tôkaidô. Rather, travelers were left to take ferries across. Regulations were put into place, however, requiring that travelers cross at these designated crossings, and not at other locations up- or down-river. In total, the Tôkaidô journey included eight river crossings by ferry, and four rivers where travelers had to ford the river on their own. Bridges were built and maintained at several other river crossings along the route, where the bridges were less likely to be lost in flash floods.<ref name=linking/> The crossing at Shichiri-no-watari, connecting [[Miya-juku]] and [[Kuwana]] across the tip of [[Ise Bay]], was widely considered the most dangerous of these water crossings. The so-called [[Saya kaido|Saya Kaidô]] was a short detour from the Tôkaidô, combining overland sections and ferry boats, which provided a safer alternative; both [[Shogun]] [[Tokugawa Iemochi]] and the [[Meiji Emperor]] are known to have taken advantage of this detour. Following a disaster in the Shichiri-no-watashi crossing in [[1671]], [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]] similarly took portions of the [[Nakasendo|Nakasendô]] and [[Mino Road]] as a detour, in order to avoid Shichiri-no-watari.

The 53 stations of the Tôkaidô were located an average of 8.4 km apart from one another; a survey conducted in [[1843]] indicates that at that time each station had an average of 55 commoner inns (''[[hatagoya]]'') and an average population of 3,950.<ref name=linking/> The road originally ended at the Sanjô Bridge over the [[Kamo River]] in Kyoto, but four additional stations were later added. This extension, known alternatively as the Ôsaka Kaidô, Kyôkaidô, or simply considered an extension of the Tôkaidô, ended at Kôraibashi in Osaka.

The 53 stations of the Tôkaidô were located an average of 8.4 km apart from one another; a survey conducted in [[1843]] indicates that at that time each station had an average of 55 commoner inns (''[[hatagoya]]'') and an average population of 3,950.<ref name=linking/> The road originally ended at the Sanjô Bridge over the [[Kamo River]] in Kyoto, but four additional stations were later added. This extension, known alternatively as the Ôsaka Kaidô, Kyôkaidô, or simply considered an extension of the Tôkaidô, ended at Kôraibashi in Osaka.