Snowcapped Fuji drops behind the humps of the Hakone range in central Honshu as a southwest-bound train approaches Odawara Station. With mountains on the west and the ocean on the south and east, Odawara was a natural fortress. The first to exploit this topography was the Kobayakawa clan, who built a castle in Odawara about 800 years ago.
Odawara was also a post station on the Tokaido Highway, the great artery joining Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto, and the synergy of castle town and post station made it the cultural and industrial center of east Japan by the 16th century. The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake shore the city of its Edo Period (1600-1868) and Meiji Period (1868-1912) architecture, but its traditional industries still thrive.
Many purveyors of traditional Odawara products belong to the Machikado (Street) Museum. Shops flying the museum's blue banner educate visitors via displays and hands-on classes. An illustrated bilingual museum map guides visitors.
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