Hakone used to be a checkpoint to control traffic along the Tokaido Road, the main highway that linked Tokyo with Kyoto during the feudal Edo Period. Due to the mountainous terrain and lack of alternative routes, it was a particularly important checkpoint to restrict the flow of people and goods into and out of Tokyo.

In 2007 the reconstruction of the Hakone Checkpoint was completed after three years of construction work. The checkpoint now appears true to its original form, including gates, fence, housing for officers and foot soldiers, a prison chamber and a lookout tower.

Hakone, ‘pirate’ sightseeing cruise ships, posted earlier: