Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu

The Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu (feudal lord procession) takes place every year on 3 November — Japan’s Culture Day holiday — along a section of the historic Tokaido road through the Hakone mountains. Around 400 participants in Edo-period costume walk the 12-kilometre route from Odawara to Moto-Hakone, re-enacting the formal processions that feudal lords (daimyo) were required to make to and from Edo under the Tokugawa shogunate’s sankin-kotai system. It is one of the most historically grounded festival events in the Kanto region.

The Historical Context

Under the sankin-kotai system (enforced from 1635 to 1862), all feudal lords were required to spend alternate years residing in Edo, Japan’s capital, and in their own domain. These mandatory journeys became elaborate processions designed to demonstrate the lord’s wealth and status; the Hakone mountain pass on the Tokaido road was one of the most heavily travelled stretches of the route. The daimyo procession format — with spear-bearers, standard-bearers, retainers, and the lord carried in a palanquin — is what the Hakone festival faithfully recreates.

What to See

The procession walks the old Tokaido stone-paved path (an exceptionally well-preserved section of the Edo-period road, now a popular hiking route) from Odawara Castle grounds to Moto-Hakone on the shore of Lake Ashi. Participants wear authentic-looking period costume and carry the same types of equipment that would have accompanied a real daimyo procession: lacquered boxes, spears with decorative tassels, and formal banners. The lord’s palanquin is carried by teams who keep it level on the mountainous terrain.

Viewing is free along the entire route. The most photogenic section is the stone-paved Tokaido path through cedar forest between Amazake-chaya teahouse and Moto-Hakone; arrive early to secure a position on the path edge.

Getting There

Odawara is 35 minutes from Shinjuku by Odakyu Romance Car express (no reservation necessary; surcharge approximately 800 yen as of 2026). The procession departs Odawara Castle at around 10am. From Tokyo, this is an easy day trip that can be combined with a visit to Lake Ashi and the Hakone Ropeway for views of Mount Fuji. November autumn foliage in Hakone is also near peak on Culture Day, making 3 November one of the best single days of the year to visit the area. See our Hakone guide for full transport and itinerary options.