{{nihongo, Ai no Shuku, 間の宿, mid-station were unofficial post stations along historical routes in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. These post stations formed organically along routes (such as the Tōkaidō and the

Nakasendō The , also called the ,Richard Lane, ''Images from the Floating World'' (1978) Chartwell, Secaucus ; pg. 285 was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. There were 6 ...

) when the distance between two places was too far or when there were difficult passes nearby. Because they were not officially designated rest areas, travelers along the roads were not allowed to stay in these post stations. Sometimes the Japanese is shortened to 間宿.

Notable ''ai no shuku''

Tōkaidō

:*Ninomiya-shuku (二宮宿) (between

Ōiso-juku was the eighth of the fifty-three stations ('' shukuba'') of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day town of Ōiso, located in Naka District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. History Ōiso-juku was established in 1601, along with the oth ...

and

Odawara-juku was the ninth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was the first post station in a castle town that travelers came to when they exited Edo (modern-day To ...

) ( Ninomiya,

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

) :*Hatake-shuku (畑宿) (between Odawara-juku and

Hakone-juku was the tenth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day town of Hakone in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. At an elevation of 725m, it is the highest post station on the entire Tōkaidō ...

) (

Hakone is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views of ...

, Kanagawa Prefecture) :*Iwabuchi-shuku (岩淵宿) (between

Yoshiwara-juku was the fourteenth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day city of Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The Yoshiwara-juku Festival is held each year in October and November in Fuji, showing visitors the are ...

and

Kanbara-juku was the fifteenth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in what is now part of the Shimizu-ku ward of Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is one of four former post stations located in Shimizu-ku. History The origi ...

) ( Fujikawa,

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

) :*Kikugawa-shuku (菊川宿) (between

Kanaya-juku was the twenty-fourth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in what is now part of Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, it was the easternmost post station of Tōtōmi Province. History Kanaya-juk ...

and

Nissaka-shuku was the twenty-fifth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in what is now part of the city of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Nissaka-shuku was located at the western entrance to , regarded as one of the thr ...

) ( Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture) :*Moto-juku (本宿) (between Akasaka-juku and

Fujikawa-shuku was the thirty-seventh of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day city of Okazaki, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was approximately from Akasaka-juku, the preceding post station.Okazaki,

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

) :*Arimatsu-shuku (有松宿) (between

Chiryū-juku was the thirty-ninth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the present-day city of Chiryū in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was the westernmost post town in Mikawa Province, and was from Nihonbashi, the start of the T� ...

and

Narumi-juku was the fortieth of the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō, fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō (road), Tōkaidō. It is located in former Owari Province in what is now part of the Midori-ku, Nagoya, Midori-ku section of the city of Nagoya, Aichi, N ...

) (

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Aichi Prefecture)

Nakasendō

Fukiage-shuku was a mid-station along the Nakasendō in Edo period Japan. It was in between the post stations of Kōnosu-juku and Kumagai-juku. It is located in the present-day town of Kōnosu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In addition to being a rest stop alon ...

(吹上宿) (between

Kōnosu-shuku was the seventh of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo period. It was located in the present-day city of Kōnosu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. History The original Kōnosu-shuku was located ...

and

Kumagai-shuku was the eighth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo period. It was located in the present-day city of Kuamagaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. History Kumagai-shuku began as a temple-to ...

) (

Kōnosu is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,995 in 50,801 households and a population density of 1700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Located in east-central Saitama ...

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

) :*

Motai-shuku was a mid-station along the Nakasendō in Edo period Japan. It was in between the post stations of Mochizuki-shuku and Ashida-shuku. It is located in the present-day town of Saku, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Neighboring post towns ;Nakasendō :Moc ...

(茂田井宿) (between

Mochizuki-shuku was the twenty-fifth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day city of Saku, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. History Located at the base of Mount Tateshina, Mochizuki has long been known for its horses. The area ...

and

Ashida-shuku was the twenty-sixth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day town of Tateshina, in the Kitasaku District of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. History Ashida-shuku was formed in 1601, during the Edo period, when the ...

) (

Saku Saku may refer to: Places *Saku, Nagano, a city in Japan *Saku, Nagano (Minamisaku), a town in Japan *Saku Parish, a rural municipality in Harju County, Estonia **Saku, Estonia, a small borough in Saku Parish, Harju County, Estonia *Saku Constituen ...

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

) :*

Shinkanō-juku was a mid-station along the Nakasendō in Edo period Japan. It was in between the post stations of Unuma-juku and Kanō-juku. It is located in the present-day town of Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Neighboring post towns ;Nakasendō :Unum ...

(新加納宿) (between

Unuma-juku was the fifty-second of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō connecting Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. It is located in former Mino Province in what is now part of the city of Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.Kanō-juku was the fifty-third of the was the fifty-eighth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō connecting Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. It is located in former Mino Province in what is now part of the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

) (

Kakamigahara is a city located in southern Gifu Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,225, and a population density of 1700 persons per km2, in 59,736 households. The total area of the city was . Situated in the northern part o ...

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

)

Other routes

:*Chino-shuku (茅野宿) (between the

Kōshū Kaidō The was one of the five routes of the Edo period. It was built to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Na ...

's Shimosuwa-shuku and Kanazawa-shuku) ( Chino,

) :*Mahashi-shuku (馬橋宿) (between the

Mito Kaidō was an old road, '' kaidō,'' in Japan starting from the center of Edobashi (today’s Nihonbashi). It was built to connect Edo with Mito in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Travelers from Edo called it the Mito Kaidō, but travelers from Mito called ...

's Matsudo-shuku and Kogane-shuku) (

Matsudo 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsudo is loca ...

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

) :*Funabashi-shuku (船橋宿) (between the Narita Kaidō's Ichikawa-shuku and Teradai-shuku) (

Funabashi is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 644,668 in 309,238 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . It is the Greater Tokyo Area's 7th most populated city (after p ...

, Chiba Prefecture)

Notable ''ai no shuku''

Tōkaidō

Nakasendō

Other routes

See also