The Human Bullet Train: Japan’s Speed Couriers Before Mail Was Modern

Before modern trains and postal services, Japan depended on the hikyaku, the swift-footed couriers of the Edo period. Their journeys along routes such as the Tōkaidō demanded remarkable coordination and endurance. What did they carry, how did they travel and why did they eventually disappear? Step into the world of the runners who connected towns and people across Japan.