This was Japan's first toll tunnel, opened in 1876 under Utsunoya Pass, a difficult to cross spot located between Mariko-juku and Okabe-juku. In 1997, it became the first actively used tunnel to be registered as a national tangible cultural property, because it is a valuable structure left from the Meiji era (1868 - 1912). The retro atmosphere of the old brick tunnel has also made it popular as a hiking spot.
