Okabe is the twenty-first station on the Tōkaidō, just after Mariko
(above). Just before reaching Okabe, the Tōkaidō passes through the
narrow Utsunoya Pass, one of the three most difficult parts of the Tōkaidō,
where steep hills corral a swift stream just beside the trail. Yoshitoshi has
chosen to illustrate the exact same scene here as
Hiroshige
did for this stage, in his celebrated 'Hoeido' Tōkaidō series.
