Phil Ingram, AJS-QLD member with more that 30 years of involvement between Japan and Australia has written a “how to’ guide on Trail Walking in Japan, with links to multiple old and new walks.
Most visitors to Japan are undoubtedly drawn to its marvellous culture, unique cuisine and stunning scenery. Frequent visitors will know that beyond the neon lights of Tokyo, the towering beauty of Mt Fuji and the cultural delights of Kyoto, there are literally thousands of just as interesting places to visit and enjoy. For those who like to venture beyond the main tourist areas and walk to see the sights, Japan offers a smorgasbord of options. There are leisurely walks through villages and forests where you can stay in fancy ryokan and enjoy sumptuous meals and soak in relaxing onsen, to hardcore mountain hikes where you climb steep alpine peaks and camp under the stars or stay in huts. Over the last 30 years there has been a gradual focus on developing long walks where ancient trails ran and where some sections are still more or less like they were hundreds of years ago. The most famous of these is the Nakasendo, the ancient inland route between Kyoto and Tokyo, which has become very popular with foreign tourists, especially the section between the well preserved towns of Magome and Tsumago. While there aren’t many remnants of the main ancient coastal road between Tokyo and Kyoto, known as the Tokaido, the section in Hakone is worth it for the towering trees that line the old cobblestone path. Then there are the ancient pilgrim trails, of which the Kumano Kodo on the stunning Kii Peninsula has become very popular and the 88 temple tour known as the Shikoku Ohenro is starting to become popular too. The good thing with these routes is that there is plenty of information in English (all the links here are in English) and there are tour companies, like Walk Japan, that offer both guided and self-guided treks and arrange all accommodation and luggage forwarding.
If you’ve done these popularized trails, and are looking for less crowded ones, never fear there are still plenty for you to discover. Since I moved to Nagano in 2014, I have discovered several such scenic and interesting trails, where you will hardly meet anyone. One of these is the Shionomichi or ‘Salt Trail’ which goes for 120km from the Japan sea coast at Itoigawa along a river gorge that cuts through the Japanese Alps, to the castle town of Matsumoto. There was absolutely no information in English when I started taking groups on this trail which can be difficult to navigate and there are few places to stay and no shops on the trail. But that’s the beauty of it – you really do feel like you’re back in Japan of yore. I usually take small groups of 4 to 8 people in the autumn to enjoy the stunning native forests in their autumn colours and we stay one night in a 150-year-old thatch roofed farmhouse in a remote village. If you are seeking more remote trail that isn’t ancient or goes through villages, try these relatively new ones: The Shinetsu Trail in Nagano and the Michinoku Coastal Trail along the north east coast of Honshu. Local councils and hiking groups are reviving old trails all over Japan. For instance the Hagi Oukan Trail in Yamaguchi and the Kunisaki Peninsula Minesaki Long Trail in Oita are on my to do list. Just last month a new trail was opened in Nagano, called the Shinpi Trail linking the cities of Matsumoto and Takayama and combining historical sites with a crossing over of the spectacular northern Alps. I’ll definitely do this walk soon!