Take advantage of Japan's world-class hikes, along these stunning trails. Photo / Getty Images
We’re a nation of avid trampers, so it makes sense to combine the Japanese holiday you’ve always dreamed about, with a hike into the country’s delightfully untouched back routes, writes Julian Ryall.
Japan stretches nearly 2900km from the town of Wakkanai on the most northerly tip of Hokkaido to the tiny island of Yonaguni, close to Taiwan in the far south. In between are more than 14,000 islands offering dramatically different experiences – in terms of culture, cuisine, history, architecture, geography and countless other aspects of this unique destination.
And the best way to explore those differences is on foot.
Japan’s ancient rulers established a network of tracks across the country as they collected taxes and sent out troops to quell not-infrequent local rebellions. Samurai lords were also required to make regular visits to Edo, the feudal capital that is now the metropolis of Tokyo.
Those routes may have long fallen into disuse for their original purpose, but they can still be followed across mountain passes and through valleys that have become untouched backwaters.
Many other routes were religious pilgrimages, created as spiritual and aesthetic exercises for monks. These also remain and include the 1200km 88 Temple Pilgrimage on Shikoku and similar hikes on the flanks of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous natural landmark and still considered by many to be sacred.
Strung out along these ancient thoroughfares are traditional inns that have been welcoming weary travellers for centuries and have perfected the art of hospitality, points out Paul Christie, founder of the Walk Japan travel company and appointed by the Japanese Government as an “ambassador” to promote the nation’s tourism sector.
“Simply put, the sheer variety of Japan’s geography and flora combined with its distinct four seasons make it a wonderful destination for hikers,” he said. “And, then there are the Japanese themselves, their cuisine, wonderful culture and warm welcoming friendliness.”
Originally known as the Tosando, meaning “the highway through the eastern mountains,” the route was initially constructed to help tax collectors from the then-capital, Nara, to go about their business, but later fell into disuse.
Now known as the Nakasendo, the 534km route still originates in Nara and snakes over mountain passes and the deep valleys of the interior before ending in Tokyo. Originally, there were 69 stations on the route, where weary travellers could change horses or rest overnight, with a handful of traditional wooden inns surviving to this day and offering similar respite.
The hike from Kyoto to Tokyo can be completed in a comfortable 10 days or so, but many people opt for abbreviated three-day hikes on some of the most attractive stretches.
The trail follows little-used backroads through isolated communities, with detours to temples where farmers still come to pray every spring for a good harvest. Post towns typically have a single narrow street lined by wooden houses and shops selling the local sake, snacks such as “sembe” rice crackers or wooden handicrafts.
Beyond the town and off the roads, the closely interconnected stones that were laid hundreds of years ago still indicate the route to follow.
The trail passes through groves of stout bamboo that clack together in the breeze and overpasses that still have traces of snow well into the spring months. The steep-sided valleys cast deep shadows and can make mornings on the trail chilly, until the sun crests and encourages hikers to start shedding layers.
Inevitably, after a few days without neon signs, traffic and crowds, the arrival in Tokyo is a shock to the senses.
Start planning - japan.travel/en/spot/1367
The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage is one of the few holy hikes in the world that describes a complete circuit, taking in 1200km of the stunning countryside of the island of Shikoku.
As the name suggests, the pilgrimage takes in 88 temples and countless other sites where Kukai, also known as Kobo-Daishi and a revered figure in Japanese Buddhism, is believed to have trained or visited during the 9th century.
Today, pilgrims typically wear the white “hakui” vest that represents purity and innocence – although in the past it also indicated the death shroud, meaning that the pilgrim was prepared to die at any point on their journey – and the “sugegasa” conical hat.
Modern-day pilgrims may be tackling the route for religious reasons, although others use it to pray for health or safety, or in memory of a loved one who has died. Others use it simply for reflection or to get away from everyday life.
Hikers may also carry a rosary, a small bell to ring after reciting each sutra and a “zudabukuro” bag to carry candles, incense and a pilgrim’s book, which is stamped after praying at each site. Another critical item is the “kongozue” staff, which is believed to be the embodiment of Kobo-Daishi as he guides pilgrims – but also served as grave markers in centuries gone by for those who died on the arduous route.
The temple of Ryozenji, in Tokushima Prefecture, is considered the traditional starting place for the journey, which takes around six weeks to complete for someone who can cover 30km a day. For anyone who does not have that amount of time, the trek can be broken down into more convenient, shorter stretches.
Start planning - shikoku-tourism.com/en/shikoku-henro/shikoku-henro
From the ancient to the modern: The Michinoku Coastal Trail is Japan’s newest long-distance hiking route and stretches 1025km along the coasts of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in the far northeast of Japan.
The trail takes in rugged landscapes, with towering cliffs dropping sheer into the Pacific Ocean. The area is relatively remote, with fewer foreign visitors venturing this far north. The entire trail takes around 44 days to walk but day trips and two-day excursions are most popular.
The region is also, unfortunately, synonymous with the magnitude-9 earthquake of March 2011 and the series of towering tsunami it triggered. The hike takes in the coastal communities that were forever changed by that event; those that have rebuilt and returned to a semblance of normality and others that are still scarred by the tragedy.
Established as a symbol of recovery and with the aim of attracting visitors to an often overlooked part of Japan, the trail takes in now-peaceful villages and towns that are home to Pacific fishing fleets on one side and paddy fields and steep, densely forested valleys on the other.
Tohoku is revered as a land of ancient and unique traditions, legends and a dialect that even other Japanese often struggle to comprehend. But the foreign visitor has nothing to worry about on that score as the locals are more than welcoming.
The route is dotted with accommodation options, ranging from the fairly basic to some very comfortable hotels, while the local geography means a visitor is never very far from a scalding “onsen” hot spring that is ideal for getting the kinks out of hikers’ weary legs.
Start planning - michinokutrail.com
The Buddhist religion in Japan can be traced back to the stunning Kii Peninsula, just southeast of the second city of Osaka, and the hilltop town of Koyasan, where towering cedar trees are interspersed with temples and shrines that date back more than 1000 years.
Pilgrims wishing to pay their respects at Koyasan would need to take the network of routes that are now called the Kumano Kodo, which was in 2024 recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site.
As Buddhism grew in Japan more than 10 centuries ago, so did the belief that priests who had put themselves through arduous religious training were the most effective in spreading the religion. The remote and wild interior of the Kii Peninsula was the cradle of this mountain asceticism and priests who emerged after completing their training were considered to have supernatural powers.
A number of trails crisscross the rugged peninsula, most starting in the picturesque coastal towns before ascending into the mountains.
The most popular route with modern-day hikes is the Nakahechi Imperial route, which was most commonly used by the imperial family and starts in Tanabe on the eastern coast of the peninsula before climbing to the Kumano grand shrines. Traditional lodgings are available along the route.
The most testing of the paths is the Kohechi Mountainous Route, which cuts across the centre of the peninsula and includes steep trails over some high passes along its 72km length. The local authorities recommend this one for experienced hikers.
Start planning – tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo
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