Hiking isn’t only about reaching the summit. It’s the walking that matters. The longer you go, the more there is to see: the changing scenery, historical sites, people. Together, they become the story of a journey. This is the charm of walking long trails –– not only along packed dirt and forested paths but also paved roads connecting villages and towns that are a window into a region’s history, culture and way of life. You’ll find plenty to stimulate the senses along the pilgrimage trails, ascetic paths and old trade routes that make up 68 of the long trails around Japan.

Located in Akan Mashu National Park, on the eastern side of Hokkaido, the Mashu Kussharo Trail winds past two caldera lakes, Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo. Although scenic Mt. Mokoto and Mt. Mashu are nearby, they are not on this route. Instead, you’re in for a leisurely walk with stunning views of the lakes and lava domes. You’ll come across natural hot springs, lakeside campsites, small towns where you can grab a hot meal and an indigenous Ainu settlement, Kotan village. Be sure to keep an eye for resident birds, from black woodpeckers and long-tailed tits to eastern crowned warblers, as well as Eurasian red squirrels and red foxes. With minimal elevation changes and towns and train stations along the way for restocking supplies, this long trail is ideal for beginners.

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The Hokkaido Nature Trail, under development since 2003, will stretch a total of 4,585 km once it’s completed. The trail consists of 23 segments spread throughout Hokkaido routes, but there is no single, continuous path. While not all routes are currently walkable, the trails that are open wind through Hokkaido’s vast forests, wetlands, farms and meadows. Sightings of brown bears and Asian black bears have been reported in remote and residential areas, and hikers are advised to stay cautious even near roads and towns.

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After the Great East Japan Earthquake in March, 2011, the Ministry of the Environment came up with a plan for the Michinoku Coastal Trail, a project designed to help with the region’s recovery. The original route, opened in 2019, extends along the Pacific coast from its northernmost point in Hachinohe city, Aomori prefecture, to its southernmost point in Soma city, Fukushima prefecture. A new section, completed in 2023, adds 200 km of trails in Fukushima prefecture, linking Shinchi town to Iwaki city. Along the trail, hikers get a glimpse of the disaster zone: fishing villages and towns that were devastated by the tremors and tsunami but have since bounced back. The Michinoku Trail Club sells hiking map books and data books covering the trail’s 10 sections and containing information on routes, toilets, water stations, resupply points and restaurants. The club’s website also has online maps and GPX data.

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A popular long trail among seasoned hikers, the Gunma Ridge Trail traverses the mountains that border three prefectures: Gunma, Niigata and Nagano. The route –– famous for its long stretches without paved roads –– runs from the Doai area of Minakami town to Torii Pass in Tsumagoi village, over steep mountains 2,000 m high. The trail is divided into five areas: Tanigawa, Mikuni/Shima, Nozori Lake, Kusatsu-Shiga Highlands and Manza/Kazawa. The trail cuts through technically challenging terrain, including on Mt. Tanigawa’s ridge, which requires a high level of experience and endurance to scale. Along some sections, there are no alternate routes, so careful planning and preparation are essential. Near the Kusatsu-Shiga Highlands and Manza-Kazawa areas, you’ll find many hot springs for a long, well-deserved post-hike soak.

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The trail cuts through gorges, foothills, farms and tourist areas in six cities and towns in the northern part of Ibaraki prefecture. Originally opened as the Ibaraki Kenpoku Long Trail, the route has since been renamed and a new extension, now under construction, will triple the length of the route to 320 km by 2026. Ibaraki prefecture bills the trail as a loop through satoyama (rural communities that practice sustainable management of rice paddies, ponds, mountains, woods and meadows) and natural landscapes, and it includes many steep ups and downs. The Ibaraki Kenpoku Long Trail Cooperation Team, an organization of volunteers from local communities, leads trail development, maintenance and preservation.

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The Tokai Nature Trail –– spanning one metropolis, eight prefectures, and two urban districts –– holds the distinction of being Japan’s first long-distance nature trail. It links two quasi-national parks, Meiji no Mori Takao in Tokyo and Meiji no Mori Mino in Osaka. The idea for the trail dates back more than a half century to 1969, when an official at Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare visited the Appalachian Trail in the US and wondered why Japan didn’t have something similar. First developed within the borders of national and quasi-national parks, the trail opened in 1974 and was promoted as the modern equivalent of the medieval Edo Period’s Tokaido 53 Stations, one of five major roads from Edo (now Tokyo) to Kyoto. Though the Tokai Nature Trail is not rooted in history, the route passes close enough to old battlegrounds, landmarks and post towns to make it a worthwhile trek for history aficionados.

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Stretching 110 km from Mt. Madarao in the west to Mt. Naeba in the east, this long trail was spearheaded by Noriyoshi Kato, a pioneer in introducing long trails to Japan. Kato worked tirelessly to open the trail, a model for building a long-distance hiking culture and sustainable management system. The trail features pristine beech forests found in regions with heavy snowfall and the secluded Akiyama-go villages. Its forests, vibrant and green in summer, are a cacophony of reds, oranges and yellows in autumn. Designated campsites are well-maintained, and services like shuttle pickups from partner lodges to trailheads make it easy for hikers to plan their journeys.

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This 45 km trail, which takes its name from the Utsukushigahara highlands (Matsumoto city, Nagano prefecture), features moss-covered forests and ridgelines with panoramic views of Japan’s Alps. Despite its short distance, the mountains of the Yatsugatake Chushin Kogen Quasi-National Park offer challenging ups and downs that make it a rewarding hike. By combining the trail with the Shinonome no Michi route –– which runs between Shiojiri city and Matsumoto city’s east side and connects the trail’s start and end points at the base of the mountains –– you can complete a loop. Starting in the foothills, you’ll soon enter the ridgeline of Utsukushigahara, where you’ll be treated to views of the Northern and Southern Alps, Mt. Fuji and the Yatsugatake Mountains. While access isn’t easy, there are several hot spring towns in the foothills, and Matsumoto is nearby. There are no campsites or lodges along the route, though those sites are expected to be developed at some point. Near the highlands is 38-km Kirigamine-Utsukushigahara Central Watershed Trail, which runs along the ridge between the Utsukushigahara lava plateaus and Mt. Kirigamine –– the watershed divide between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Beyond Mt. Kirigamine, the Yatsugatake mountain range continues, offering the option of a multi-trail journey.

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The Kumano Kodo, on the Kii Peninsula, in Wakayama prefecture, is a network of pilgrimage routes connecting the sacred shrines and temples that are known collectively as Kumano Sanzan –– Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha shrines and Seiganto-ji and Fudarakusan-ji temples, all part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is a popular long trail, admired for its deep forests and historical significance as a pilgrimage route for believers who fused Shintoism (Japan’s ancient nature worship) and Buddhism. There are six main routes: the Kohechi route that links Koyasan with Kumano Hongu Taisha, the Nakahechi, Ohechi, Iseji, Kiji routes, and the Omine Okugake route, which is a Shugendo (mountain asceticism) path linking the Kumano Sanzan. (There’s debate about whether the Omine Okugake route belongs on this list.) Pilgrims visiting the Kumano Sanzan are known to undertake a journey called Kumano-mode. During the Heian period, lasting from 794 to 1185, many pilgrims spent a month walking the Nakahechi route for the 600-km round trip journey from Kyoto, the capital, to visit the three Kumano Sanzan shrines. Each route has its own charm.

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This 132.7-km trail winds through the mountains surrounding Kyoto city. Roughly 84 km of the route covers the trail’s western, northern and eastern sections –– Higashiyama, Northern Higashiyama, Northern Nishiyama and Nishiyama. The remaining 48.7 km is a loop course in the Keihoku region, northwest of the city. The trail passes some of the city’s famed landmarks: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama, Saihoji (also known as Kokedera, or Moss Temple), Mt. Hiei, Kurama and Daimonji. The trail’s mountains, forests and streams offer a tranquil backdrop that contrasts with the bustling heart of the city. Trailheads are easily accessible from the city’s edges, and many hikers rely on the city’s public transportation network to combine nature walks with visits to temples and restaurants.

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The Takashima Trail, in Takashima, Shiga prefecture, traces part of Japan’s watershed dividing line between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific and includes sections that were once vital for transporting essential goods. Today, the path offers hikers scenic views of Lake Biwa and Wakasa Bay as well as rejuvenating walks through lush forests. Though relatively short, this trail is challenging and should not to be underestimated: roughly 8,000 m of cumulative elevation gain and few spots to fill up on water. There are no designated shelters or tent sites, and anyone planning to camp should use nearby campgrounds or roadside sites. The Takashima Trail intersects with the Saba Kaido (Mackerel Highway), a 70-km path from Fukui to Kyoto that was once a major transport route for seafood from Wakasa Bay to Kyoto.

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Sea caves, granite cliffs, sand dunes and rare plants like the aquatic flowering Ranunculus nipponicus are among the defining features of the coastal San’in Kaigan Geopark (designated as a UNESCO site in 2010). The park’s trail is divided into 27 sections, each with a nearby train or bus station for easy access. Other long trails trace the shoreline in Japan, but only the San’in Kaigan Geopark has earned a special designation for its geologically importance. The area’s granite outcrops formed before the archipelago broke off the Asian continent 70 million years ago and the 16-km-long coastal Tottori Sand Dunes are the largest of any on Japan’s coast.

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Shikoku’s first long trail traverses the mountains along the border of Ehime and Kochi prefectures, over some peaks topping 1,500 m. The landscape morphs as you walk the route from Mt. Higashi-Akaishi to Mt. Sasagamine, Mt. Iyo-Fuji and Mt. Ishizuchi. The trail’s 10 sections showcase the rocky ridges of the Akaishi Mountains, Kamegamori’s dwarf bamboo and the chain climbs of Mt. Ishizuchi, western Japan’s highest peak.

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The Ohenro, or Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, is one of Japan’s best-known sacred walking trails. Its 88 temples reflect the belief that humans have 88 worldly desires –– and that visiting the temples is a way of eliminating these desires and gaining an understanding of oneself. (The Buddhist priest Kukai is thought to have been the first to walk the route, at the age of 42, in 815.) It’s not a conventional long trail but its traditions, preserved for more than a millennium, make walking this a rewarding experience. Completing the pilgrimage as a single, continuous loop –– toshi-uchi –– takes 40 to 50 days. (Walking sections at a time is called kugiri-uchi.) Pilgrims, or ohenro-san, are usually easy to spot: They wear a white robe (hakui), sedge hat (suegasa), stole (wagesa); carry a walking staff (kongozue) and prayer beads (juzu); and recite sutras at each temple while collecting stamps in a book (nokyocho) at each stop. Locals who live along the trail provide food, lodging and other forms of hospitality (osettai) to pilgrims, without expecting anything in return, similar to the deeds performed by trail angels for thru-hikers on long trails in the U.S.

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Mine-michi means ridge road but on Kyushu’s Kunisaki Peninsula it also refers to a path of rigorous ascetic practice, known as Rokugo Manzan Mineiri-gyo. (Rokugo Manzan is a 1,300-year-old esoteric religious group that fuses Shinto, Buddhist, Taoist and folk rituals.) For the mineiri-gyo, held once every 10 years, monks traverse 150 km of vertiginous mountains to visit more than 180 sacred sites. The Kunisaki Hanto Minemichi Trail traces this ancient path but with more routes (there are 10 sections) that make it accessible for hikers. Along the way, you come across magaibutsu (Buddhist statues carved into rocks); stone steps said to have been built by demons in a single night; foothills with terraced rice paddies (a landscape that earned the region World Cultural Heritage designation); steep, rocky sections with climbing chains; the Gotsuji Fudo, said to be the secret training site for the Buddhist monk Ninmon Bosatsu, who is thought to have started Rokugo Manzan; and fierce Buddhist guardian Nio statues. There are no campsites or accommodations on the route, so thru-hikers usually stay at nearby campgrounds or inns.

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The Kyushu Nature Trail opened in 1980, the second of Japan’s nine long-distance nature trails. Known locally as Yamabiko-san, the route –– divided into western and eastern sections –– loops around seven prefectures on the southwestern island of Kyushu, cutting through four national parks and past the peaks of Mt. Aso, Mt. Kuju and Mt. Kirishima. There’s also a boat ride: a round-trip excursion to the uninhabited island of Nozaki. Occasionally, you come across old signposts and difficult-to-pass sections, but prefectural governments and volunteers have been working to repair and maintain this popular trail. The Kyushu Nature Trail Forum sells patches, pins and certificates to anyone who finishes the route in a prefecture –– a minimum of 161 km –– or thru-hikes the trail.

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The Amami World Heritage Trail is not your typical walking path. Opened in 2021, the long trail –– the only island-hopping route of its kind –– stretches across the eight islands of the Amami archipelago: Amami Oshima, Kikai-jima, Tokuno-shima, Okinoerabu-jima, Yoron-jima, Kakeroma-jima, Uke-jima and Yoro-jima. Boats shuttle travelers from one island to the next, and a visit to this biodiversity hotspot –– Amami Oshima and Tokuno-shima are UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites –– is well worth the effort. You will encounter subtropical forests, limestone caves, white-sand beaches, mangrove and banyan trees and coral reefs. On some beaches, visitors can pick any spot and pitch a tent for the night, but on islands inhabited by habu, a venomous pit viper, you’re better off sticking to inns or official campsites.

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For this article, Yamatomichi’s editorial team researched all available information on long trails around Japan –– newly opened routes, trails under development, historical paths and ancient roads. We were amazed by how many we turned up! You’ll find our comprehensive list below (with some English-language links). We have included only the ancient roads and historical paths that partially overlap with mountain trails. We hope these will inspire your next journey. If we have forgotten any trails that belong here, please let us know!