About the Shinetsu Trail
The Shinetsu Trail is an 100km woodland trail that follows the ridge of the Sekida Mountain Range on the border between Nagano and Niigata Prefectures in the alpine region of central Japan. The trail is unique in Japan and certainly the best and only to have an intact natural ecosystem showcasing primeval forests of beech, birch, larch, maple, cedar and more. Inspired by the Appalachian Trail in the USA, the Shinetsu Trail was opened up by the Shin-Etsu Trail Club in 2003 and has been lovingly maintained ever since with the support of the Iiyama City Government.
Support & Guidance
Each trek is fully supported with the help of two guides: a local mountain guide, provided by the Shinetsu Trail Club NPO and an English speaking guide, provided by Riki's Tours Japan. This means not only are you getting the best information, but also in the event of any mishap, we have two people on the ground to help.
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Trek difficulty
If you are a reasonably fit person who enjoys walking, you should be able to accomplish the 80km Shinetsu trek with relative ease, being the original six sections of the Shinetsu Trail (it was recently extended a further 20km). One the best things about the trail is the quality of the track itself. It is very soft underfoot due to the layers and layers of leaves that fall to the ground at the end of Autumn each year. While there are occasionally some tree roots to avoid, there are few if any rocks and no large boulders to navigate. Because of this, you will find your knees, shins and ankles thank you and reward you well.
The trail follows the ridge line closely at an elevation of approximately 1000m with maximum change in elevation of no more than 500m. Because of the ridge line design of the trail, some mountains are traversed, but none are particularly arduous. However, there are plenty of short sharp ups and downs, mostly of 100m in altitude change or less.
Each night, we will stay in comfortable accommodation where sumptuous meals are provided and hot baths are available. You will leave your main bag at our lodgings, so you walk only with a day-pack for your lunch, camera and wet weather gear. The inn keepers will transfer your main bags between accommodation. They will also drop us off and pick us up from the ridge each day although some walking up and down farm roads is needed to reach the meeting point.
The trail follows the ridge line closely at an elevation of approximately 1000m with maximum change in elevation of no more than 500m. Because of the ridge line design of the trail, some mountains are traversed, but none are particularly arduous. However, there are plenty of short sharp ups and downs, mostly of 100m in altitude change or less.
Each night, we will stay in comfortable accommodation where sumptuous meals are provided and hot baths are available. You will leave your main bag at our lodgings, so you walk only with a day-pack for your lunch, camera and wet weather gear. The inn keepers will transfer your main bags between accommodation. They will also drop us off and pick us up from the ridge each day although some walking up and down farm roads is needed to reach the meeting point.
About ShinetsuTrail.com
ShinetsuTrail.com is created and managed by Riki's Tours Japan, a Sydney-based operator that has been happily running small group tours of Japan since 2013. Co-directed by Riki Inamura and Jason Longmore, they strive to provide friendly, professional and authentic small group tours of Japan that bring travellers closer to Japanese society, culture and its environment.
For more information on the local area:
Go to this site managed by the Shinetsu Shizenkyo Activity Centre for more information about this beautiful region.