Hike One of Japan’s Signature Long-Distance Trails

Admire majestic beech trees, amazing scenery, and charming villages in a one- or multi-day trek of the Shin’etsu Trail

The Shin’etsu Trail, modeled after the Appalachian Trail in the United States, opened in 2008 as Japan's first long-distance hiking trail. The 110-kilometer path travels along the border between Nagano and Niigata Prefectures, passing through charming mountain villages where you can sojourn and soak up the local culture. The trail runs through deep beech forests at an average elevation of around 1,000 meters, offering impressive views of the Sea of Japan to the north, and the Kubiki Alps (Mt. Myoko and neighboring peaks) and more distant northern Alps rising majestically to the west.

The best seasons for hiking are during the spring, when lush greenery sprouts forth, and in the autumn, when the foliage is at its peak (both of which also avoid the heat of summer). Snow may still be on the trail in June, and early snows can fall in late October. The trail is divided into 10 sections, with many choosing to hike one section per day. The Shin’etsu Trail Club suggests that hikers using tents might be looking at eight nights and nine days for the full trail (campsites are not yet available in every section). It is of course possible to hike just one or more sections at a time in anything from a one-day to multi-day hike, and the trail can be hiked from either its west or east ends. However you choose to travel, this is a route every serious hiker will want to try.

Access: The Shin’etsu Trail can be accessed from Iiyama Station when traveling from west to east, or from Echigo Yuzawa Station if trekking from the east.

For Iiyama, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Iiyama Station (about one hour 38 minutes), then take a taxi or bus to Mt. Madarao, the starting point.

For Yuzawa, take the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Yuzawa Station, then taxi to the trailhead (be sure to check the Shin’etsu Trail Club website or English-language guidebook for full details).