HILLS & HAIKUS

GODZILLA, Kawasaki, Tamagotchi, Sashimi… of all the things one associates with the weird and wonderful Land of the Rising Sun, hiking is not usually one of them. As a large and mountainous country you’d imagine Japan, which until 150 years ago was a feudal society of warlords and peasants, would have extensive opportunities for trekking. Indeed there are, although only a handful are known to outsiders and these are either sedate strolls between touristy villages or hardcore traverses of the high Alps. Until recently there was nothing in between. Enter … the Shin-etsu Trail.

The ST was conceived in 2003 by a local man, Noriyoshi Kato, who had walked the Appalachian Trail in the US and was inspired to create something similar in his homeland. Like the AT, the ST begins and ends atop mountains and is maintained by a volunteer organisation that ensures the route is clear of debris after the