The is a long distance walkway that traverses 11 prefectures

Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...

 and covers 1697 kilometres (1,054.5 mi), running from Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park

Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park

is located around Mount Takao in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan.The park centers around Mount Takao and encompassing the area of 7.77 km², the smallest Quasi-National Park. The park is visited by 2.2 million people a year...

 in Tokyo to Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park in Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

. Covering the entire trail is considered to take 40 to 50 days.

In 1969, the former Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare (current Minister of the Environment), proposed establishing a long distance hiking trail. In 1970, under the corporation of related local governments, the construction project proceeds, and the construction completes in 1974. Subsequently, the idea of connecting two quasi-national parks gave rise to constructing an array of additional quasi-national parks along the path. Numerous hills, wetlands, and canyons, which had not previously been viewed as tourist spots were designated as quasi-national parks and presently serve as nature preserves.

Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

The first leg of the route goes through the Mount Takao area and offers a nice hiking trip starting at Keiō Line Takaosanguchi Station

Takaosanguchi Station

is a Keio Corporation railway station on the Keiō Takao Line located in Hachiōji, Tokyo. It is the main point of railway access to Mount Takao.-Station layout:This station has a single island platform serving two tracks.-Adjacent stations:...

 and reaching JR Sagamiko Station

Sagamiko Station

is a train station on the Chūō Main Line in Midori-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company .- Adjacent stations :...

. Roughly four hours is expected to cover this segment of the walkway.

From the Takaosanguchi Station, the route climes through slopes of Mount Takao and first reaches the Takaosan Viewing Tower. After Takaoyakuō-ji Temple, the trail connects to the summit, where the Takao Visitor Center awaits. Passing through an aisle of cherry trees, the hiker, next, arrives at Hachiōji Castle. From this point, the path descends to the flood plain of the Sagami River

Sagami River

The is a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures on the island of Honshū, Japan.The upper reaches of the river in Yamanashi prefecture are also sometimes known as the , and the portion near the river mouth as the...

. Crossing Benten Bridge, the walkway leads to Sagami Dam to Sagami Station.

Mount Takao

Mount Takao

Mount Takao

is a mountain in the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. It is protected within Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park.Standing tall and located within an hour of downtown Tokyo, it is a popular hiking spot, with eight hiking courses and more than 2.5 million annual visitors...

, rising 599 m above sea level, is an excellent place for wild landscapes with a wide variety of plants (1,600 species) and insects (6,000 species). The area offers many hiking trails and view points.

The Takao Visitor Center is located at the summit, dedicated to offering information on the history and environment of the region. At 599 m, the site offers a majestic vista of mountains from Mt. Fuji to Tanzawa

Tanzawa

are mountain range in the Kantō region, in Japan. It covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefectural borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north.-Mountains:...

.

Takaoyakuō-ji

Takaoyakuō-ji is a Buddhist temple situated on Mount Takao. Its full name is Takao-san Yakuō-in Yūki-ji. It was built by Gyōki

Gyoki

was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...

 on the command of Emperor Shōmu

Emperor Shomu

was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...

. The site had formerly been deemed as a holy mountain and attracted many Shūgendōshi, Japanese mountain ascetic hermits practicing the strict doctrine of Shūgendō

Shugendo

is a highly syncretic Buddhic religion or sect and mystical-spiritual tradition which originated in pre-Feudal Japan, in which enlightenment is equated with attaining oneness with the . This perception of experiential "awakening" is obtained through the understanding of the relationship between...

. The temple was named “yakuō,” for it enshrines Yakushi. The temple offers a glimpse of, Shinbutsu shūgō

Shinbutsu Shugo

, literally "syncretism of kami and buddhas" is the syncretism of Buddhism and kami worship which was Japan's religion until the Meiji period...

, the fusion of Buddhism and Shinto

Shinto

or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

, as it contains Shinto style buildings and Torii

Torii

A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...

.

Hachiōji Castle

Hachioji Castle

is a yamashiro, or mountain-castle, located in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan.- History :Hachiōji Castle was built in the 1570s by Hojo Ujiteru. It was constructed on a mountain, with many features located in strategic positions to deter an enemy force...

Hachiōji Castle is yamashiro, a castle built on a mountain. It is situated on Shiro-yama (445m) in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The castle measures roughly 2 km from east to west and 1 km from north to south. The structure made use of the mountain’s complex surfaces of steep ridges and deep valleys and was divided into a few areas. It was first built by Hōjō Ujiteru

Hojo Ujiteru

' was a Japanese samurai, who was the son of Hōjō Ujiyasu and lord of Hachiōji Castle in what is now Tokyo.Ujiteru commanded a major force at the battle of Mimasetoge, where he unsuccessfully attempted to prevent Takeda Shingen from withdrawing to his home province of Kai after sieging the Hōjō's...

 in 1587. In 1590, the fortress fell when attacked by Maeda Toshiie

Maeda Toshiie

was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa. He was the fourth of seven brothers. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" . His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as...

, Sanada Masayuki

Sanada Masayuki

was a Japanese Sengoku period daimyo. He was the third son of Sanada Yukitaka, a vassal daimyo to the Takeda family in Shinano province. He is known as a master strategist. Sanada Nobuyuki and Sanada Yukimura were his sons.-Biography:...

, and Uesugi Kagekatsu

Uesugi Kagekatsu

was a daimyo during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister, Aya-Gozen. After his father died, he was adopted by Kenshin....

 during the Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

’s campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan

Hojo clan

See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...

. Currently, the site features a reconstructed bridge and parts of the main palace, along with kuruwa

Kuruwa

is a Japanese term that refers to the walls of a Japanese castle, and the regions bounded by the arrangement of those walls. The term may also be written as 郭, and the term is also used for castles built after the Edo period...

, stone walls, and moats.

Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

In Kanagawa Prefecture, the course starts at Mt. Shiroyama(Kobotoke Shiroyama) on borders with Tokyo Prefecture. Then it leads down through Kobotoke Pass to Lake Sagami

Lake Sagami

is an artificial lake located in Midori-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa in Japan's Kantō region. Created in 1947 after the Sagami River was dammed, it serves as use for recreational and hydroelectric purposes...

, and subsequently ascends into Tanzawa

Tanzawa

are mountain range in the Kantō region, in Japan. It covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefectural borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north.-Mountains:...

 mountains. Although it is bypassing the main ridge, this part of the trail goes through many peaks over 1200m (with absolute top at Mt. Sodehirayama), and is considered to be the steepest and hardest part of the whole trail. After 127.5 kilometers, the course in Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

 ends at Kiridooshi Pass on the border with Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

.

Main orientation points on the route (including altitude)

• Mt. Shiroyama (672m)
• Mt. Arashiyama (406m)
• Mt. Sekirouzan (694m)
• Nishinono village (303m)
• Mt. Kibigarayama (1273m)
• Mt. Sodehirayama (1432m)
• Inugoeji Pass (950m)
• Houkizawa village (494m)
• Mt. Azegamaru (1293m)
• Mt. Komotsurushiyama (1348m)
• Mt. Takasasuyama (1174m)
• Kiridooshi Pass (1080m)

Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

In Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

, the trail starts at Kiridooshi Pass at the western end of Tanzawa

Tanzawa

are mountain range in the Kantō region, in Japan. It covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefectural borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north.-Mountains:...

 mountains. Then it encircles the northern slope of Mt. Fuji, passing along attractive tourist spots like 8 Springs of Mt. Fuji and Fuji Five Lakes

Fuji Five Lakes

is the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi prefecture of Japan. It has a population of about 100,000. and sits approximately 1,000 meters above sea level. The name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by previous eruptions of Mount Fuji...

. From Motosu Lake, the route briefly enters Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

 via Wariishi Pass, going through Asagiri Plateau

Asagiri Plateau

The is located at the southeast base of Mount Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The Asagiri Plateau is richly utilized for its pasture land and many dairy farms are situated along it. The elevation of the plateau is generally around or .-Climate:...

 and along Lake Tanuki, where it returns to Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

 with a climb to Mt. Choujagadake in Tenshi Mountains. After 115 km, the trail leaves Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...

 at Tashiro Pass.

Main orientation points along the route (including altitudes)

• Kiridooshi Pass (1080m)
• Mt. Oohirayama (1295m)
• Oshino Hakkai (8 springs of Mt.Fuji) (928m)
• Fuji Visitor's Center (870m)
• Mt. Ashiwadayama/Gokodai (1355m)
• Wariishi Pass (978m)
• Mt. Choujagadake (1336m)
• Mt. Shishinzan (1031m)
• Minobu Line Ide Station (148m)
• Tashiro Pass (1020m)

External links

Tōkaidō Nature Trail Association official website