The is a long-distance walkway that traverses 11

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

and covers , running from

Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park is located around Mount Takao in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1967 to commemorate the centennial celebrations of the accession of Emperor Meiji, it is the smallest of the List of national parks of Japan, Quasi-Nation ...

in Tokyo to

Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It was established on 11 December 1967 to commemorate the centennial celebrations of the accession of Emperor Meiji. With an area of just 9.6 km2, it is one of the smallest of Japan's na ...

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

. Hiking the entire trail usually takes 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, with cooperation of related local governments, the construction project began, and was completed 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.

Points of interest

Tokyo

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

Keiō Line The is a railway line in western Tokyo, Japan, owned by the private railway operator Keiō Corporation. It connects Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the suburban city of Hachiōji. The Keiō Line is part of a network with interchanges and through run ...

Takaosanguchi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keio Corporation. It is the main point of railway access to Mount Takao. Lines Takaosanguchi Station is the terminus of the ...

and reaching JR Sagamiko Station. Roughly four hours is expected to cover this segment of the walkway. From the Takaosanguchi Station, the route climbs 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 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 . The river overall was ...

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

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 trails and more ...

, 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

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

Tanzawa The are a mountain range in the Kantō region in Japan. The mountain range covers the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture and touches the prefecture borders of Shizuoka Prefecture to the west and the Yamanashi Prefecture to the north. Mou ...

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 was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province (now Sakai, Osaka), the son of Koshi no Saichi. According to one theory, one of his ancestors was of Korean descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-d ...

on the command of

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th Emperor of Japan, emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, duri ...

. The site had formerly been considered a holy mountain and attracted many Shugendōshi, Japanese mountain ascetic hermits practicing the strict doctrine of

Shugendō is a syncretic Esoteric Buddhist religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn prim ...

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

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

, as it contains Shinto style buildings and

Torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

Hachiōji Castle

Hachiōji Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle, located in what is now the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, in the Kantō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1951, with the area under protection extended in 2005 ...

is a 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 (1540? – August 10, 1590) was a Japanese samurai, who was the son of Hōjō Ujiyasu and lord of Hachiōji Castle in what is now Tokyo. He fought in the Siege of Odawara (1561) and Battle of Konodai (1564). In 1568, Ujiteru defended Takiyama ...

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

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 preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...

Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period lord and ''daimyō''. He was the head of Sanada clan, a regional house of Shinano Province, which became a vassal of the Takeda clan of Kai Province. Along with his father and brothers, Masayuki served the Taked ...

, and

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Naga ...

during the

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

’s campaign to eliminate the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of '' shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this perio ...

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

kuruwa is a Japanese term for 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. The kuruwa serves as a de ...

, stone walls, and moats.

Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, the course starts at Mt. Shiroyama(Kobotoke Shiroyama) on borders with

Tokyo Prefecture Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which ...

. Then it leads down through Kobotoke Pass to

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. The lake also served as venue for canoein ...

, and subsequently ascends into the Tanzawa mountains. Although bypasses the main ridge, this part of the trail goes through many peaks over 1200m (with the highest being 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 ends at Kiridooshi Pass on the border with Yamanashi Prefecture. 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 Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

, the trail starts at Kiridooshi Pass at the western end of Tanzawa 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 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 about above sea level. The five lakes created in the area by previous eruptions of Mount Fuji has give ...

. From Motosu Lake, the route briefly enters

Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...

via Wariishi Pass, going through

Asagiri Plateau The is located at the southwest base of Mount Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The Asagiri Plateau is richly utilized for its pastureland and many dairy farms are situated along it. The elevation of the plateau is generally aroun ...

and along Lake Tanuki, where it returns to Yamanashi Prefecture with a climb to Mt. Choujagadake in Tenshi Mountains. After 115 km, the trail leaves Yamanashi Prefecture 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 The is a railway line in the Tōkai region of Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Fuji Station in Fuji, Shizuoka to Kōfu Station in Kōfu, Yamanashi, and the Tōkaidō Main Line with the Chūō Main Li ...

Ide Station (148m) *Tashiro Pass (1020m)

References

External links

Tōkaidō Nature Trail Association official website A detailed trip report of a thru-hike of the Tokai, including a GPX file of the route.

A Complete Guide to the Tokai Nature Trail Hike
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokai Nature Trail Geography of Japan Hiking trails in Japan