Walk Japan’s Newest Tour Exploring the Historic Salt Road

Walk Japan is pleased to announce its latest tour, the Self-Guided Salt Road Wayfarer, which explores a trail once vital for trade, connecting the Sea of Japan with the landlocked castle town of Matsumoto.

Tour participants explore the central and northern sections of the Salt Road, through a largely remote and little-visited yet beautiful region surrounded by the Japan Alps, following in the footsteps of bokka porters. Their daily lives were undoubtedly tough but would only have been uplifted by the glorious surroundings of the snow-capped Japan Alps, pristine beech forests and crystal-clear streams; scenes that are equally enjoyable to this day.

Starting in Omachi, a charming rural town in Nagano Prefecture, the tour follows the Salt Road north through sleepy hillside villages and woodlands, aside lakes and over mountain passes to Itoigawa on the Sea of Japan coast in Niigata Prefecture for an authentic experience of a delightful area, its people, society, and culture.

The tour is suitable for experienced walkers following a historical rural trail in the remote countryside set against the Japanese Alps. With hearty local mountain cuisine and fresh seafood sourced from the Sea of Japan, guests will also visit the UNESCO-recognized Fossa Magna Park, part of a wide geological rift that divides Japan from east to west.

Details:

• 6 days, 5 nights

• Self-guided

• May to June, September to November

• Includes comprehensive route booklet and tour notes

• Includes 24-hour English-language support

• Daily walks between 10.5 to 13.5 miles with the option to shorten or extend distance

• Begins in Omachi, concludes in Itiogawa

• Main baggage transferred by courier between each accommodation

• Begins at $1,510 based on double occupancy.

About us: Imagine PR named a top Luxury Travel PR agency by the New York Observer (2024, 2025) and a Top 100 U.S. PR agency by The PR Net