are nature trails that span multiple prefectures and are planned by the Ministry of the Environment and maintained and managed by each prefecture in Japan.

Long-distance Nature Trails The purpose of the trail is to allow people to experience the richness of nature, history and culture, to refresh their minds and bodies, and to deepen their understanding of nature conservation through easy, enjoyable, and safe walking on their own feet throughout the four seasons. Beginning with the construction of the Tōkai Nature Trail in 1970, the trail has been developed in stages. Once completed, the total length of nature trails in Japan will be approximately 27,000 km.

From family-friendly courses to professional courses, visitors can enjoy walking to the highlights of each region. Trail Prefectures Length Initial Development Comments Image Ref.Tōkai Nature TrailTōkai shizen hodō Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shiga, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka 1970–1973 links Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park in Tokyo Metropolis with Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi-National Park in Osaka Prefecture Kyūshū Nature TrailKyūshū shizen hodō Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima 1975–1980 also known as Chūgoku Nature TrailChūgoku shizen hodō Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima 1977–1982 Shikoku Nature TrailShikoku shizen hodō Tokushima, Kōchi, Ehime, Kagawa 1981–1989 also known as Capital Region Nature TrailShutoken shizen hodō Kanagawa, Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba 1982–1988 also known as Tōhoku Nature TrailTōhoku shizen hodō Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima 1990–1996 also known as Chūbu-Hokuriku Nature TrailChūbu Hokuriku shizen hodō Niigata, Gunma, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Nagano, Gifu, Shiga 1995–2000 Kinki Nature TrailKinki shizen hodō Fukui, Shiga, Mie, Kyōto, Nara, Wakayama, Ōsaka, Hyōgo, Tottori 1997–2003 Hokkaidō Nature TrailHokkaidō shizen hodō Hokkaidō 2003–2012 Tōhoku Pacific Coast Nature TrailTōhoku Taiheiyō kishi shizen hodō Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima 2012–2019 also known as

See also Long-distance trail

References

External links (in English) https://m-tc.org/en/explore/about/trail/ https://www.env.go.jp/nature/nationalparks/pick-up/long-trail/