A historic Japanese trade route is getting a new life as a walking trail. Walk Japan has launched the Salt Road Wayfarer, a six-day self-guided tour through Nagano and Niigata prefectures.
The route follows sections of the old Salt Road between Omachi and Itoigawa. The road once linked the inland castle town of Matsumoto with the Sea of Japan, carrying essential goods between the coast and the mountains.
During the Edo Period (1603–1868), bokka porters carried goods along the route. Salt and fish were among the supplies transported inland, with some porters carrying loads of up to 60kg.
The modern route is less demanding in terms of what travellers have to carry, but the walking itself is still challenging. Daily distances range from 17 to 21.5km, with some steep and uneven sections. Walk Japan rates the tour at Activity Level 4 and Technical Level 4, making it more suitable for experienced walkers.
Starting in Omachi, the route heads north through rural villages, forests and mountain passes before ending in Itoigawa on the Sea of Japan coast. Along the way, walkers pass shrines, Buddhist temples and statues that remain from the route’s trading days.
The tour also includes a stop at Fossa Magna Park, which sits along a major geological rift that runs through central Japan and separates the country’s eastern and western geological zones.
Accommodation is provided in hotels and Japanese inns. Onsen baths are available each night, while dinners feature local ingredients from the mountains, rivers and Sea of Japan.
Although the tour is self-guided, travellers receive a route booklet with maps, walking directions and information on sights and places to eat. Main luggage is transferred between accommodations, and two taxi transfers are included. English-language support is also available throughout the trip.
The Salt Road Wayfarer bookings run from September to November, with the first departures scheduled for October 2026. Prices start at JPY238,000 per person based on double occupancy.
The tour is aimed at travellers who want to explore rural Japan on foot, but it is not designed as an easy walking holiday. Participants should be comfortable walking for five to six hours a day and handling steep or uneven terrain.
