Local History and “Trail Magic”: Walking the Shinetsu Trail

In the summer of 2019, I went to western Japan to meet individuals involved in the trail and to hike the Shinetsu Trail myself. The thru-hike took me five days and four nights to complete. Throughout my time on the trail, I encountered aspects of regional tourism, AT culture, and engagement with local history and culture.

Historic trading posts, old stone provincial border markers, and other signifiers of history that extends back for hundreds of years are significant characteristics of the Shinetsu Trail. Some aspects of this are packaged into tourism experiences, but it’s notable that this association of cultural entities with the natural environment is reflective of Japan’s relationships to the environment prior to the long trail, which continue to exist in the national imagination today. The AT, on the other hand, depicts some histories, but many are left out—differences that largely arise from the U.S.’s legacy of settler colonialism, which depicts a mentality of “untouched” landscape in American outdoor culture.

Shinetsu toreiru wo arukou! [Let’s Walk the Shinetsu Trail! Official Guidebook]. Image used with permission from the Shinetsu Trail Club.

The lower elevation of the Sekida Mountains enabled people to regularly travel on paths for hundreds of years, facilitating regional trade and cultural exchange.

The Shinetsu Trail Club guidebook is divided into six sections, each of which provides information about campsites, environment, and sections on regional history and culture.

A highlight of my hike was encountering “trail magic”—acts of generosity along the trail that help restore hikers in some ways, such as food, water in places where sources are scarce, and other acts that ideally “leave no trace.” Trail magic is a defining phenomenon of the AT, which Katō was particularly moved by, and others have instilled this sort of culture along the Shinetsu Trail as well.

Upon finishing Section 3 and reaching the Katsura-ike campsite, I found a gray cooler box filled with a dozen iced water bottles, Coca-Colas, and other soft drinks that had been frozen to keep cool. A small yellow notebook laid on top of the cooler said, “Trail Magic Register,” with a message on the first page wishing readers a fun and safe hike.