Michinoku Coastal Trail

The Michinoku Coastal Trail is a long-distance path of more than 1,000 kilometres running the length of the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, from Hachinohe in Aomori south to Sōma in Fukushima. Opened fully in 2019, it was created partly to aid recovery and remembrance along the coast devastated by the 2011 tsunami.

Its character is maritime and human: dramatic sea cliffs and pine-clad islets of the Sanriku coast alternate with fishing harbours, oyster rafts, lighthouses and towns rebuilding above new seawalls. Walking it is as much about meeting coastal communities as about scenery, and interpretive signs recall the disaster.

On the trail few walk the whole route; most tackle day or multi-day sections, such as the spectacular Kitayamazaki cliffs, on a well-waymarked path of modest gradient. Graded easy to moderate, it involves coastal ups and downs, occasional road walking and exposure to sea weather rather than altitude; resupply is easy in the towns.

Practical notes: no permit is required, and trains and buses along the coast make section-hiking straightforward, with inns and guesthouses in the fishing towns. Spring through autumn is the comfortable window, with early summer green and clear; winter is cold and windswept on the exposed coast, and typhoon season can bring heavy seas and rain in late summer.