The Hitachinokuni Long Trail, a 320-kilometre circular walking route, opened in full in September 2026 in the north of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Announced in 2019 by the prefecture and the trail club of the former Hitachi Province, the project took around seven years to complete and is described as the country’s longest circular trail.
The path crosses six municipalities — Kitaibaraki, Takahagi, Hitachi, Hitachi Ota, Hitachi Omiya and Daigo — and runs through ‘satoyama’-style rural landscapes, where communities live side by side with mountains, meadows, lakes and rice paddies. It is less than two hours by train from Tokyo.
Thanks to its low altitude and the scarcity of heavy snow, the trail can be walked all year round. It is divided into five sections, which can be started at any point, and includes attractions such as the Fukuroda Falls, the Ryujinkyo Gorge, the old Salt Road and an Edo-period canal.
Walkers should, however, expect few places to stock up along the way, rocky stretches and some steep climbs, especially in the demanding central section in the Yamizo mountains.
