Hi all!
With the borders opening I plan on walking the Old Tokaido road from Tokyo to Kyoto (+500km, exclusively on foot) and I am in need of suggestions about what to do afterwards!
A few pointers:
* I don’t mind walking through the vast Japanese urban sprawl. The Old Tokaido rarely follows trails these days aside from a small bit in Hakone and around Nagoya. And, in fact, accommodation wise, sticking to a purely urban walk is cheaper, convenient and definitely more doable than getting lost in the woods.
* I can walk between 20-30km a day, which gives me enough time to relax at my accommodation in the evening. I also have work to do on my computer so I can’t feasibly walk more than 6h a day.
* I will exclusively walk from Tokyo to Kyoto but after that I won’t mind using trains, buses and whatnot. However!: my budget is 1000 yen a day tops for them. For instance: if point A is 50km from point C, I prefer to walk for two days and spend 3000 yen in an overnight hotel at point B… than to take a 2000 yen train directly from A to C.
So far these are some of the results of my research:
* I could walk the Nakasendo from Kyoto to Tokyo, another +500km, but I am not particularly thrilled about the route once it gets colder colder. Same with the Tokai Nature Trail which goes through the Alps.
* The Kumano Kodo routes are too short and too expensive. I’ll be here in Japan for the long term so I could always do it next Spring, which frankly sounds more appealing to me.
* The Shikoku Pilgrimage is, on paper, ideal for me… but finding lodging is troublesome. I have a tent but it seems that nowadays wild-camping is frowned upon everywhere.
* Seriously considering the Michinoku Coastal Trail… although… bears…
Thoughts? After I reach Kyoto… should I perhaps simply continue walking down south until I reach Kyushu?
Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance!