Shionomichi trail(Salt roads)

●Prefecture: Nagano, Niigata

●Walking season: MAY to NOV (DEC to APR are snow on trail)

●Technical Level:★★☆☆☆

●Highlights route for day trip: Around 7km,up and down 300-400m,4hours on Chikuni course

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Shio-no-michi (salt road) refers to the road used to transport salt and marine products from the Sea of Japan, and agricultural products, delicacies and wood from inland Shinshu. These goods were carried on the backs of cattle, horses and people.

In spite of the harsh nature and terrain, it was an irreplaceable road for the mountain people in this area.

 

Salt Roads (Shionomichi) were ancient transport routes that connected the interior regions of Honshu, the main island of Japan, with the coastal regions. The longest, and best known Salt Road, is the one called the Chikuni-kaido that connected the castle city of Matsumoto in the center of Honshu with Itoigawa, on the Japan Sea coast.

In landlocked Shinshu (today’s Nagano), the route saw the transportation of various kinds of goods, the most-prized of which was salt, along treacherous mountain paths, carried by porters and oxen and often traded for rice, cotton and tobacco.