I Hiked an Unfamiliar Japanese Pilgrimage Route – the Mitakekodo Trail

I Hiked an Unfamiliar Japanese Pilgrimage Route – the Mitakekodo Trail

For years, I’ve found myself walking familiar paths, to places like Shosenkyo and Kanazakura, which are in my area. Curious to find what other roads and trails might be hiding out there, I pulled up Google Maps and started poking around, and sure enough, something caught my eye. A hidden trail.

After a little digging. Turns out, this trail’s called the Mitakekodo Trail, and it used to be a pilgrimage route. Back in the 1800s, people would walk it from Kanazakura Shrine to Mt. Kinpu, a mountain that’s been a spiritual touchstone in this region for centuries. Now, the route is used by only about 80 people annually, making it a kind of “ghost trail.” I’ve been to Kanazakura Shrine more times than I can count, and I’ve hiked Mt. Kinpu twice, but somehow, I’d never even heard of this trail that connected the two.

I’ve hiked this trail 4 times now, in all seasons. Here’s a video I’ve put together, which I hope will give you some insight to this lesser known hiking trail, in Kai City, Yamanashi, Japan.

Video captured on iPhone 11, GoPro 7 Black and DJI Mini 4 Pro

Software used:
Final Cut Pro – Video Editing
After Effects – Animations
Logic Pro – Voice over