Tokai Nature Trail Maps and Resources (Tōkai Shizen Hodō / 東海自然歩道)
*EDIT: I walked it and it was amazing - I've added a gpx of the route and closures as of oct 2026. I will be updating the maps and adding gpxs for the Nara route and Shizuoka bypass shortly (Sept 2026)*
Hello internet, I'm planning to walk the Tōkai Nature Trail from Osaka to Tokyo in September, October, November 2024. My starting gear list can be found here.
Below are the resources I found while investigating the route. I found that while GPS tracks and maps were available, the GPS tracks often included off track portions (e.g. detours to train stations and shops, wrong turns) and guess-timations of the trail, and the maps while informational were either in Japanese (which I unfortunately do not speak), out of date, and spread across multiple websites or not to scale and hard to follow.
I have created my own set of geo-referenced pdf maps for the main trail route which I will be testing out, these can be used as is or uploaded to Nomad Tracks/FO Maps/Avenza/etc. for real time tracking with a smartphone. I compared the available GPS tracks, with official prefecture maps, Geospatial Information Authority of Japan GSI maps, and past and current GoogleMaps street view. Road and path locations are from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan data portal, however, GoogleMaps streets did not always match up. It should be noted that while I tried to find and only map the official main route this was not always possible, but hopefully walking the trail will clean up some of these question areas. I have not mapped the bypass courses, but hope to at some stage. I have also tried to include current (as of July 2024) detour and closure information but this was not the easiest task. I have marked some of the attractions/shops/toilets/etc. along the trail, but it is by no means complete or exhaustive, and bus stops services have not been validated.
I am hoping to update these maps after finishing my walk or if I am provided with extra/current information from others. If you do use these maps or walk the trail feel free to drop me a message with any trail updates.
My route and maps: *use at your own risk and check official websites for trail updates and closures
Tokai Nature Trail GPXs (includes: Oct 2026 closures and detours, Shiga alternate, ena alternate)
POIs (including toilets, camp spots, convenience stores, rest areas)
Resources:
Start/End:
Tokyo (35.631534066152184, 139.26748781347385)
Osaka (34.85811254982479, 135.4789271349316)
Websites:
Tōkai Nature Trail Website
Trailblaze Website and TSH Survey GPX (best current GPS track, walked in 2023 - includes official and un-official detours for trail closures but no non-trail sections, however, doesn't specify what are detours) - they have released v3 gps track and a data book in 2026!
Japan Ministry of the Environment Website and GPS track
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan GSI Map and Data Portal
Hike Japan Website
Pacific Spatial Solution, Japanwilds.org and other maps on Avenza
Previous walkers:
Nomadic Tom's Guide, Blog and GPS track (15 April - 7 June 2015, Tokyo to Osaka)
Catlin Herrera's Tōkai Nature Trail Website and e-Book (2017 - 2019, Tokyo to Osaka)
Doing Miles (Amy and James) Trip Report and CalTopo GPS track (7 April – 12 May 2018, Osaka to Tokyo). They have also marked potential campsites, convenience stores and markets.
Willie Walks Japan Youtube Channel (14 Jan 2022 - , Osaka to Tokyo)
First Church of The Masochist Hikes Youtube Channel (Oct/Nov 2026, Osaka to Tokyo)
宇都宮のハイカー (rarigatake) Blog
信楽たぬきと嫁 (shigarakitanuki) Blog
Other GPS tracks:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/viewer?mid=1uQ-QM9yNafPzGVP7TVKUlS7L0GbJ6-Sy&ll=35.56190920485456%2C136.54127695324212&z=14&entry=yt
http://ranger-k.eco.coocan.jp/longtrail_webmap/tokai_trail/route/webmap.html
Prefecture websites:
Kanagawa Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Yamanashi Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Shinzuoka Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Aichi Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Gifu Prefecture Map Sales Information, Maps and Trail Closures
Mie Prefecture Map Sales Information and Trail Closures
Shiga Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Nara Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Kyoto Prefecture Maps and Trail Closures
Osaka Prefecture Map Sale Information and Trail Closures
Apps:
Navitime - bus and train timetables and routes. Often has buses that google maps doesn't have.
Yamap - Japanese version of farout. Trail conditions, notes, courses, logs.
Nomad Tracks, FO Maps, Avenza - offline navigation, note taking, maps uploaded to this.
Gaia GPS - elevation and route planning.
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