活動報告

The event was held on Saturday, March 19, Reiwa 4, at the Natori Trail Center.
The Block Forum, which we have been holding with grants from the Global Environment Fund, held its final session here at the Natori Trail Center.

Part 1: Forum

Overview of the Michinoku Coastal Trail

To begin with, Mr. Itabashi from the Michinoku Trail Club Secretariat gave an overview of the Michinoku Coastal Trail, explaining how the trail came to be and what initiatives are currently underway.

Since most of the participants were already experienced walkers, much of the information may have been familiar to them, but I imagine they still found some new insights in this well-organized presentation.

The Michinoku Coastal Trail We Set Out on

We spoke with Mr. and Mrs. Tetsu and Satoko Hamaguchi, who have been hiking north in sections since last summer, starting from Soma City. They shared with us what inspired them to begin walking the Michinoku Coastal Trail, the joys they’ve discovered along the way, and the unique charms of Michinoku that they, as people who moved here for work from other prefectures, are particularly attuned to.

The participants listened with great interest as the couple—who said they weren’t originally outdoor enthusiasts—shared their story of heading to the Michinoku Coastal Trail every weekend and steadily making their way north.

I think it was a talk that clearly conveyed the charm of the Michinoku Coastal Trail—in a way that couldn’t have been better—using the down-to-earth language of a hiker who knows the trail firsthand.

How to Walk 1,000 km

Tomoya Tsuchiya, the owner of “Hiker’s Depot”—an outdoor shop in Mitaka, Tokyo, specializing in ultralight gear—and a board member of the Michinoku Trail Club, spoke to us about strategies for lightening your pack, which are particularly useful for hiking the Michinoku Coastal Trail.

As Tsuchiya introduced his personal gear in preparation for the Michinoku Coastal Trail through-hike he has planned for this fall, some of the attendees could be seen standing up to examine the gear and take notes.

I hear that the weight of your gear, excluding water and food, is called the “base weight,” and believe it or not, Tsuchiya’s backpack base weight was reportedly 3.5 kg. The crowd gasped.

After the talk ended, many people gathered around Tsuchiya to get a closer look at this sophisticated 3.5-kg backpack. They took photos of the gear, asked lively questions, and even tried it on to feel how light it was. Surrounded by the backpack, there was a lively exchange between the speaker, Tsuchiya, and the participants, as well as among the participants themselves.

You can also watch footage of the forum on YouTube. Be sure to check it out!

Part 2: Hiking

We took a route off the usual trail, visiting various facilities in Yuriage along the way, and enjoyed a leisurely walk while chatting with the guest speaker and other participants.

First, let’s head to the Natori City Cycling Sports Center.

The Natori City Cycle Sports Center is a place where visitors can enjoy activities such as cycling and dining, and it also offers lodging and bathing facilities. However, it is also a spot where you can enjoy a spectacular view: when you go up to the rooftop, you can look down on Yuriage Beach and see Mount Kinkasan in the distance.
Everyone was enjoying the scenery in their own way.

We then walked up to the promenade along the Natori River embankment and visited the Natori City Earthquake Recovery Heritage Center.

There is also a diorama here depicting the town of Yuriage as it was before the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. It is a valuable historical record that allows visitors to recall what the town was like back then—a time very different from today.
We also saw participants sharing their memories of that time with one another.

We strolled along the promenade by the riverbank toward the Natori Bridge, stopping by Kawamachi Terrace Yuriage along the way, and introduced the curry shop and katsu-don restaurant where we would be having lunch.

It seems some participants were so intrigued that they went to try it the very next day.

After doing some shopping at our leisure and walking along the Teizan Canal, we arrived at the Natori Trail Center.

Even though it was already mid-March, it was a cold, windy afternoon, but I hope you enjoyed the approximately 5-kilometer Yuriage City Hike.

The three facilities we visited that day are also stamp locations for the Hiking Passport, which goes on sale in April. Some of the participants were serving as testers, and they were collecting stamps as they pleased.

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This Block Forum, as well as the talks by our guest speakers, were all very enjoyable and informative. I think the content was encouraging for those who are thinking about getting started, and it also offered various tips and insights for those who are already on this journey.

I also felt that another major achievement was the fact that communication took place in various ways—between guest speakers and participants, and among participants themselves.

Thank you to everyone who participated, to Mr. and Mrs. Hamaguchi for their careful preparations and wonderful presentation, and to Director Tsuchiya, who flew in despite the Shinkansen being out of service to share the essence of ultralight hiking.