The Michinoku Coastal Trail (MCT) is a newly-created long distance trail on Honshu’s northeast coast in Japan. It has immediately become one of Christine’s favorites among all of the trails she has ever hiked, and gave her many new experiences. The MCT’s 1000+ KM can be thru-hiked, but frequent access to train lines and towns also make logistics extremely easy, it is ideal for section-hiking. The coastline is spectacularly beautiful, but this trail’s cultural value is also very deep. Traveling through the region that was devastated by Japan’s 2011 tsunami, the MCT is simultaneously a memorial and an economic revival project. The lack of international tourism in the region amplifies the opportunities for true personal and cultural connections and experiences. At the beginning of this episode, Christine and I spend a good deal of time discussing the realities of hiking in Japan before we focus on the MCT.

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