Management Structure

The Michinoku Coastal Trail needs to be kept in a state where hikers can safely walk the course as long as they’re equipped with maps.

This region has very rich nature, and this is why many people are attracted to the Michinoku Coastal Trail. However, this rich nature means that insufficient trail monitoring and maintenance results in the trail returning to nature and the course disappearing. Our aim is a sustainable organization structure and united effort between the public and private sectors so that this trail can stay unbroken, walkable and not covered with brush.

The Michinoku Coastal Trail’s management organization consists of the Ministry of the Environment, the local governments of the four prefectures and 29 municipalities along the trail course, the private organizations managing the six satellite facilities along the trail, as well as local people, groups and organizations. We are forming a system where a wide variety of members know and trust each other, collaborating to protect and develop this trail now and in the future.

The facility that acts as the headquarters for this management organization is Michinoku Coastal Trail Natori Trail Center, in Yuriage, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Michinoku Trail Club is the nonprofit that operates this facility. MIchinoku Trail Club works to gather and aggregate information covering the entire trail course and share that knowledge throughout the course, provide guidance to hikers, and collaborate and communicate with local actors working with the trail. With the cooperation of many people, we aim to foster walking culture in Tohoku.