The Mt. Amakazari and Itoigawa City Area

This section of the Amatomi Trail winds west through beech forest and mountain terrain before descending to views of the Sea of Japan at Itoigawa. One route requires a steep climb over Mt. Amakazari with a reward of a remote hot spring and dual views of the ocean and the Northern Japan Alps. The Fossa Magna, a vast geological rift beneath this region, shaped these mountains through millions of years of volcanic activity and plate movement; the Fossa Magna Museum in the area explains the local geology in depth. At Itoigawa Station, the trail connects to the historic Shio-no-michi salt trading route toward Matsumoto, with bullet train access available for onward travel.