Izu Peninsula
Coastal Michi-shirube
¥8,0004 hoursMax 4 people
Following 200-year-old stone road markers. No GPS allowed — traditional wayfinding with terrain and stones.
What you'll learn
- 01How to read michi-shirube — stone road markers that indicate direction, distance, and sometimes the name of the road's benefactor
- 02How to estimate distance using traditional units (ri, cho) and terrain features
- 03How to navigate without GPS using watershed logic, coastal orientation, and stone marker sequences
Schedule
0:00Meet at Shimoda Station. Briefing on michi-shirube history and reading method.
0:30First marker: decode the characters, direction arrows, and distance notation.
1:30Follow the coastal trail. Navigate using only markers and terrain features.
2:30Lunch break at a marker junction. Discuss how the network was maintained.
3:00Final segment through forest. Find the last marker and verify your position.
Your Guide
Tom Fletcher leads this walk. He has documented over 400 michi-shirube markers across 8 prefectures.
What's included
- ✓Printed map handout with michi-shirube symbol guide
- ✓Compass
- ✓Traditional address decoder card
- ✓Post-walk PDF guide
- ✓Tea stop
Not included
- −Transport to Shimoda
- −Lunch
DUR4 hoursMAX4 peopleRTIzu Peninsula
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