202511/18
The Asia Trails Conference and new trail opening ceremony, hosted by Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, were held in Miyagi Prefecture from November 14 to 17 this year (2025). Trail promotion organizations from multiple Asian countries were invited to gather and exchange experiences. Director Hsiao Chung-Jen of the Yilan Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA Yilan), led personnel of relevant departments to attend the event together with members of the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails platform to observe how Japan promotes local development and international ecotourism focusing on “trails” as the central theme. During the event, the organizers arranged for the delegation from FANCA Yilan to visit the ”Osaki/Naruko Onsen Trail Course.” A trip was also taken to see the “Tamsui-Kavalan Stone Pillar,” which was erected in 2023 to symbolize the friendship between Taiwan and Japan. Director Hsiao and Deputy Mayor Hiroyuki Yoshida of Osaki City took a photo in front of the “Olle Pony” sign, which symbolizes the trail culture, marking a new chapter in the collaboration between Taiwan and Japan on trails.
As the secretariat of the Asia Trails Network, the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI Trail) pointed out that the friendship exchange between the Tamsui-Kavalan National-level Green Hiking Trail System and the Miyagi Olle Trails in Japan has already been in place for seven years. The Paoma Historic Trail, Jinzibei Historic Trail, Caoling Historic Trail, and Nuandong Valley Trail under the Tamsui-Kavalan Trail System have respectively established international trail partnerships with four Olle trails in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan: Osaki/Naruko Onsen Trail Course, Oku-Matsushima Trail Course, Kesennuma/Karakuwa Trail Course, and Tome Trail Course. In November 2023, the Broad-leaf Fern Stone Pillar of the Tamsui-Kavalan National-level Green Hiking Trail System was installed at the starting points of four trails in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. In May 2024, the red pony sign from Olle in Miyagi was also erected at the entrance of the Tamsui-Kavalan National-level Green Hiking Trail System. At that time, representatives from the Miyagi Prefectural Council and the Prefectural Government, as well as the Mayor of Osaki, led a delegation to Taiwan for the unveiling ceremony, to symbolize the official linkage of the two partner trails. This year (2025), Taiwan sent a special delegation to Japan to participate in the event, showcasing the achievements in international tourism promotion and environmental education cooperation.
The Tamsui-Kavalan Trail System is Taiwan’s first national-level green hiking trail, combining historical and cultural elements with the natural landscape. Its Paoma Historic Trail and the Osaki/Naruko Onsen Trail Course in Japan have established an international trail partnership. Both trails wind along valleys, passing through Japanese cedar forests, shrines and temples, and end at hot springs, showcasing the perfect fusion of nature and culture. FANCA Yilan stated that it will continue to promote trail exchanges, bolster the training of tour guides, and expand ecotourism initiatives, hoping that through the linkage of trails, more international tourists can experience the beauty of Yilan’s mountains and forests firsthand and jointly usher in a new golden era for tourism and nature conservation between Taiwan and Japan.
Related information:
Miyagi Olle Trail Official Website https://www.miyagiolle.jp/zh-hant/
Paoma Historic Trail, Taiwan Forest Recreation Official Website https://recreation.forest.gov.tw/Trail/RT?tr_id=007