This is a trail with many names. The Shimoda Kaido (Shimoda Highway), The Amagiji (The Amagi Road), and of course, the name we have gone with here, the Odoriko Trail. It also has a long and interesting history. During the Edo period, the road was built in 1819 and connected the remote port town of Shimoda with Shuzenji and Mishima. Goods such as fish and seafood as well as timber from the mountains were transported to the Tokaido Road and then around the country. The trail was tough thanks to the volcanic, mountainous interior of Izu. The Amagi Pass was notoriously difficult. Eventually when the United States forced trade upon Japan near the end of the Edo period, Shimoda was home to the first American consulate and so western diplomats used the road too when coming and going to Edo. The road’s new name comes from Yasunari Kawabata’s masterpiece, The Dancing Girl of Izu (Izu no Odoriko), published in 1926. In the semi-autobiographical book, a young student travels the road and falls in love with a dancing girl from a group of travelling entertainers. The vagrant working girl interacting with a well educated boy was a political statement at the time. The book was a huge hit and eventually a timeless classic. It romanticises the ancient road and drives literary fans to Izu to this day. The book is excellent and a must read for anyone visiting Izu. I would also be remiss not to mention the Amagi Tunnel. Built in 1904, it was the longest arch stone tunnel in Japan when first built and transformed the road, cutting out the steep and exhausting Amagi Pass. Then in 1970 a new Amagi Tunnel was completed and the old tunnel fell out of use. The government pivoted to tourism and coined the new name of the road. Hikers and literary fans from across the country came to hike the Odoriko Trail.

The trail is very quiet nowadays. Expect to see majestic ancient forests, an incredible amount of waterfalls, the haunted ancient “haunted” tunnel, and numerous wasabi farms. I myself once applied for a job to be a trainee wasabi farmer during the Covid pandemic. I sat down for a job interview in this very region of Izu. I didn’t get the job. C’est la vie! ! But walking through here I can't help but imagine what might have been. It takes around two years to harvest wasabi after planting. I have no patience. I think they made the right decision.

Another thing to mention is that this is a very long walk! Only very fast and strong hikers can take on the whole thing in one day. The trail is in excellent condition at the time of writing and so it is suitable for hikers of all abilities, but the distance makes it tough. 

Anyone unable to hike very fast or do long distances, should cut the hike down. Here are some options:

1. Walk the full hike in one day. It is said to be 18.5km but I clocked 22.3km without any major detours other than the mandatory waterfalls. This hike is long and tough by almost anyone's standards. I have written about it as one trail to keep it simple. But this doesn’t mean I recommend it in one day. At least not for everyone.

2. Chop the hike into two days. If cutting it into two days, I recommend hiking on day 1 from Jorennotaki (浄蓮の滝) Bus Stop (Joren Falls) to Nikaidaru (二階滝) Bus Stop. And on day 2 hiking from Nikaidaru Bus Stop to Yugano (湯が野) Bus Stop.

3. If you only have 1 day and can’t manage the full hike, I think the second day has the most highlights so again recommend Nikaidaru Bus Stop to Yugano Bus Stop (11km). 

In the hike right up I will write it in two segments so you can decide what is right for you. The good thing is that the trail meets (or at least comes close to) several bus stops on the way so you can change the hike to match you on the day.