Paula on the Salt Road: Walking into Culture, Solitude & Something Bigger

Paula has travelled before including Sicily last year and a dozen destinations before that, but her journey along Japan’s ancient Salt Road was different from anything she had experienced. It was her first time in Japan, and she chose to travel alone. Not to escape, but to expand. 

“I wanted to do something by myself…to experience a different type of culture, to challenge myself on many levels.” 

She arrived with simple expectations: towering trees, beautiful nature, long walking days and the rewarding fatigue that comes with it. What she discovered on this guided hiking journey was more - richer, deeper, unexpectedly personal. 

Keep reading or view our 9-day hiking itinerary on Japan's Ancient Salt Road >>

An Ancient Path, Walked Slowly 

The trail itself struck her first. 

“My goodness me it was an ancient track, but you were in amongst it.” 

Not looking at history through glass but walking through it: cedar forests rising like cathedral walls, stone steps worn by centuries of footsteps, tiny mountain villages folded into the greenery. The Salt Road felt immersive and intimate, as though culture, landscape and time had collapsed into something she could breathe. 

Each day began with a detailed briefing from the Guided by Nature team - not just route notes, but stories, cultural etiquette, and gentle preparation for moments of tradition she’d never encountered before. Shoes off here. Bow here. How to step into an onsen, how to wear a yukata with confidence. 

“I was given the opportunity to learn every day,” she said. “I always knew what was happening, and the guides helped us engage with local culture in a way I never could have on my own.” 

Connection — To People, To Place 

For Paula, the intimacy of the walk wasn’t only found on the trail - it unfolded in the people she met along it. 

She spoke with locals not as tourists often do - briefly, at a polite distance, but as welcomed guests. Travelling with guides who live in the region opened doors into a community that is rarely visible from the outside. 

A small sake brewery where neighbours grow rice collectively, working with a single producer to craft something delicate and powerful enough to send across the world. A washi paper master who shared his craft with reverence - fibres, water, rhythm - an art created slowly by hand, infused with unmistakable pride.

Foraging walks with Paul, uncovering edible plants Paula would once have walked past without noticing. 

"Talking to locals was a gift. Because the guides are part of the community, we were greeted warmly and felt welcomed." 

Challenged. Nourished. Changed. 

Paula’s favourite moments existed in duality: physicality and serenity, cultural richness and stillness, effort and reward. 

This was her first multi-day hike. She’d come to test herself: to see what she could do, to enjoy her independence while still belonging to a group. And somewhere between the cedar groves, shared meals and steaming onsens, she found belonging in more than one place. 

Night one brought a degustation of regional flavours, fresh young rice with tasting notes like wine, dishes that spoke quietly of altitude, weather and season. Every meal was an education, every day a new insight. 

"Learning...my eyes were constantly being opened. It was absolutely wonderful."

She expected nature. She expected challenge. What she didn’t expect was the warmth of the group, of the people they met, of the culture that unfolded like a gift. 

“The scenery and physicality were a highlight…but the culture was a highlight too.” 

A Journey Walked Once, Remembered Often 

In the end, Paula finished a little stronger, a little braver, significantly more connected to a corner of the world she had only just discovered. She walked the Salt Road to test her independence and left with community. 

Not rushed. Not distant. But immersed - fully, deeply, beautifully. 

A reminder that sometimes the hardest path is the most rewarding. And sometimes walking alone leads you to people, stories and places you’ll carry forever. 

Photo credits: All photos taken of Paula and other guests on her guided Japan Salt Road hiking adventure in late 2025.