Among the eight courses along the Salt Trail, the 7-kilometer course from Matsuzawa-guchi at Tsugaike Kogen to Otari-mura Homeland Hall, which takes about 3 to 4 hours, is called the Chikuni-koshi Course and is the most well-developed and popular of all the courses along the Salt Trail.
The Salt Road Festival is held every year on May 3, when many participants dress up in costumes reminiscent of bygone days and walk this course. This course is a great introduction to the Road of Salt because of its many historical points of interest, such as the ruins of the Chikuni guard station, the Chikuni Sho Historical Museum, the Ushikata Inn, and the Hyakutai Kannon (Buddhist Goddess of Mercy).
The starting point of the Chikuni Crossing Course walking toward Itoigawa is Matsuzawa-guchi at Tsugaike Kogen ski resort. In the old days, the area was quiet with a few thatched-roof houses scattered along the road in Oyahara, but now the ski resort has been developed and many lodging facilities are located along the road. The area below the ski resort is called Bell Ringing Hill, and in the past, the entire area was planted with thatch, which was valuable as a roofing material for private homes.
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