The Hokkaido East Trail runs across eastern Hokkaido in a south-north direction from Kushiro on the Pacific coast to the town of Rausu on the eastern side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. [...] Lodging facilities and campsites will be scattered throughout the trail at 20-30 km intervals. Environment Ministry officials estimate that it will take about three weeks to complete. "Walking along the route allows you to sense the workings of animals, plants and humans," said Shin Hasegawa, the 46-year-old director of the Trailblaze Hiking Institute, who helped design the route. "I hope people will enjoy hiking along it, be it alone or with family members, whenever they get the idea to do so." One of the hopes of opening the trail is that it will prompt more people to spend longer in the areas they visit. Sites for canoeing, bicycle riding and wildlife observation tours will also operate close to the footpath, where lodging facilities and eateries are located. Most sightseers to eastern Hokkaido rely on rental cars and other personal transportation to make the rounds of popular tourist destinations.