Daibosatsu, the Great Bodhisattva, gives its name to a pass, a lake and a ridge on the Yamanashi side of the Okutama and Chichibu mountains, and the high line here follows the ridge for much of the way, with broad views to the south and the great dark shapes of the Southern Alps on the western horizon.
The pass has a place in Japanese literature. Daibosatsu Toge, a long novel by Nakazato Kaizan, was serialised from 1913 and remained unfinished at the author's death, and it follows a violent swordsman through the last years of the shogunate, beginning with a murder on the pass. It is one of the longest novels ever written in Japanese, and has been adapted for film many times. The pass itself is a quiet trail crossing, but its name is known across the country.
The country below, on the Yamanashi side, is fruit land. The slopes around Enzan and Katsunuma are covered with vineyards, and the wine from the local koshu grape, a pale, delicate white variety grown here for centuries, is the pride of the region. Peaches and grapes ripen in summer and early autumn, and roadside stalls sell them at fair prices. A glass of koshu with a plate of local mushrooms is a fine way to end a day, though not if you are riding.
The roads in this area are rewarding, with a mix of tight bends and fast, open sections, and the scenery changes from dark cedar forest to open farmland. Surfaces are usually good, though occasional rockfalls and wet leaves call for care. There are very few services on the high ground, so fill up in Otsuki or Enzan beforehand, and take food and water. Weather changes fast, and fog and cold can arrive within minutes, even in summer, while snow and ice may close the high roads from December to March. On a clear day, however, the view of Fuji from the ridge, floating above the clouds, is one of the best in Japan.