Tsuchiyu Pass is a mountain crossing at about 1,240 metres in the Azuma range of Fukushima, and it is the doorway to one of the great volcanic roads of northern Japan. Below it, on the Fukushima side, is Tsuchiyu Onsen, a small hot spring village in a steep, wooded gorge, where the water is acid, milky and slightly sulphurous, and the local craft is the making of kokeshi, the slim wooden dolls with round heads that are a symbol of the Tohoku region. Above the pass, the Bandai-Azuma Skyline climbs onto a lava plateau of bare rock, steaming vents and views that stretch across the whole prefecture.
The Skyline is a toll road, about twenty-eight kilometres long, linking Tsuchiyu with the Takayu area, and it is the main reason motorcyclists come. It rises out of cedar and beech forest to the open slopes of the volcanic peaks, with a series of broad, flowing bends and long views across the Inawashiro basin and the lake. The surface is excellent, the gradient is moderate and the traffic is light, especially on weekdays. Near the highest section, the barren slopes of Mount Issaikyo, with their yellow and white sulphur deposits and steaming fumaroles, look more like another planet than northern Japan. Gas from the vents can be strong in places, and visitors with respiratory problems should take care.
The road is closed in winter, usually from late autumn to April or May, when snow and ice make it impassable, and in spring the walls of snow at the roadside can be several metres high. Autumn colour here in October is famous, and the mountain flanks turn red, orange and yellow, drawing crowds on weekends. Fog and sudden rain are common, and the temperature at the top can be much lower than in the valley, so a warm layer and a waterproof are a good idea.
Tsuchiyu Onsen has public baths, small inns and noodle shops, and a hot spring soak after a long ride is one of the real pleasures of Japan. There are rest areas along the Skyline with simple food. For fuel, Inawashiro, about sixteen kilometres away, and Fukushima city, on the other side of the range, have the nearest stations, so fill before climbing, as there is none on the toll road itself.
The mountains here are part of the Bandai-Asahi National Park, and the sulphurous air and the soft light on the grass give the area a peculiarly northern Japanese character, quiet and a little austere.