Izu Skyline Ocean Road

A 250 km loop from Odawara

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Why this ride

Pacific views and long fast sweepers. A 250 km loop that starts and ends near Odawara, about 4 h 48 of riding. It goes by way of Atami coast, Shuzenji forest town and Numazu bay. Izu Skyline high section is the high point. The passes are the reason to go.

Roadbook

1. Odawara fuel fuel

   Odawara is a castle town at the foot of Hakone, and for most riders it is the place where the mountains begin. The castle, which belonged to the Hojo clan until Toyotomi Hideyoshi besieged it in 1590, has a reconstructed keep, built in 1960, with a museum inside. The old town around it is quiet, with a modest shopping street and some traditional shops. It sits on Sagami Bay, with the coast road leading east and west and the Hakone mountains rising behind.

   The town is known for food. Odawara is one of Japan's great producers of kamaboko, the white fish paste cakes that appear in noodle soup and on celebration tables, and shops along the coast sell them freshly steamed. The fishing port sells dried horse mackerel, and Odawara also has a long tradition of growing ume plums, which are made into pickles and drinks. It is a pleasant place for a late lunch, with sushi bars close to the station.

   For the rider, Odawara is a gateway and a place to refuel. It has a population of about two hundred thousand, so there are petrol stations, convenience stores and restaurants in abundance, and the roads inland lead to the Hakone Turnpike, one of Japan's best-known scenic toll roads. Riding back down into Odawara at the end of a day in the mountains, with the road sloping to the bay and lights in the town below, is a pleasure. The coast road, Route 135, is busy at weekends but good for relaxed riding.

   Expect traffic, especially on summer Sundays, and note that speed limits in Japan are low and enforced. Weather on the coast is mild, but Hakone can be wet and foggy when Odawara is dry, so check conditions before you go up. Autumn offers crisp air and good views of Fuji on clear days. Park near the castle, walk up to the keep, then find something warm to eat.

2. Atami coast food

   Atami is a hot spring resort built on a steep hillside above Sagami Bay, with streets that tumble toward the sea and hotels stacked on the slopes like steps. Forty thousand people live here, and it has been a resort since the Edo period, when shoguns had hot spring water carried to Edo for bathing. In the twentieth century it became a honeymoon destination, and the town still has a faded, nostalgic charm, with old inns, souvenir shops and a long seafront promenade.

   The coastline here is pretty, with a curve of beach, a small harbour and the rocky shore of the Izu peninsula to the south. Atami Castle, a reconstruction built in the 1950s, sits on the hill above the town, and the views from the top are good, taking in the bay and, on clear days, Hatsushima island offshore. The MOA Museum of Art, up the slope, has a fine collection of Japanese art and gardens. Fireworks displays are held here on many evenings through the year, a tradition that is unusual elsewhere in Japan.

   Seafood is the star of the table. Fresh fish, caught in the bay, is served in countless small restaurants and at the morning market near the harbour, with horse mackerel, squid and shrimp on the menu. Atami is also known for dried fish, grilled and eaten with rice and miso soup. After a morning in the saddle, a plate of sashimi and a bowl of rice is exactly what is needed.

   For riders, Atami is the start of the Izu coast road, Route 135, which runs south along the shore with sea views the whole way. It is a pleasant, easygoing ride, with gentle curves and small fishing villages, though it can be busy on weekends. The Izu Skyline, a toll road along the ridge above, offers a very different experience, with high views and quiet air. Fuel is easy in Atami, which has plenty of stations, and the nearest bigger towns are Yugawara and Ito. Parking in the town centre is awkward because of the slopes, so look for the designated places.

3. Izu Skyline high section pass

   The Izu Skyline runs along the backbone of the Izu peninsula, a toll road that follows the high ridge from the Atami area south toward the Amagi mountains, and the section near Ito is among the highest and most open. Here the road runs through grass and low scrub, with views both ways: east to the Pacific and Sagami Bay, west to Suruga Bay, and, on clear days, north to Mount Fuji. The peninsula is narrow, so it is possible to see both seas from one place.

   Izu is volcanic in origin, a piece of the Philippine Sea plate that collided with Honshu and is still pushing into it. That collision is responsible for the hot springs, the earthquakes and the steep terrain of the whole peninsula. The ridge itself is made of old volcanic cones, now covered in pampas grass, which turns silver and gold in autumn and is wonderful in low sunlight. In spring, azaleas and wild flowers bloom along the roadside.

   The road is well maintained, and the bends are smooth and open, ideal for relaxed riding. Because it is a toll road, traffic is lighter than on the coastal route, and on a weekday morning you may have long stretches to yourself. Cyclists use the road too, so keep an eye out. Fog is common at this height, particularly in spring and early summer, and it can reduce visibility sharply. The road may also close in snow or ice in winter, so check conditions before you go.

   Atami lies in the other direction. Bring water and a snack, because the ridge is exposed and the only facilities may be vending machines at parking areas. Ito itself is an old hot spring town, linked to William Adams, the English sailor who became a samurai and built Japan's first Western-style ships here in the early seventeenth century, and a monument to him stands near the harbour.

4. Shuzenji forest town sight

   Shuzenji is the sort of place where a ride slows down on purpose. It sits in the middle of the Izu Peninsula, in a bowl of cedar-covered hills along the Katsura River, and has been a hot-spring town for well over a thousand years. The name comes from the temple of Shuzen-ji, said to be founded by the monk Kobo Daishi, who is credited with opening up many of Japan's springs. In the middle of the river a small open-air bath, the Tokko no Yu, is the oldest in town, and wooden bridges, ryokan and old shop fronts line the banks.

   The history here is darker than the postcard. In 1204, the young shogun Minamoto no Yoriie, who had been forced to resign by his mother's family, the Hojo, was killed in the baths at Shuzenji, and his grave is in the temple precinct. A bamboo grove path, Chikurin no Komichi, runs along the river and gives the whole place its soft, green light.

   For motorcyclists, Shuzenji is the crossroads of the peninsula. The Izu Skyline runs along the ridge to the east, the coast road at Itō is about twelve kilometres away, and the mountain roads to the south run through forest, tea fields and plots where wasabi is grown in cold spring water, a speciality of Izu. The roads are twisty, tree-shaded and frequently damp, so go carefully, especially on the shaded corners after rain. Traffic can be heavy on weekends, with tour buses and a long line of cars, so a weekday morning is a much better time to come.

   Fuel is available in the town and along the main roads, and Itō, a city of seventy-one thousand, has everything. Try a soba or a bowl of rice with fresh wasabi grated at the table, and, if the weather is cool, take half an hour in one of the public baths. Spring brings cherry blossom, autumn brings maples, and winter brings the best clarity for views of Fuji from the ridges.

5. Numazu bay photo photo

   Numazu looks out over Suruga Bay, the deepest bay in Japan, and the view from the shore here is one of the better arguments for riding on the Izu side of Fuji. The city has two hundred thousand people and a working port, so do not expect a quiet fishing village; expect fish markets, concrete breakwaters and the smell of the sea. Behind the harbour the land rises toward the Izu hills, and beyond the bay, on a clear morning, Mount Fuji stands over the water with almost nothing between you and its base.

   Suruga Bay drops quickly to great depths, which is why deep-sea fish such as shrimp, sakura ebi and various kinds of sea bream turn up on local menus. Numazu has long been known for its dried horse mackerel, split and sun-dried on racks along the shore, and the smell of grilling fish drifts from many a small restaurant. A bowl of rice with raw or lightly seared fish on top, eaten at a counter, is what many riders come here for. The fish market near the port has restaurants that open early, and the portions are generous.

   Along the coast to the west runs the Senbon Matsubara, a belt of several hundred thousand pine trees planted centuries ago to shelter the farmland from sea winds, and one of the traditional spots from which to view Fuji. Mishima, a little to the north-east, has a large suspension footbridge across a valley and clear streams running through the old town, fed by snowmelt that has travelled underground from Fuji for decades. Both are an easy hop from Numazu.

   For riding, this stop is more about the mood than the road. The streets around the port are flat and urban, with traffic lights and trucks, and a good deal of care is needed. Out along the coast, Route 414 and the smaller roads to the south wind through villages with views across the bay and up toward Fuji. Fuel and food are plentiful here, with stations all over the city. The best light is early in the morning, when the sea is calm and the mountain sharp, or at sunset, when it turns pink. In summer, haze often blurs the view, and typhoons in autumn can bring big waves.

6. Back to Odawara fuel finish

   The route ends here after 250 km.

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