Why this ride
886 km from Honchō to Yashio, about 15 h 51 of riding. It goes by way of Sano, near Nagatoro, near Hadano and Chōfu. The climbs: near Kimitsu, near Fujisawa, near Kisarazu and Scenic stretch near Honchō.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads + Izu Skyline and Jogasaki Coast
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 886 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 15 h 51
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Back to Okutama and → Izu Skyline and Jogasaki Coast fuel gate
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 21 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 21 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Honchō
Honchō is the central district of Funabashi, a big commuter city on the northern shore of Tokyo Bay in Chiba Prefecture. This is not riding country in itself; it is the urban sprawl you have to pass through to get from Tokyo towards the mountains and coasts beyond, and the best attitude is patience and a full tank.
Read the complete Fuel stop near Honchō write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads is where the day begins. Next is Tokyo / Kanto rides return.
2. Near Sano, on the way back
Sano ramen is the first thing to say about this corner of Tochigi. The town is known across Japan for noodles that are flat, springy and kneaded by bamboo poles, served in a clear soy broth that tastes clean and slightly sweet. It also has a famous outlet mall and a temple devoted to warding off bad luck, so the town has a steady flow of visitors.
Read the complete Near Sano, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tokyo / Kanto rides return comes up 53 km in. Next is Food stop near Nagatoro.
3. Food stop near Nagatoro
Nagatoro is a small town in the hills of western Saitama where the Arakawa river squeezes through a gorge of layered grey-green rock, and that rock is the reason the place is famous. Along the riverbank lies the Iwadatami, a broad flat terrace of crystalline schist, worn smooth by the water and split into slabs like stepping stones, and it is a national natural monument. Japanese geologists have studied it since the late nineteenth century, and Nagatoro calls itself the birthplace of Japanese geology, with the Saitama Museum of Natural History right in town.
Read the complete Nagatoro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Photo stop near Hadano.
4. Photo stop near Hadano
Hadano lies in a basin at the southern foot of the Tanzawa mountains, west of Tokyo, and for Kanto riders it means one thing: the Yabitsu Pass. Prefectural Route 70 climbs north from Hadano over the Yabitsu Pass into the Tanzawa and down to Lake Miyagase, a narrow, twisting road through dense forest, with countless tight bends and steep gradients. It is a legendary road among motorcyclists and cyclists, and on weekends it is busy with both.
Read the complete Photo stop near Hadano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop near Hadano, early in the day. Next is Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads checkpoint 8.
5. Near Chōfu
Doraemon lives here, in a manner of speaking. The museum of Fujiko F. Fujio, the manga artist who created the robot cat, stands in the green hills of Kawasaki's Tama ward, a short ride south of the Tama River, and it is a pilgrimage site for anyone who grew up with the character. Next to it, the Ikuta Ryokuchi park preserves a collection of old farmhouses brought from all over Japan, with thatched roofs, earthen floors and open hearths, a world away from the city.
Read the complete Near Chōfu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is High point near Kimitsu.
6. High point near Kimitsu
Kimitsu runs from the industrial shore of Tokyo Bay deep into the forested hills of the inner Boso peninsula, and the contrast is striking. On the coast, the Nippon Steel works stretches for kilometres, a tangle of furnaces, chimneys and cranes. Inland, within half an hour, you are among steep green hills, narrow valleys and reservoirs, with hardly a building in sight.
Read the complete Kimitsu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
High point near Kimitsu is the summit of this stretch. Next is Scenic stretch near Kisarazu.
7. Scenic stretch near Kisarazu
Kisarazu is the Chiba end of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, and for riders that alone makes it special. The Aqua-Line crosses the bay from Kawasaki in two halves: a long tunnel under the water, then a low bridge that skims across the surface for several kilometres into Kisarazu. In the middle sits Umihotaru, an artificial island with a parking area, restaurants and a deck with views over the bay, where on a clear day you can see Mount Fuji to the west and the towers of Tokyo and Yokohama to the north. It is tolled, and crosswinds on the bridge section can be fierce.
Read the complete Food stop near Kisarazu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
317 km in you reach Scenic stretch near Kisarazu. Next is Back to Okutama and.
8. Back to Okutama and
Pears are the local pride. This part of Chiba, east of Tokyo, has been growing Japanese pears since the Edo period, and the orchards of Ichikawa, Matsudo and Funabashi are among the oldest in the country, with roadside stalls selling fruit in late summer.
Read the complete Okutama and write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Back to Okutama and. That is the ride. Next is Izu Skyline and Jogasaki Coast.
9. Fuel stop near Yashio
Yashio is a flat, workaday city in south-eastern Saitama, just north of Tokyo's Adachi ward, sandwiched between the Nakagawa and Ayase rivers. It is a landscape of small factories, warehouses, apartment blocks and the occasional field of vegetables, crossed by expressways and railway lines. It will not feature in any guidebook, and it does not pretend otherwise.
10. Near Kumagaya, on the way back
In July 2018 Kumagaya recorded 41.1 degrees Celsius, then the highest temperature ever measured in Japan, and the city wears the title of hottest town with something like pride. Banners proclaim it, shops sell heat-themed souvenirs, and in summer the town fills with misting stations. If you are riding through in July or August, take the heat seriously: drink constantly and avoid the middle of the day.
Read the complete Near Kumagaya, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tokyo / Kanto rides return comes up 476 km in. Next is Food stop near Itsukaichi.
11. Food stop near Itsukaichi
Itsukaichi takes its name from the market that was once held here on days ending in five, a trading point where charcoal, timber and silk from the mountains of western Tokyo met merchants from the plains. It is now part of the city of Akiruno, a quiet town at the mouth of the Akigawa valley, where the suburbs of Tokyo finally give way to forested hills.
Read the complete Food stop near Itsukaichi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Photo stop near Fujisawa.
12. Photo stop near Fujisawa
Fujisawa sits on Sagami Bay, south-west of Yokohama, at the heart of the Shonan coast, the stretch of beaches, surf shops and seaside towns that Tokyoites escape to on summer weekends. The town's most famous landmark is Enoshima, a small, steep island linked to the mainland by a bridge, covered with shrines, caves, gardens and seafood restaurants, with a lighthouse observation tower on top.
Read the complete Photo stop near Fujisawa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Izu Skyline and Jogasaki Coast checkpoint 8.
13. Near Kawasaki
It is not a famous place, but it is a sensible base for rides south-west to the Izu Peninsula, because it lies on the right side of the metropolis.
Read the complete Near Kawasaki write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Izu Skyline and Jogasaki Coast checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is High point near Kisarazu.
14. High point near Kisarazu
North of Kisarazu, the flat industrial shore of Tokyo Bay gives way inland to the Boso hills, a rumpled landscape of low, steep ridges and narrow valleys covered in forest. The hills are not high, but they are surprisingly wild, cut by deep ravines and rivers that wind through them in tight loops, and they offer some of the best riding close to Tokyo.
Read the complete High point near Kisarazu write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The high point of this section. Next is Scenic stretch near Honchō.
15. Scenic stretch near Honchō
Along the north-eastern shore of Tokyo Bay, between Funabashi and Chiba, almost everything you see stands on land that did not exist a century ago. Reclamation turned tidal flats and shallow water into ports, factories, housing and the business district of Makuhari, with its convention centre, Makuhari Messe, and the stadium of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team. Inage, a little further south, has an artificial beach with a promenade and views across the bay.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Honchō write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Honchō tops the climb. Next is Back to Izu Skyline.
16. Back to Izu Skyline
Sōka is famous for its rice crackers. The senbei makers of the city, just north of Tokyo, have produced the crisp, soy-flavoured snacks for generations, and the shops by the station sell them fresh, grilled over charcoal.
Read the complete Izu Skyline write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back to Izu Skyline closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Honchō to Near Sano, on the way back
Fuel stop near Honchō → Near Sano, on the way back is 89 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Nagatoro to Photo stop near Hadano
Food stop near Nagatoro → Photo stop near Hadano is 99 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Hadano to Near Chōfu
Photo stop near Hadano → Near Chōfu is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Kimitsu to Scenic stretch near Kisarazu
High point near Kimitsu → Scenic stretch near Kisarazu is 11 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Kisarazu to Back to Okutama and
Scenic stretch near Kisarazu → Back to Okutama and is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Back to Okutama and to Fuel stop near Yashio
Back to Okutama and → Fuel stop near Yashio is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fuel stop near Yashio to Near Kumagaya, on the way back
Fuel stop near Yashio → Near Kumagaya, on the way back is 67 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Itsukaichi to Photo stop near Fujisawa
Food stop near Itsukaichi → Photo stop near Fujisawa is 73 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Fujisawa to Near Kawasaki
Photo stop near Fujisawa → Near Kawasaki is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Kisarazu to Scenic stretch near Honchō
High point near Kisarazu → Scenic stretch near Honchō is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Honchō to Back to Izu Skyline
Scenic stretch near Honchō → Back to Izu Skyline is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.