Why this ride
Out of Sano, one way: 325 km, roughly 5 h 20 in the saddle. The stops in between: near Nagatoro, near Hadano and Chōfu. The climb of the day is near Kimitsu.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 325 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 20
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Tokyo / Kanto rides
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 is where the day begins. Next is Food stop near Nagatoro.
2. 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
Food stop near Nagatoro is where this day stops to eat. Next is Photo stop near Hadano.
3. 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
about 199 km into the recorded legs you reach Photo stop near Hadano. Next is Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads checkpoint 8.
4. 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
Okutama and Chichibu Forest Roads checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is High point near Kimitsu.
5. 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 tops the climb. Next is Scenic stretch near Kisarazu.
6. 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
The route ends here after 325 km.
Leg by leg
Food stop near Nagatoro to Photo stop near Hadano
Food stop near Nagatoro → Photo stop near Hadano is 132 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 48 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.