Zao to Tokyo
Weather: rain and heavy clouds with intermittent sun. 15C in the morning, with a high of 24C in Tokyo.
Distance: ~490km
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Today was a day of epic roads, mostly spoiled by rain and/or slow cars and some unexpected highlights.
Woke up early to rainy weather. As it was still some time to breakfast, I uploaded some photos to my albums. I asked for a smaller breakfast, but it was still more than enough food, and very delicious. As the rain didn’t let up as predicted I finally left around 8:30 and decided that I was going to do my planned roads after all despite the miserable weather.
First up was the Zao Echo Line, a fantastic and very scenic road curving up and over the Zao mountains. I’d ridden it before in the other direction, and I was hoping to take a bit more time this time around and stop at some waterfalls and views. But there was nothing to see due to rain and fog – at least, not until I got over the other side when the clouds lifted, the rain stopped, and there was a bit of a view.
I had originally planned to do the 399 heading south, but at the last minute switched it to the 13/133 instead which, as it turned out, I had ridden before. I didn’t realise until I got to the Shichikashuku Dam which looked strangely familiar.. I guess there was a reason I had planned to do the 399 instead lol. On the way I also stopped for a quick break for an ice-cream, and a nice surprise was that the place I had stopped at was also the location of the … waterfall! If From there I went and rode the Bandai Azuma Skyline which, like the Zao Echo Line, was mostly wrapped in thick fog and some rain which is a shame, as this road leads through some amazing volcanic terrain and I was hoping to get a different view of it going the other way. I guess I’ll have to come back someday.
From here my plan was to head back to Tokyo on the highways, but the weather was finally clearing a bit and, due to not really stopping anywhere, I was still pretty early in the day. So a brief cafe-break at a 7-11 had me decide to go to a waterfall, which was also marked as a BMW Mileage Rally waypoint. Turning out of the parking lot I was stuck behind a huge queue of cars, trucks, and other bikes, so a brief check of the GPS showed a couple of regional roads leading roughly in the right direction, so I peeled off the main road (much to the dismay of my GPS) and ended up having the best part of the day, leading through some really nice rural areas and great little roads with little to no traffic, especially as the sun was making a bit of a break through the clouds as well.
The waterfall stop turned out to be an overlook quite far away from the waterfall, which still looked impressive even from this distance. I have no idea whether it’s possible to reach the base of the waterfall, but it would be a pretty lengthy hike. As a hidden bonus I saw a sign for an onsen, and, grabbing a towel, I walked the 400m or so to get to it (no vehicle access). This turned out to be a real hidden gem, a very traditional rambling place, half museum, half onsen, set deep in the forest next to a river. I enjoyed a good hot soak and a bit of a chat with another visitor, Tatsua-san, from Utsunomiya.
In the gathering dark I jumped back on the bike, headed out of the forest, and did the last 200km or so back home on the highway. Apart from one slowdown due to an accident, traffic flowed very well and I mostly cruised between 100-120kmh, so ended up home just after 20:00. A bit of a mixed-bag of a day, some early disappointments, but also some nice roads and a fantastic end to the trip!
