Hello, this is _hiroyuki.ta. This time, I toured the Amagi Highway in Shizuoka Prefecture on a Harley. Amagi Highway is a journey that crosses the Amagi Pass that crosses the Izu Peninsula from north to south, and is also called Amagi Road or Amagi Kaido. This road is also the setting for literary works such as Yasunari Kawabata’s The Dancing Girl of Izu'' and Seicho Matsumoto'sAmagi Goe”, making it an attractive route full of history and nature. This time, we will start from central Tokyo and introduce the route to Amagi Pass, highlights, motorcycle parking, etc.
Amagi Highway is a journey that crosses Amagi Pass on the border between Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture and Kawazu Town, Kamo District. The road that connects Shimoda, located in the south of the Izu Peninsula, and Mishima, located in the north, is called the Shimoda Highway, and Amagi Road, which crosses Amagi, is part of this highway. The peaks of Mt. Amagi lie between the inland of the Izu Peninsula and the southern part of the peninsula, and crossing these was the most difficult part of the Shimoda Highway. In 1905, the Amagi Mountain Tunnel (formerly Amagi Tunnel) was opened, and many people and goods began to cross the Amagi Pass. Currently, it has been maintained as a promenade with a total length of approximately 16 kilometers called the Odoriko Walk'', where you can enjoy walking while enjoying nature such as Joren Falls and the natural recreational forestShowa Forest”.
This time, we will start from central Tokyo, taking the Shuto Expressway Inner Loop Line, Shuto Expressway No. 2 Meguro Line, Shuto Expressway Kanagawa No. 7 Yokohama Kita Line, Tomei Expressway, Shin-Tomei Expressway, Izu Jukan Expressway, and National Route 136. , I ran to Amagi Kaido along the route called National Route 414. We covered about 160 kilometers in about two and a half hours. I was able to run comfortably while taking breaks and refueling along the way. It was relatively crowded from the Shuto Expressway to the Tomei Expressway, but once I entered the Shin-Tomei Expressway, it was empty and I was able to drive smoothly. As I entered National Route 136 from the Izu Jukan Expressway, I was able to see the scenery of the Izu Peninsula and feel refreshed. After entering National Route 414 from National Route 136, I entered the old road from Tsukigase IC and went to Amagiyama Tunnel. The old road had many curves and was fun.
Highlights of Amagi Kaido
There are many highlights of Amagi Kaido, but this time I will particularly introduce the following three.
The Amagi Tunnel was Japan’s first road tunnel made entirely of stone, and opened in 1905. The total length is 445.5 meters, the road width is 4.1 meters, and the height is 4.2 meters. It is made using an elaborate method of stacking stones one by one, and there are over 35,000 stones. Inside the tunnel, it’s cool and humid, and moss grows on the walls. At both ends of the tunnel, there are stone monuments with the Amagi Pass sign and altitude written on it. On the south side of the tunnel, there is a facility called “Amagi Wasabi no Sato,” which is a reproduction of a teahouse on the mountain pass. Here you can sell and try Amagi’s specialty fresh wasabi and processed products.
Joren Falls is a waterfall located approximately 3 kilometers south of the Amagi Tunnel. The drop is 25 meters and there is plenty of water. There are many rocks around the basin of the waterfall, and water sprays around. There are parking lots and restrooms near the waterfall. If you walk a short distance from the waterfall, you can enter the “Odoriko Walk”. “Odoriko Walkway” is a promenade along the old road from Amagiyama Tunnel to Kawazu, where you can enjoy walking while enjoying nature and literary monuments.
Amagi Yugashima is a hot spring resort located approximately 10 kilometers north of the Amagi Tunnel. Here you can enjoy hot springs fed directly from the source and dishes made with local ingredients. Particularly famous is the public bath called Yugashima Onsen Yukemurikan. Here, you can use the indoor baths for men and women as well as the mixed open-air baths. The open-air bath offers views of the river and mountains.
Amagi Highway motorcycle parking lot
There are several motorcycle parking lots on Amagi Kaido. This time I used the following two.
Roadside Station Amagi-goe is a facility located on the north side of Amagi Pass. In addition to basic facilities such as a motorcycle parking lot and toilets, there is also an exhibition facility called “Showa no Mori Kaikan” and a restaurant. “Showa no Mori Hall” introduces the surrounding natural environment and literary works related to Amagi Crossing. At the restaurant, you can enjoy local cuisine made with wild boar and venison, as well as the famous wasabi soft serve ice cream.
Isoniwa Wasabi Garden is a facility located approximately 1 km south of Amagiyama Tunnel. Here, in addition to the motorcycle parking lot and restrooms, you can also tour the wasabi fields and water mill. At the wasabi field, you can harvest fresh wasabi grown in the clear streams of Amagi. At the watermill, you can purchase processed products such as wasabi pickles and wasabi soy sauce made using traditional methods.
This time, I toured the Amagi Highway in Shizuoka Prefecture on a Harley. Amagi Kaido was a fascinating route full of history and nature. We introduced highlights such as Amagi Tunnel, Joren Falls, and Amagi Yugashima. We also used motorcycle parking lots such as Roadside Station Amagi Goe and Ishiniwa Wasabien. Riding a bike on Amagi Kaido feels great, and the local products are delicious. There are many tourist spots in the southern part of the Izu Peninsula, so I would like to visit them next time. If you want to ride a Harley on Amagi Kaido, please use this as a reference.
The above was sent to you by _hiroyuki.ta. Finally, add the word Amagi Kaido translated into English.
