An awesome scenic ride with a 20 km downhill run at the end.
You have to earn it with a hell of a climb but once you get to the top and start down you'll suddenly forget all the
pain and suffering.
The ride starts at Okutama station, follows the Tamagawa river valley, goes around Okutama Lake, then climbs
up to a high ridge with views of Fuji. Finally, you head down the Kazan river valley to finish at Otsuki station.
Make sure your brakes are in good shape!
Avoid winter as the roads may be icy or even closed. It is much
colder in Okutama and in the mountains than in Tokyo. I would
also be careful on the weekends and especially during holidays
due to increased traffic. During the summer make sure you take
your time going up the hills and drink plenty of water!
This is an all-day ride so get an early start! It's only about 60 km
but there are some good hard climbs. I'd recommend bringing a
headlamp just in case.
Fall is great season to go with clear crisp weather and nice fall
colors.
Just take the train to Okutama station.
Once your at the station exit and check out the town.
Before you head off, stop at the information center across from the
parking lot to pick up an English map.
(Eigo chizu wa arimasu ka? Do you have an English map?)
If you need supplies, get them in Okutama. There are about 3
convenience stores in town but there are no stores along the rest of
the route. There is also a hospital in
Okutama.
Most trains will allow you to bring
your bike but you have to put in a
bike bag. Once on the platform,
head for the front or back car and
put your bike against the end of the
train to keep it out of the way.
Remember to be courteous and if
the train is crowded, wait for the next
one. We want to preserve the right
to bring our bikes on the trains.
Most of the road signs are bilingual so its not too tricky.
From the station parking lot head down to the main intersection in town. This will be route 411. There is a
convenience store on your right on the corner and a nature center on your left. Take a right and head up river.
You will cross a bridge over the Nippara river. If you turn right just after the bridge there are some great
mountain bike rides up in the top of the Nippara valley and it's tributaries that I will cover in a separate guide.
Just continue up the main road. You will cross the river multiple times on rather impressive bridges and finally
come to a series of tunnels. This is the scary part of the ride. If you have a rear flasher on your bike I would turn
it on. Be very careful riding through the tunnels. Thy are narrow and there are big trucks sometimes. Just get
through as fast as you can.
There is an old road that bypasses most of the tunnels and I would highly recommend it. After you go through
the first two tunnels take a left and then a right and continue up the main valley. You will be on a secondary road
that seems to be popular with hikers. There are small shrines and quaint little country houses with terraced
gardens clinging precariously to the hillside that give the road a unique character.
(There may actually be a way to avoid all the tunnels by exiting to the right before the third bridge but I have
never taken this way. From the map it looks like If you go right, you can follow the old road that basically follows
the valley whereas the new road bypasses each meander by cutting straight through the ridge. If you do try this
could you let me know?)
Once you get below dam there will be a switch back intersection. Take a right and climb back up to the main
road. Don't worry if you miss this turn. All the other roads dead end below the dam. Take a left on the main road
and head through one long tunnel to reach the lake.
You will see another tunnel and a left turn. Take the left and head up to check out the Okutama Lake visitor
center and take a rest.
Once your ready to continue, head past the parking lots and follow the road keeping the lake to your left. Don't
cross the lake here. After a short time you will intersect 411 again. Follow this road up the lake heading through
a few more tunnels.
The road crosses a bridge to a small peninsula. There is a long floating pedestrian bridge crossing the lake here
that seems to be a popular tourist destination.
About a mile past this, you well see a left hand turn that crosses a bridge over the lake. This is route 139. Take
this turn and get yourself psyked up for the climb! Just remember you have a 20 km downhill run to look forward
too! Just keep on climbing. Watch for a sharp turn after about 4-5 km. Just stay on route 139.
There are a lot of monkeys in this area so if you stop for a snack beware! I saw a troop of at least 100!
At the top of the ridge take some pictures and check your brakes! The road starts out steep with some good
hairpin turns and tunnels were the road will loop under itself.
Once you get down to the bottom you will be coming into a semi urban area that can be a bit confusing. Just
stay on 139. It will cross under the expressway and railroad tracks and intersect into route 20 at a T junction.
Here take a right and go about 800 feet and take another right. You should see Otsuki station straight ahead of
you. If you get lost, remember (Otsuki eki wa doko desu ka? Where is Otsuki station?)
Hop on the Chuo line for the trip back into Tokyo.
Explore the Nippara River Valley
If your looking for a shorter ride The trip to Nippara is epic! The road follows the gorgeous Nippara river into one
You can travel all the way up to the headwaters of the Nippara river or check out some of the side roads which
follow the major tributary valleys of the river. There are also some neat attractions such as museums, a ghost
town, and of course Nippara cave.
There is only one problem. There is a huge quarry way up on this narrow windy mountain road and there are
lots of big trucks. For this reason this is a ride you want to do on the weekend. Early winter right after the
foliage season is the best time to avoid traffic but I have done it during busier times as well and survived. I would
avoid early spring as there is a lot of rock fall and there will be icy spots on the road.
To get to Nippara, From Okutama station head down hill to the junction of 411. Take a right and cross the
bridge over the Nippara river then take an immediate right and you will be headed up the Nippara valley. There
are 3 major side trips along this route that I will describe later. For now lets head up the road about 5 km. Here
you will see a huge quarry operation on your left and before you is a tunnel. Take a deep breath and get you
wits about you. If you have flashers on your bike turn them on. This tunnel is over a kilometer long and there is
no way around it.
If you have a map, you may see an old road that skirts the tunnel but DON'T TAKE IT! It's closed. Don't even try.
This road has long been buried under huge rock slides and some section of the road that were carved out of
sheer cliffs have collapsed completely leaving gaps that look straight down over 200 meters to the river. The
landslides are extremely unstable and crossing them is likely to get you on a missing person poster at the police
station.
When you come out the other side you will be in the amazing mountain village of Nippara. Go through town and
at the t junction take a right and just keep following the main branch of the Nippara River. Very soon you will
pass a small shrine on your right and Nippara cave on your left. Soon after the cave the road turns to dirt but
keeps a good quality all the way to the end.
Back at the T junction before the cave if you go right you can ride up towards Kumotoriyama but the road ends
long before the summit so if you want to get to the top remember to bring your hikers.
Now back to the side routes I mentioned before. If you have a decent amount of energy you should have no
problem checking all of these roads out in a day. As you head up towards Nippara you will see 2 old roads on
your right leading into side valleys. Both of these roads are not well traveled and I would recommend a Mountain
bike or a hybrid to go up either one of them to the end. Hidden in these valleys are abandoned wasabi
farms,limestone slot canyons, caves, a ghost town and some ancient cypress trees.
Remember use caution, leave no trace and always tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
If your not sure how far you want to ride, you can always head down the valley from Okutama station. There is a
bit more traffic this way but it's mostly downhill. It's about 15 km until you start getting back into the city.
There are about a dozen ways to go south from the Okutama river valley, climb the ridge and head down into the
Akikawa river valley to Masashi Itsukaichi station which is the last stop on the Itsukaichi line. This line will take
you to Haijima where you can change to the Chuo line. If you head up some of the tributaries of the Akikawa river
you will find some interesting places such as Otake limestone cave.
Click on the map for an
overview of the route Check
back soon as I will be
adding more detail to the
map.
Travel JAPAN!
Okutama to Otsuki by Bicycle
|
When to go
How to get there
Nippara Shonyudo
