Scenic drives in Japan

Winding mountain drive with panoramic Fuji and Ashi Lake views — a favorite scenic drive route.

A large mountain reservoir at Tokyo’s western edge, with dam viewpoints, floating pedestrian bridges and forested shore scenery.

Two one-way mountain roads with 48 hairpin curves connect central Nikko with Lake Chuzenji and Oku-Nikko. Akechidaira provides a high viewpoint toward Kegon Falls and the lake, while the road itself becomes one of Nikko’s best-known autumn drives.

Minowa Dam is known as Momiji Lake for roughly 10,000 maple trees planted around its blue reservoir. The remote mountain road, event areas and nearby Tarusawa campground require advance transport planning, especially during the crowded late-autumn colour period.

A 33-kilometre seasonal toll road linking Shirakawa-go with Hakusan through beech forest, mountain valleys, waterfalls and high viewpoints. It normally operates from early summer into November and closes through winter; stop only in designated parking areas.

A dramatic line of 123 red torii gates descends along cliffs above the Sea of Japan near Nagato. The remote coastal location combines shrine scenery with the Ryugu wave-spray formation, but access is strongly affected by current repairs and traffic controls.