Nishi-Azuma Sky Valley — Yonezawa to Kitakata over ShirabuPass.
Distance
70 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,400 m
Nishi-Azuma Sky Valley — Yonezawa to Kitakata over Shirabu Pass.
The Nishi-Azuma Sky Valley is one of Tohoku's great driving roads — a 17.8km toll-free mountain crossing that climbs past 1,400m over Shirabu Pass on a ladder of hairpins known as the Higashi-Hachiyama Seven Curves. This ride links the samurai city of Yonezawa with the volcanic lakes of Urabandai and the ramen town of Kitakata.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance70 km
Days1
Total climb1,400 m
DifficultyChallenging
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The route.
YonezawaStart · Start in Yonezawa, castle town of the Uesugi clan and home of premium Yonezawa beef. Head south into the Azuma mountains.
Shirabu OnsenScenic Point · A centuries-old thatched-roof hot spring hamlet where the Sky Valley climb begins. Above here the road stacks into the Higashi-Hachiyama Seven Curves toward 1,404m Shirabu Pass.
Lake HibaraScenic Point · The Sky Valley descends to Urabandai's largest lake, formed when Mt Bandai's 1888 eruption dammed the valleys. Mirror-flat water ringed by forest.
Goshiki-numaPhoto Spot · The Five Colored Ponds — volcanic minerals tint each pond a different shade of cobalt, jade and turquoise. A short walk links the best viewpoints.
KitakataEnd · End in Kitakata, famed for its soy-based ramen served from over 100 shops and its old sake and storehouse (kura) streets.
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