Shikoku Karst — Tengu Kogen Skyline (Route383).
Distance
92 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,400 m
Shikoku Karst — Tengu Kogen Skyline (Route 383).
Prefectural Route 383 runs the spine of the Shikoku Karst, a 25km limestone plateau at 1,400m straddling the Ehime–Kochi border — one of Japan's three great karsts and one of its 100 best roads. Nicknamed the road in the sky, it rides a grassland ridge studded with white limestone outcrops and grazing cattle, with the Seto Inland Sea to the north and the Pacific to the south on clear days. Tengu Kogen at the eastern end is a Dark-Sky stargazing haven. Best April to November; watch for cattle and fog.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance92 km
Days1
Total climb1,400 m
DifficultyModerate
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The route.
KumakogenStart · Start at Kumakogen in Ehime. Fuel up before the climb; the Omogokei Gorge on the Ishizuchi road lies just to the north. Head up Prefectural Route 383 toward the plateau.
Shikoku Karst — Himezuru-dairaMountain Pass · The heart of the karst at about 1,400m — Himezuru-daira, a grassland ridge studded with white limestone pinnacles and roamed by grazing cattle. The road in the sky runs the spine; ride slowly and watch for cows on the tarmac.
Tengu KogenScenic Point · The plateau's eastern, highest end at 1,485m, with 360-degree views from the Ishizuchi range to the Pacific. An International Dark-Sky area — the Milky Way is stunning here on summer nights.
YusuharaRestaurant · Descend to Yusuhara, the town above the clouds, famous for its cloud-wreathed valleys and Kengo Kuma's timber architecture. Lunch here.
TsunoEnd · End in Tsuno, down on the Shimanto tributaries — Route 197 carries on to the Pacific coast from here.
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