One of the first things that I had planned for my trip to Japan- before even buying a plane ticket- was a trip to Irohazaka in Tochigi prefecture. It was pretty much right up there with the Mount Fuji summit climb.
If you love windy roads as much as I do, Irohazaka is basically paradise. The route is split into a north slope (downhill) and a south slope (uphill). Together, there are 48 hairpins on both parts of the route- 1 for each letter of the Japanese Hiragana alphabet.
On the weekend, my cousin Hideki and I set out to explore this nearly 16 kilometers of hairpin madness. I will admit that the distance rides on the NSR have been tough. It is not supposed to be a touring bike by any stretch of the imagination. I think I will need to frequent the massage clinics underneath my work for at least a month after returning from Japan. However, I am not the trooper here. The real trooper is my cousin who set off on this trip on his 1000 cc race bike- complete with a seat that felt like a piece of wood! The journey there was around 179 kilometers from our starting point in Tokyo.
The road was pretty busy due to the fact that it was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. However, it did not prevent me from enjoying the experience!
Irohazka is basically a motorcyclist’s dream because it only has traffic flowing in one direction. Which means, if you accidentally take a turn wide, you will not end up on the hood of a car. However, the lanes are also wide enough that you are afforded the opportunity to pass slower moving vehicles. This all depends on your comfort level and how tight you are able to take your turn.
In my opinion, the downhill slope was much more challenging and intimidating. You can literally see the road under you before you even enter the turn due to the sharpness of the turn and the steep change in elevation. Even when fully geared down, I am still flying into the corners, what feels like, head first!
Splitting up the slopes is the Kegon Valley and Kegon Waterfall. There are also a bunch of shops and restaurants located here, allowing you to dismount and listen to the soothing sounds of the nearby waterfall.
After enjoying a delicious bowl of ramen, we embarked to complete the route! On the way out of Nikko, Hideki also finds a beautiful outdoor Onsen. We agree to meet back in the lobby, and spend about 45 minutes at the Onsen attempting to relieve the inevitable pains caused by a long tour on a sport bike!
It was a wonderful day of riding and family time. I was nervous that since Hideki was a seasoned rider and racer, I would not be able to keep up to his 1000 cc CBR on the NSR- thankfully, this was not a concern and we did not get left in the dust that day! The NSR packs a lot of power into a small package. The sharp turns at Irohazaka also let me test out the nimbleness of this bike. Because of its power to weight ratio, it moved in a very fluid motion, making it the best bike I could think of to take on this ride!