RENT & RIDE JAPANAshio, South Nikko & Kasuo Pass
Kasuo Pass & Ashio: Nikko South Winding Loop
A pass-packed day trip from Hachioji into Tochigi, crossing the hairpin-laced Kasuo Pass into the old mining town of Ashio. Enjoy high-elevation mountain winding roads and the industrial heritage of the Ashio Copper Mine in a single day.
- DISTANCE
- 340 km
- DURATION
- 11 h
- LEVEL
- Advanced
Depart TASHILOG GARAGE early and link the Ken-O and Kita-Kanto Expressways to reach Kanuma City in Tochigi. After leaving the expressway, head for today's star attraction: the Kasuo Pass.
Pass-crossing highlights
The Kasuo Pass follows Tochigi Prefectural Route 15 (Kanuma-Ashio Line) and crests at around 1,100 m. The road from the Awano area of Kanuma over to the Ashio area of Nikko is a serious mountain route with steep grades, tight hairpins, and many narrow one-lane sections. In October and November the whole pass glows with autumn color, and because leaves turn at different rates by altitude, you can see everything from first color to falling leaves in a single climb.
- Continuous hairpins on the proper winding Route 15
- The Route 58 junction leading up to Maenikko Ranch and the Kobugahara Highlands
- The Ashio Copper Mine museum, a monument of Japan's industrial modernization
- Gorge scenery along the Watarase Keikoku Railway
Riding cautions
The pass is often wet from fallen leaves and spring water, with guardrail-free stretches and spots where passing oncoming cars is difficult. Ride at a relaxed, unhurried pace. The road closes in winter, so the best seasons are the fresh greenery of spring and the autumn foliage.
- 1START
Tashilog Garage
Start point. Depart Hachioji early and head onto the Ken-O and Kita-Kanto Expressways.
TIPSFill up before leaving. Gas stations are scarce in the pass section, so top up in Kanuma city.
- 2FOOD~45 min
Kyoka (Soba Restaurant)
A popular soba specialist known for Kanuma's famous nira (garlic chive) soba. A good fuel-up before the pass.
TIPSStone-milled soba from locally sourced buckwheat. Try the signature nira soba or a tempura set. It gets busy at lunch, so arrive early. Please confirm opening hours.
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Image - 3SPOT~40 min
Furumine Shrine
An ancient shrine linked to the monk Shodo Shonin who opened Nikko, set among deep forests and famed for its tengu (mountain goblin) worship.
HISTORYSaid to be a training ground of Shodo Shonin, founder of the Nikko mountain-ascetic tradition, it has long been revered as a deity warding off fire and misfortune. The precincts are filled with tengu masks and statues.
TIPSThe adjacent Japanese garden Kohoen is a famed autumn-foliage spot. At Hoshoan inside the garden you can enjoy matcha and sweets with a garden view.
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Photo: soichi kaneko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 - 4VIEW~25 min
Maenikko Ranch (along Route 58)
A highland pasture spread along Route 58, offering open views and a welcome rest stop mid-pass.
TIPSKnown for grazing cattle and mountain panoramas; on clear days you can see the surrounding peaks. This is bear country, so stay alert when off the bike.
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Image - 5VIEW~20 min
Kasuo Pass
The roughly 1,100 m summit of the Kasuo Pass on Route 15 (Kanuma-Ashio Line) — the hairpin-packed heart of this course.
HISTORYAt the summit stands a haiku monument to Zentaro Sakai, the Ashio town council chairman who championed making the pass drivable. It has long been a key mountain crossing linking Kanuma and Ashio.
TIPSThe summit area has good views and a small parking spot. The north (Ashio) side is a steep hairpin descent slick with leaves and spring water, so take it carefully. Note the winter closure.
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Photo: ほぶ / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain - 6SPOT~70 min
Ashio Copper Mine Museum
An industrial-heritage site where a trolley train takes you into the old mine tunnels, bringing to life the history of a mine that powered Japan's modernization.
HISTORYThe Ashio Copper Mine dates to the Edo period and was once called the largest in the Orient. You ride a trolley and walk a roughly 700 m tunnel, learning its 400-year history through wax-figure displays.
TIPSAbout a 5-minute walk from Tsudo Station on the Watarase Keikoku Railway. The tunnel is chilly even in summer, so bring a layer. Parking available. Admission around 820 yen for adults (please confirm).
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Photo: Nesnad / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 - 7VIEW~20 min
Watarase Gorge (along Route 122)
A gorge following Route 122 as it descends from Ashio toward Gunma, where river and railway weave a scene like a train-window view.
TIPSMuch of the route runs alongside the Watarase Keikoku Railway, and in autumn the whole gorge turns color. The return runs via Route 122 and the expressway back to Hachioji — plan to ride home before dark.
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Image - 8GOAL
Tashilog Garage
Return. Head back to Hachioji via Route 122, the Kita-Kanto and Ken-O Expressways.