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Yamabushi Pass to Nagatoro
This ride from Ome is delightful. Hwy 53 is a nice smooth asphalt ribbon winding through the mountains. You head north out of Ome climbing up through Omezaka Tunnel and coast down to the intersection of Hwy 194 (still called Hwy 53). You climb up slightly through another tunnel called Fukiage Pass and immediately, after coming out of the tunnel, l turn right. In less than a kilometer you come to a T and turn left. This will still be Hwy 53, which you can follow along the upper Iruma River all the way up past Lake Naguri. If you were to turn left at the lake you would go up and over Arima Pass featured on the Arima Pass entry. It's very quiet and peaceful back in this area. Not too many cars and an occasional cyclist. Most of the car traffic going in and out of Chichibu takes Hwy 299 from Hanno.
I kept on Hwy 53 past the intersection of 395. About 3 km past this the road forks and you stay to the right still on Hwy 53 as it starts to get steeper as it heads up to Yamabushi Pass. The grade is a little steep, but it doesn’t take long before you rise to the 634 meters that Yamabushi Pass sits at. The pass is actually in a tree covered trough so you are not rewarded with any sort of a view. However there is a lot of beauty in the forest along the road. There are a few campgrounds and even a café there servicing campers and cyclists.
It's a swift 5 km descent down to the intersection of Hwy 299 which you take down into Chichibu. After enjoying the solitude of Hwy 53 Hwy 299 seems quite busy with cars and trucks whizzing by. Another 10 km of descending brings you down into the city of Chichibu.
My next stop was Nagatoro, a famous gorge on the Arakawa often featured on posters at the JR stations; usually with a traditional long boat being guided through the gorge. There are many beautiful viewpoints overlooking the Arakawa as you ride along it from Chichibu. You can ride on either side of the river. I prefer to ride on the west/north side as the road is a little quieter.
It’s about 13 km from Chichibu to Nagatoro, a 6 km long gorge that the Arakawa runs through. The central point of interest is a big rock called Iwadatami, on the side of the river overlooking the gorge near Nagatoro Station. It’s a small station on the Chichibu line. The area around the station is full of restaurants and souvenir shops. There is a narrow alley going down through them to the river bank. The place is usually crawling with tourists but it is spacious allowing you to go out on the rocks and get some good photos. Boats pass by below fairly often as well as rubber rafts. The wooden boats are particularly interesting piloted by guys wearing the traditional pointed bamboo hats.
It’s about 35 km from Nagatoro to Kumagaya. The road gets busier the closer you get to Kumagaya. I was a bit disappointed in that I was counting on a riding path along the river which I never discovered. There are some nice wide ones downstream, as you get closer to the metropolis. i ended my ride at Kumagaya and hopped the train back. Chichibu is a nice place to ride and I find myself returning there often.
Yamabushi Pass to Nagatoro Gallery
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. (Psalm 18:2)
主はわが巌わが砦わが救い主身を避けるわが岩わが神。わが盾わが救いの角わがやぐら。(詩篇 18:2)