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Boso Peninsula Autumn Ride
Autumn is my favorite time to ride. The air is clear and invigorating and the trees are ablaze with color. One of the places to see autumn foliage late in the year is on the Boso Peninsula. I was searching on Google Maps and came upon a place called the Maple Road not far from the ferry terminal in Hamakanaya.
Heading south on Hwy 127 you come to a little town called Hota where you turn onto Hwy 34 going east. It’s easy to miss the turn off so keep your eyes peeled (4 ½ km from ferry terminal). You ride east climbing up the Nagasa Kaido (Hwy 34) for about 8 km until you come to Hwy 182, also called Maple Road. It is a pleasant, curvy road lined with red maples and other colorful foliage that runs along the Shikoma River. There are several places to stop and enjoy the beauty. I feel as if I stumbled upon a real gem when I discovered this route.
The road is slightly hilly with a couple bigger rises as you gradually descend out of the mountains and come up to Hwy 465. In Chiba the mountains are small. If you are used to riding the larger mountains in Japan you will feel like a strongman riding in Chiba.
I followed 465 up past the Japan PGA Golf Course and turned left on Hwy 92, also called the Boso Skyline Road. Rising to about 200 meters these are the most strenuous climbs I encountered. As its name implies, the Skyline Road provides a nice view of the area. After about 12 km from where I turned on to the Skyline Road I came to a T at Hwy 24. There I turned south to head down to one of my main goals of the day, Nomizo Falls.
I had found several pictures of these falls online and had always wanted to see them. Nomizo Falls are inside of Kameiwa Cave. It became well known when people began posting photos of it on Instagram. The light shines through from behind making what appears to be a heart shape during certain times of the day. There is a large parking area above the falls from which you take a short hike down into the ravine. On the return trip I walked along a raised boardwalk weaving between beautiful red maples. It is well worth the effort to go down and see it.
Back on the road I headed back up Hwy 24 back to the T and then north following the river up to Kameyama Lake. The foliage along the sides of the still waters of the lake is quite pretty. I turned in to take a small road up to the dam which forms the lake. On the other side of the dam I intersected 465 again. Turning right on it I rode for 10 km through some nice mountains to the turnoff to Hwy 178 which goes up into the famous Yoro Keikoku (Ravine), another place that I had wanted to see.
After spending the day in such a quiet natural environment Yoro seemed very busy. Lots of tour buses and people along the road. Though it is a beautiful area and worthy of its reputation. From there I rode the train back to Chiba along the iconic Kominato Railway. It is a very old train with a warm nostalgic feel. It is often photographed riding through fields of yellow canola flowers in the spring.
If you are looking for a nice autumn ride I encourage you to check this one out.
Boso Peninsula Autumn Ride Gallery
(Click to see video)