Japan is an extremely mountainous country so it's no surprise that they would put a highway on top of a mountainous ridge, enter the Izu Skyline highway. This is no normal highway though, riding high atop a mountain ridge you have amazing views of Mt. Fuji, Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay. It winds, dips and climbs for 40 kilometers among beautiful, sparsely populated landscapes and I took my family on it back in January.
The Izu Skyline begins several kilometers after the turn off on RT. 20 at Hakkone, the famous hot springs resort town. Despite it being a longer route and high up on a mountain it is faster than taking the costal road due to lack of traffic signals and congestion.
The road offers almost nonstop views of Mt. Fuji so be prepared to use the turnouts to stop and take pictures.
Shortly after the turn from Hakkone onto Rt. 20 you will reach Jukkoku Pass.
This is a tourist stop with restaurants, gifts and a cable car that takes you on a short ride to the top of the mountain for the views of Suruga Bay, Mt. Fuji and Sagami Bay in one spot. This is a must visit if you drive this route because the views are so magnificent. The cable car costs $6 and is worth the memories.
On the top of the mountain is the observatory building that offers shelter from the cold winds or summer heat depending on the season.
The views however make the weather bearable. Looking North West towards Mt. Fuji.
Looking North East over the Sagami Bay.
Looking South towards our destination, Izu Kogen.
You will notice the structures in the picture above. Those are for "Glamping". They are small cabin like structures you can rent and "Glamp" instead of camp.
A few more shots of Mt. Fuji before we leave.
A quick stop in the observation building while we wait for the cable car. There is a small cafe here so you can enjoy some refreshments before you leave.
The second floor offers a 360 degree view of the Izu peninsula.
Heading back down the hill, the cable cars run about every 15 minutes so you won't have to wait long if you miss your's.
At the bottome be sure to stop by the visitor's shop.
There you will find a plethora of local gifts to take back to friends and family. My son and I were looking for our own gifts like a Playstation or a tank so I tried the $10 gatcha machine.
Now my wife has another clear pouch.....
If you strike out at the gatcha machine you can always try the katsu curry or ramen at the restaurant. Both dishes were surprisingly good.
Back on the road, just past Jukkoku you reach the Izu Skyline toll gate. There are several exits along the route, but if you want to take the road all the way to Izu Kogen, like we did, it will cost $10.
It's a nice drive, but there are some tight turns here and there. We didn't encounter much traffic other than a few cars heading in the opposite direction so it was a pleasant drive and one we will happily do again in the future. Unfortunately the few pictures I took on the highway disappeared.
For more information on Izu Skyline here are some useful links.
Here is Jukkoku Pass website https://www.jukkoku-cable.jp/
Izu Skyline toll road website https://siz-road.or.jp/price/
In the next Tokyo Travel I'll take you to our destination, Izu Kogen where we stayed in a very unique hotel, sat in and drove battle robots and visited an insane illumination theme park! Here are a few shots from that post.
Until then, Thanks for reading!
