Road spotlight ·
Road Spotlight: Irohazaka Before the Autumn Crowds
Nikkō's 48 hairpins are about to turn red and gold, and to fill with traffic. When to drive Irohazaka this month, and what is closed at the top.
For most of the year Irohazaka is a quiet mountain road two hours north of Tokyo. For about three weeks each autumn it is one of the busiest in Japan. The next few days are the gap between the two.
Two roads, 48 hairpins
Irohazaka is a pair of one-way roads on Route 120 between Nikkō and Lake Chūzenji. The second Irohazaka carries traffic up, with two lanes and 20 corners. The first Irohazaka brings it back down through 28 much tighter hairpins on a steep gradient. Each bend is signed with a character from the old Japanese “iroha” syllabary, which is where the name comes from.
Because neither road has oncoming traffic, they are unusually relaxing for roads this tight. In a light, short-wheelbase car such as an Elise the appeal is the rhythm of the corners, not the pace. The limits are low and the descent is hard on brakes, so use the gears.
How the colour arrives
Autumn colour around Nikkō moves down the mountain. The high ground of Oku-Nikkō, beyond the lake, turns first in early October. Lake Chūzenji and Kegon Falls usually follow in the middle and later part of the month. The slopes of Irohazaka sit between the lake and the town, some 500 m of climb, so the trees change at slightly different times from top to bottom. Local guides give mid-October to early November as the range for the road itself.
The dates shift a little every year with the weather, so check a current forecast before you commit to a day.
When to go
On peak weekends the queue up the hill can last for hours, and at that point 48 hairpins are no fun in anything. The advice from every local source is the same: go on a weekday, and go early. Soon after dawn the road is at its quietest.
This week and next are a reasonable compromise. The road is still fairly clear, and the upper lake and Oku-Nikkō are already in colour, which gives you a reason to carry on past the top.
Closed this year: the Akechidaira Ropeway
The uphill road passes Akechidaira, where a ropeway normally carries visitors to a viewpoint over Kegon Falls and the lake. It has been closed for a major renewal since 16 January 2026 and, according to the Nikkō tourism association, is not expected to reopen until about September 2027. Plan on the view from the lake shore instead.
Before you set off
Wild monkeys sit on the road and the walls, and have learned that cars carry food. Keep the windows up.
Our Irohazaka trail guide has the full route. If you are making a longer trip of it, the Hakone Turnpike is the natural second stop, and the road trip preparation guide covers what to check on the car first.