Irohazaka

Irohazaka is a pair of one-way roads linking Nikkō with Lake Chūzenji: one for climbing, one for descending. Between them they have 48 hairpins, each signed with a character from the old Japanese 'iroha' syllabary. The descending road is the famous one from manga and anime, a staircase of tight hairpins dropping through forest.

The drive

The uphill road (the second Irohazaka) has two lanes and 20 corners, so slower traffic can be passed. It ends at Akechidaira, where a ropeway gives a view of Kegon Falls. The downhill road (the first) has 28 much tighter hairpins on a steep gradient.

Because both are one-way, you never meet oncoming traffic, which makes them unusually relaxing to drive for roads this tight.

In your Lotus

Hairpins with no oncoming traffic are an ideal place to enjoy a light, short-wheelbase car. Avoid the autumn-leaf season in late October, when the queue up the hill can last hours. Monkeys sit on the road and have learned that cars carry food; keep the windows up.