Venus line

The Venus Line, located in Nagano Prefecture, is one of Japan's most famous mountain winding roads.The overwhelmingly beautiful scenery, a series of sinuous curves, and the most pleasant climate attract car lovers and driving enthusiasts.I have been there many times in the past and have driven there with various beloved cars.

This time, I wanted to visit the Venus Line in an air-cooled Porsche (Model 964 Porsche 911) and made a touring plan. Every time I go touring, I often straddle multiple prefectures and cover a considerable distance in a single day. HoweverThis time, we decided to focus on Nagano Prefecture and the surrounding area and take the time to savor it.

Day 1 

From Gifu Prefecture to Nagano

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the first day of touring was unfavorable. There was no rain in the Kansai region, but heavy rain was forecast for the Chubu region due to a linear precipitation zone. Looking at the rain cloud radar forecast, it looked like we would barely be able to avoid the rain clouds.

Simply going straight to Nagano was not interesting enough.This time, we decided to go to Nagano via Gifu.

We got on the highway and drove east on the Meishin Expressway. The air conditioner gas is injected.The 911, which had just changed its tires to Porsche-approved Michelin Pilot Exalt 2 (PE2) tires, was in great shape.

The ride was very comfortable and I was able to drive on the highway with ease.

However, we encounter tremendous rain on the way. By the time we reached the north on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, all the cars were driving at 50-60 km/h. Visibility was so poor that we turned on our rear fog lights to alert the cars following us.

With the rear spoiler automatically raised, the engine compartment would have been flooded with rain mercilessly. Originally, the engine compartment of an air-cooled Porsche is designed to allow water to enter directly from above, but with the rear spoiler up, the opening is even larger.

Is it safe for this much water to enter?However, Porsche must have done this kind of testing during the development of their cars. So we drove in the heavy rain without worrying.

We took shelter from the rain at a service area along the way. The soaking wet engine compartment was no problem at all.

Get off at the Gujo Hachiman IC.The "Seseragi Kaido" runs from K320 to K73.I have driven this Seseragi Kaido road many times, but actually I personally do not like it very much. This is because, although the road is great, there is a fair amount of traffic and almost no overtaking points. This time, however, there was no one else on the road.The Seseragi Kaido is completely chartered.

That's just as well, because no one would run in such heavy rain.

We take this opportunity to enjoy the Seseragi Highway. It is raining, so I drive the 911 carefully and safely. I turn carefully around each curve, being aware of the load on the car.

Lightly step on the brake to apply firm traction to the front and turn the car, being aware of the deflection of the front tires. Next, the driver presses the accelerator pedal to apply traction to the rear and drive away with a fully stabilized stance.

I've been working on a series of these.It is as fun as if you were driving a motorcycle. The 911 is not simply controlled by the steering wheel, but by accelerating and braking to make turns.

Beauty Road to Nagano

Descending slightly south from Takayama City, the road runs along the Bijo Kaido Road. This is another pleasant road, well maintained and beautiful. It is a road where high-powered vehicles are in demand. We took a break at the Bijo Kaido observatory on the way, but unfortunately the weather was so bad that we could not see any of the Alpine mountains.

Then take R361 toward Nagano. This one is calledHida-Buri RoadIt is a wide, two-lane, pleasant road, which is said to be called the "Road of the Year". This road also flows at a good pace and is one of the best roads for driving.

By the time we drove through to Ina City, it was already getting dark. Since it was getting a little late, we took the expressway from the Ina IC to the Suwa IC, aiming for the inn for the night near the Suwa IC.

Day 2

Venus Line from early morning

As the weather forecast confirmed the day before, the rain had stopped and it was a beautiful morning on the second day. Since we wanted to head for the Venus Line before the weather broke, we hurriedly packed up and checked out as quickly as possible.

After firing up the air-cooled engine and warming up the moving parts, we drive slowly through the city of Suwa. From the city, take K40 to Kirigamine. I have taken this road many times, and it is one of my favorite winding roads.

Fortunately, there are no cars in front of us.Air conditioning off, windows fully open, sunroof fully open.We run through the greenery, gaining elevation while being bathed in the raw air-cooled sound with all our bodies. I'm so happy I'm about to cry. The wonderfully clear air, the cool temperature, and the birdsong. It's the perfect driving situation.

When we arrived at Kirigamine, the temperature was 20 degrees Celsius. It was so cool that it was hard to believe that it was midsummer, and it was chilly in short sleeves. During the daytime on weekends, there are many sightseeing cars, so it is difficult to drive. I drove the 911 back and forth, enjoying the contrast between the grasslands, the mountains in the distance, and the sky.

Fortunately, Mt. Fuji. No matter how many times we come here, it is always a spectacular viewpoint. After taking pictures for a while, we headed for Utsukushigahara.

From Kirigamine, drive the 911 to the Venus Line, which leads further north.

The car was now in third gear, and the pace was quick as it cleared a series of curves. Leaving only the sound of air-cooled cars in the mountains, the 911 arrived at Utsukushi-ga-hara.

Utsukushigahara, which is over 2,000 meters above sea level, is even chilly. The clouds were a little heavy, and the view was not very good. We were hungry, so we took a short break to eat some oyaki, a specialty of Nagano.

To Tateshina Skyline

It would not be interesting to go back the way we came from here, so we headed east on K178 and R142. On the way, we came acrossTurn right on R152 and head south. Again, head in the direction of Shirakaba Lake.This R152 is also a very good road. It is one of the roads approaching the Venus Line from the north, and a straight and gentle winding road continues.

From Shirakaba Lake, head for the Tateshina Skyline. The first half of the route has rough pavement and many pebbles, and some sections are rather narrow, so care should be taken.The weather in the mountains changes rapidly, with dense fog obscuring visibility completely along the way.

Still, the road gradually improves as they carefully drive the 911 and pass over the Ogawara Pass.

As we approach Saku City, the Tateshina Skyline turns into a pleasant ride. The pace of the downhill is brisk, as if the 911 is happy to be going downhill.

From Saku City, we proceeded to Chikuma City via Ueda City on the Chikuma View Line. My lodging for the day was in Nagano City, but it was a little too early to go straight there, so I decided to take the Alps Distant View Road from Omimura (麻績村).

The Alps Distant View Road was expected to offer a view, but not so much. However, theStopping at the Ooka Alps Distant View Park on the way, the view from here was quite impressive.It would be even better if the mountains had a little more snow on them.

We left the park and headed for Nagano City. We parked the 911 at the far end of the hotel's expansive parking lot and checked into the hotel a little early for the day, taking all possible toner measures.