Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture

Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline An autumn climb through the foliage, then Mount Iwaki up close

When autumn leaves line both sides of the road, I feel a thrill even with my eyes fixed ahead. Once I switch off the engine at the end, I can take my time looking up at Mount Iwaki. It’s an autumn detour that gives me both the pleasure of the drive and a sense of the mountain’s immense scale.

This is the story of a day spent driving through autumn leaves and taking in Mount Iwaki at the end of the Skyline. I’ll also share the sweet treat I want to try at the foot of the mountain.

Inside a red convertible on the Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline in autumn, a woman in a cream-coloured cardigan and checked scarf holds the steering wheel with both hands and looks ahead. Autumn-coloured trees line both sides of the road.

AutumnAutumn foliage in October

Once you’re past the autumn bends, look up at Mount Iwaki

Autumn foliage stretches around bend after bend. As I started climbing the Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline, I felt like I could drive straight into the trees stretching out ahead. I’d come in a cream-coloured cardigan and checked scarf, but the breeze against my cheeks was chilly. I kept both hands on the wheel and looked towards the next bend.

The road is 9.8km long, with 69 bends beyond the toll gate. I steered into one bend, straightened out, then lined up for the next. The climb through the trees was a joy in itself, and I couldn’t help smiling. What would I find at the end? I kept my eyes on the road and carried on.

At the end of the road, I parked. The moment I stepped out and looked up at Mount Iwaki’s main peak, I caught my breath. I couldn’t believe I was this close to the mountain! My friend, who’d arrived ahead of me, laughed. “You look more serious now than you did behind the wheel.” I started to answer, but wanted to look at the mountain just a little longer.

From the Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline, you can see as far as the Sea of Japan and the Tsugaru Peninsula. After climbing through the forest to get here, the view seemed to stretch even farther into the distance. In the car, I’d been watching for the next bend; now I could take in the view for as long as I liked. As my friend and I talked, our voices faded almost without us noticing. I spent a while looking up at the mountain.

After driving back down, I stopped at Noichisato and chose Dake-kimi soft-serve ice cream. “Kimi” means corn in the Tsugaru dialect. Thinking of the name, I took a bite, and the cool sweetness made me smile. My friend said, “Now you’re all smiles.” I laughed too. A sweet treat after taking in the mountain—pure happiness.

Even after I’d finished eating, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mount Iwaki at the road’s end. I’d loved the drive through the autumn leaves with both hands on the wheel, and stepping out to take in the mountain’s immense scale was just as memorable. I don’t think either part alone captures how much I enjoyed the day. Next time I visit Mount Iwaki in autumn, I want to drive those bends again and take my time looking up at the mountain.

The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.

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Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture · Autumn

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Local Flavours

Dake-kimi Soft-Serve Ice Cream

Dake-kimi is a branded sweet corn grown in the Dake area at the foot of Mount Iwaki. In the Tsugaru dialect, kimi means corn. The Dake-kimi soft serve at Noichisato is popular year-round. I tried it after taking in the mountain in autumn. I want to make time for that cool first bite as part of the trip, too.

Things to enjoy here

A beech-forest climb with Mount Iwaki up close

Climb through an old-growth beech forest and, at the road’s end, you can get an up-close view of Mount Iwaki’s main peak. When I stepped out of the car and looked up, the mountain’s sheer scale left me speechless. Enjoy the bends on the way up as well as the view at the end.

A mountain road opened in 1965

The Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline was Aomori Prefecture’s first toll road for motor vehicles, opening on 25 August 1965. Knowing I’ve climbed a road with that kind of history makes the view of Mount Iwaki at the road’s end feel even more special.

The Road

Tsugaru-Iwaki Skyline

Distance: 9.8km

This road climbs Mount Iwaki in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. After the toll gate, 69 bends wind uphill. I keep both hands on the wheel and my eyes on the road; at the end, I want to get out and take my time looking at the mountain.

About 50 minutes by car from JR Hirosaki Station. Pair a drive towards Mount Iwaki with time to look up at its main peak at the end, then stop at the foot of the mountain for Dake-kimi soft-serve ice cream.