Where's this? Looks fun
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“Irohazaka Winding Road.”
The road ascends more than 400 meters in altitude, and there are separate roads for uphill and downhill traffic.
People started calling the slope Iroha-zaka in the early Showa era. The ancient Japanese syllabary consisted of 48 characters, beginning with i-ro-ha, and was therefore called iroha (much as our word “alphabet” is derived from “alpha” and “beta,” the first two letters of the Greek alphabet). The original road (which permitted traffic in both directions) had 48 hairpin turns, and so tourist guides started calling the slope Iroha-zaka.
When the road was improved in 1954, the number of turns was reduced to 30, but a second road (up only) was added to permit one-way traffic. This increased the number of curves to 50, but two were removed to bring the number of turns back to 48, to match the letters.
A sign at each turn has a letter of the ancient Japanese syllabary, along with a drawing of an azalea blossom (the city flower of Nikko), and you proceed up and then back down in alphabetical order.
The road ascends more than 400 meters in altitude, and there are separate roads for uphill and downhill traffic.
People started calling the slope Iroha-zaka in the early Showa era. The ancient Japanese syllabary consisted of 48 characters, beginning with i-ro-ha, and was therefore called iroha (much as our word “alphabet” is derived from “alpha” and “beta,” the first two letters of the Greek alphabet). The original road (which permitted traffic in both directions) had 48 hairpin turns, and so tourist guides started calling the slope Iroha-zaka.
When the road was improved in 1954, the number of turns was reduced to 30, but a second road (up only) was added to permit one-way traffic. This increased the number of curves to 50, but two were removed to bring the number of turns back to 48, to match the letters.
A sign at each turn has a letter of the ancient Japanese syllabary, along with a drawing of an azalea blossom (the city flower of Nikko), and you proceed up and then back down in alphabetical order.
Being in the woods it sort of reminded me of the Passo di Mortirolo near the Stelvo, tomany people miss this classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7lpna8mw4&sns...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7lpna8mw4&sns...
oj121 said:
That looks amazing!!!!! And one way traffic so you can use all the road!
There are some passes in the Alps that are one way: the Staller Sattel is controlled by a clock so traffic runs in each direction in 15 minute internals - one flaw I found (having lined up enthusiastically for a pole shot) was cyclists riding against the flow of traffic....
dom180 said:
oj121 said:
That looks amazing!!!!! And one way traffic so you can use all the road!
There are some passes in the Alps that are one way: the Staller Sattel is controlled by a clock so traffic runs in each direction in 15 minute internals - one flaw I found (having lined up enthusiastically for a pole shot) was cyclists riding against the flow of traffic....Gassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff