Driving the Venus Line: Japan’s Most Scenic Road
Utsukushigahara Highlands
Our first stop driving on the Venus Line was Utsukushigahara Highlands. This is one of several mountain top areas with no trees, leading to 360 vista views. People show up early to see the sunrise at the so-called โceiling of Japanโ, so we got an extra early start. When we arrived, the parking lot was covered in thick clouds meaning absolutely no views. Sadly, rainy season lasted long that summer, so what would normally be clear blue skies was mostly overcast.
After waiting a painful two hours, the clouds lifted just enough for us to get a glimpse. Although we never got the incredible 360 view of the region we were hoping for, the fields revealed themselves like an endless sea of grass in the sky. We didn’t realize we were standing only a few meters away from a herd of cows peacefully grazing in the mist. As some blue sky broke through and more of the highlands emerged, we could get a vision of what this place is truly like.
We made our way to the tower of beauty, a unique bell tower with a beautiful view over the valley. After ringing the bell, the fog lifted even more, as if we had lifted a curse. This is a place that feels so peaceful it’s hard to describe. So high in the sky gives you a feeling of weightlessness.
Yashimagahara Wetland
As soon as we left Utsukushigahara Highlands, the clouds came back to engulf us. Turning the corner, I was really hoping to see anything. Thankfully, the area around Yashimagahara Wetland was very clear. This is a small marsh in the center of a valley, right off the highway. It’s the perfect spot for casual hiking, with well maintained trails surrounded by lovely valley scenery.
According to the visitors center, there are 360 unique flowering plants in the wetlands, so no matter when you visit there will be something in interesting to see. At the time we visited, the beautiful orange day lilies were in full bloom, giving a bright pop to the landscape. There are also lots of butterflies, birds, and other wildlife to see, it kind of feels like a Disney movie.
I’m very glad we chose to stop at Yashimagahara Wetland. This was the only point with full visibility while we were in the highlands. It also happens to be one of the best places to experience a mix of mountains, flowers, and water in the area. While we were there, so many Japanese people were saying good morning to us. Driving the Venus Line is mostly popular with Japanese tourists, not foreigners, so they were pleasantly surprised to see us.
Korobokkuru Hutte
As I was planning out route, I knew I wanted to eat or drink something in the incredible landscape. I was surprised to find that there are nearly no restaurants or coffee shops on the entire route, it really is that rural. Thankfully, I found a coffee shop on Google Maps that looked pretty great. After arriving, it became apparent that Korobokkuru Hutte is one of the most popular coffee shops in the region. We had to wait over an hour to sit, but weโre really glad we stayed in line.
This coffee shop is a European-style alpine hut, famous for their honey butter toast, Ukrainian borscht, and siphon coffee. We werenโt too hungry, so we just got the toast and coffee, and sat outside under an umbrella as the rain slowly drizzled. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing, because the shop is known for its incredible view. The toast was heavenly, with the softest, chewiest texture imaginable. While it wasnโt specialty coffee, it was super refreshing after an early morning of driving. Like the rest of the day, the sun occasionally broke through, revealing a stunning view over the hiking trails in the valley.
Fujimidai
This is one of the main reasons people come to the Venus Line. Fujimidai is a spot on the side of the road in the Kirigamine Highlands with a perfect view straight to Mt. Fuji, almost 100km away. It really is one of the most beautiful places in Japan, but predictably it was completely covered in fog when we arrived. There are also several popular hiking trails here, going up Mt. Kirigamine, making it the best place for a light 1 hour hike if youโre up for it.
You can also take the ski lift to the top of the mountain, giving one of the most incredible 360 views of Japan. Even though there was absolutely no view, we were lucky to visit at the height of day lily season. Near the coffee shop just off the road is a massive field of bright orange day lilies, making the stop very worthwhile. Hundreds of cars were lining the road with people driving the Venus Line, despite the lack of views. Even they could enjoy the natural beauty of the fog rolling over the lily fields.
Lake Shirakaba
After Fujimidai, you have a choice. You can drive straight into Suwa, ending your time in the highlands, or you can make the magic last a little bit longer and end at the quiet Lake Shirakaba. This area is surrounded by hotels, alpine resorts, and a few small ski areas. Lakes like this arenโt common in Korea where we live, so I was really excited to check it out. There is a nice walking path all along the lake, and lots of grassy areas perfect for a picnic. At this point, we were well below the cloud ceiling, so we had a great view from the village into Suwa down in the valley. It was so nice to finally be able to see further than a few meters, and enjoy the beautiful scenery in full.
Kashiwaya Cafe & Roastery
Since we werenโt able to get really great coffee yet, Yemisi found a specialty shop down in Suwa. Kashiwaya is a small shop on the outskirts of the city, high up on the hillside. When we arrived, we were surprised to find it was directly adjacent to what seemed to be a rather large and important temple. Before checking out the shrine, we headed inside to get coffee. This is a small batch roastery so they only had a few drink options. In Japan, their coffee is often roasted a bit darker than my preference, but I still really enjoyed my drink. The vibe is also great, with the atmosphere of the mountains and shrine nearby.
Suwa Shrine
Since we were in the area and a bit ahead of schedule, we decided to check out the shrine and see what it was about. Turns out, this is Suwa Shrine, the most important Shinto shrine in the entire region. The complex is quite large, with lots of smaller buildings, a covered hallway, and the main shrine courtyard on the other side. As we walked down the hallway, glass chimes called fลซrin were singing in the breeze. They made the most magical sound. Weโve heard of temples like this before, apparently the bells are to ward off evil spirits, and are only placed in the summer.
There were lots of people in the area, praying at the shrine, and enjoying a taiko drum performance outside the torii gates. For such an unexpected stop, we were very happy with our time there.
Lake Suwa
Of course, the main geographic point of Suwa is the eponymous lake. The city takes up the entire valley, and so does the lake, pinching off to just a few roads on either side. It is a very fascinating shape, almost a perfect rectangle when seen from above. Lake Suwa is the largest lake in the prefecture, and home to the Suwa clan as early as the Heian period. These days, the lake is a major hub for activities, with park space along the entire bank. There is even a massive duck boat ferry, offering a scenic tour of the lake. The views from down at the water are incredible, and even if you aren’t driving on the Venus Line the mountains just look so great in this region.
One of the weirder things to do at Lake Suwa is eat ice cream. But not just any ice cream, locust ice cream. Weโve eaten many unique meats and even ants, but bugs have always been something Iโm not a fan of. Here, they have several ice cream options, but Yemisi wanted to get a cone with the candied locust. As soon as the cone came out, it started to melt everywhere. We had to eat it super quickly, which kind of helped me get over the creepy factor. Honestly, the locust werenโt bad at all, kind of like a generic, slightly savory and sweet candy. It complimented the vanilla well, I just wish I had a little more time to enjoy it!
Takashima Castle
Only a few blocks From the lake is Takashima Castle. This is the historic center of the Suwa Clan. While the castle isnโt anywhere near as large as the nearby Mastumoto Castle, or the closest major castle in Nagoya, it is still very enjoyable. The lake shore used to come all the way over to the castle location, so this was a very important defensive position in the valley. Sadly, the original castle was torn down in 1875 during the Meiji Restoration. However, the locals crowd funded a full replica in 1970.
Takashima Castle is known as the Floating Castle of Suwa, because it would have looked like it was rising out of the water long ago. Inside the three story castle is a museum, with all of the local history, and a great view from the top floor. Weโve heard the area also has great cherry blossoms in the spring, but weโve yet to experience cherry blossom season in Japan. You really only need less than an hour to get the gist of the whole park area, but itโs a lovely little place to stop, and you can tell the community is proud of the history it represents.
Izumiya
One of the famous foods to eat in the region is soba. Thatโs because Nagano is actually the part of Japan that created the style of noodles, thanks to their quality buckwheat. Weโve always known you need to come early to soba places to get food before they sell out, and even though we arrived to our original lunch spot hours before closing, we were sadly just a single minute too. We then spent the next hour going to four different soba places, all with listed closing times 3-4 hours later, but they were all sold out. It was a frustrating experience, but weโre telling you so you can learn from our mistakes. If you want soba, you should arrive well before the lunch rush and expect a long wait.
Eventually, we finally found a decently rated restaurant that was still open. They had a flight of three styles of soba, and some teppanyaki. Although we saw really good things about their soba, we were not impressed. You may know that we love Asian food like nothing else, but we often feel like Japanese food lacks the flavor and punch from the surrounding countries, and this was a great example. By the end we were very full, but not super satisfied. Still, we were glad we had a chance to try their local cuisine. Maybe it would be a different story if we had made our original spot.
Taiteshi Park
At this point the sun was getting ready to set, so we made our way to Taiteshi Park. Little did we know, we were in for another rough reality check. Despite being the most popular park in the city, it only has about 10 parking spots. While you can park elsewhere and walk to the park, it is very far uphill, requiring a minimum of a 35 minute walk from the closest parking spot. The parking attendants sent us far, far up a hill with no place to turn around. As we finally got back down, we ran into a huge line, and we had to wait as they slowly allowed cars to trickle down as spots opened up. Even though we got in line two hours before sunset, nobody left the car park, and we were left stuck on a winding forest road for two hours as we waiting.
Finally, after a brutal wait we were allowed to go down. The park is famous for directly inspiring the film Your Name, where an exact recreation of the park and its iconic view of Lake Suwa can be seen. Perhaps this is why the park is so popular, but it makes sense. There is a large amphitheater, and a huge viewing tower overlooking the lake and the entire valley. Even with the night views, it was a beautiful place to overlook the city. Lake Suwa is just so iconic, and the surrounding mountains create a surreal view. Just before we packed up and left, fireworks in the distance caught our attention. Apparently there are frequent firework shows over the lake, and this would be an amazing place to see them, but these weren’t that. Somewhere in the distance, a small display was taking place. It was the perfect romantic way to end our time driving on the Venus Line.
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