Holiday touring: Tsumagoi and Shiga Highlands (October 2026)

Another unplanned weekend touring on the Ducati, this time all the way to Tsumagoi and the Shiga Highlands.

This year’s Sports Day (October 12th, a national holiday in Japan) fell on a Monday, which meant another three-day weekend. On Saturday the 10th I woke up very early with no plans, so I got on the bike and headed to Tsumagoi in Gunma. From there I climbed up to Kusatsu, but instead of stopping I continued along the Asama-Shirane-Shiga Sawayaka “Highway” and kept climbing until I reached the highest point on Japan’s national road network, right next to the Shibutoge Hotel. For much of the way Mount Shirane was on my right: an active volcano with a beautiful crater lake. From there I continued down the other side of the mountain to the Mount Yokote Drive-In. It was already closed, but the views just before sunset were beautiful. Once I was down the mountain I got on the expressway in Nagano and headed home. At about 14 hours, this was my longest ride so far.