Bandai Gold Line

A former toll road of hairpins through Aizu woodland, with Mount Bandai and Lake Inawashiro views.

Now toll-free as part of Fukushima Prefectural Route 64, the Bandaisan Gold Line carves up the flank of Mount Bandai between the Omote-Bandai side above Lake Inawashiro and the Ura-Bandai plateau near Kitashiobara. It is a purpose-built sightseeing road of tight, tree-lined hairpins climbing through Aizu woodland, with marked overlooks where the cone of Bandai, the blue sheet of Lake Inawashiro and, on the back side, the lakes of Ura-Bandai come into view. It rewards a steady rhythm rather than speed, and autumn colour is the headline season. It passes a ski area and shuts for winter. Mind the full winter closure (roughly early November to late April), tight blind hairpins on the climb, and heavy foliage-season traffic queueing at the overlooks.