Japan's Famous Touge Passes: Can a Tourist Drive Them? (2026)

Mount Akagi and Mount Haruna (Gunma), the Iroha-zaka (Nikko, Tochigi) and the Hakone passes (Kanagawa) are public roads, and a tourist with a licence valid in Japan may drive them at the speed limit like any other traffic. The only paid one we could confirm is Ashinoko Skyline in Hakone, at ¥1,000 for a car, and its own rules list drift driving as prohibited. We checked every rule, fee and bus below on the official pages on 13 October 2026.

A touge (峠) is simply a mountain pass. These four are famous because drifting grew up on roads like them, and because the manga and anime Initial D is set there: its fictional Mount Akina is modelled on Haruna, and Akagi and the Iroha-zaka appear by name. None of that changes what the roads are today: working routes with buses, tourists and local traffic.

What is legal on these passes, and what is not?

Driving through is legal. Sliding the car is not. Two or more cars running together on a public road is joint dangerous conduct under article 68 of the Road Traffic Act, which carries up to 2 years’ imprisonment or a ¥500,000 fine and 25 demerit points. Since 21 July 2026, deliberately sliding the tyres can also be charged as dangerous driving if someone is hurt. A foreign visitor is not outside that system. Our guide to whether drifting is legal in Japan sets out the law in full.

Where are the passes, and what are the rules on each?

Iroha-zaka. This is National Route 120 between Nikko town and Lake Chuzenji. The Japan Tourism Agency describes it as two one-way roads climbing 440 m from Umagaeshi to the lake: the Second Iroha-zaka goes up (9.5 km) and the First comes down (6.5 km), with 48 bends between them. Since 1 October 2019, Tochigi Prefecture has run the whole climb as one-way, from Umagaeshi to the junction just short of the Futarabashi crossing by the lake. Once you pass the Akechidaira ropeway car park, you cannot turn back.

Ashinoko Skyline. A 10.7 km toll road along the western rim of Hakone, open 7:00 to 19:00. Outside those hours the main line is closed and only the short Kojiri line is free. Cards, e-money and QR payments are not accepted.

Akagi and Haruna. No toll is listed for either mountain on any official page we read. Its winter list is the main official rule, covered below.

Can you reach the passes without a car?

Partly. Buses climb three of the four, but a bus only gets you to the top as a passenger.

• Akagi: Kan-etsu Kotsu runs from Maebashi Station via Fujimi Onsen to Snow Peak Land Station Akagi, its new terminus since 19 September 2026. The summer timetable runs to 30 November 2026, and the adult fare from Maebashi Station is ¥1,800. A direct Akagi bus also runs on weekends and holidays.
• Haruna: Gunma Bus lists Takasaki Station to Lake Haruna via Haruna Shrine, and Ikaho Onsen to Lake Haruna over Yaseone Pass. The timetable files it links carry 2016 dates, so treat the times as TBC.
• Iroha-zaka: Tobu Bus runs from JR and Tobu Nikko stations to Chuzenji Onsen at the top for ¥1,250, on a summer timetable to 30 November 2026.
• Ashinoko Skyline: the operator calls it a motor-vehicle-only road. Pedestrians and bicycles are banned, and its access page gives car routes only.

So driving any of these passes yourself means a rental car and a licence Japan accepts, which for most visitors is a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit. Our licence and IDP guide covers who needs what. And the moment you want to slide the car rather than tour it, a public road is out entirely. You need a circuit, and circuits are booked in Japanese, by phone or form, often days ahead.

When are the passes closed?

Gunma Prefecture’s latest published winter list covers 2025 to 2026, updated on 17 October 2025. On Akagi it closed two side approaches. The Ogo-Akagi line was shut for 9.1 km, from the Akagi Onsen entrance to Konuma, from 16 December 2025 to 6 April 2026. The Numata-Akagi line was shut for 11.1 km from 5 January to 19 March 2026. The bus road up from Maebashi via Fujimi Onsen is not on the list, and nothing on Haruna is. Gunma asks drivers at altitude to fit winter tyres and carry chains from October, and it may close roads early if they are unsafe. The 2026 to 2027 list had not been published when we checked.

In Tochigi, the Nikko road office reports that the Iroha-zaka, with slopes of over 11 percent, sees frequent winter accidents on snow and ice. In winter it is the only road between Lake Chuzenji and Nikko town, because the Konsei Road over to Gunma closes. Gunma’s list shut that road from 25 December 2025 to 24 April 2026. No official night closure is published for Akagi, Haruna or the Iroha-zaka.

Where can you slide a car on a mountain-style course?

On private land. Japan has courses built to feel like a pass, with run-off instead of a drop. Ebisu Circuit’s Touge course in Fukushima and Gunma Cycle Sports Center’s 6 km hill road are the two best known. Our guide to legal touge drift courses in Japan compares what each sells and when. To match a drift day to your trip, start with the drift event and track calendar.

If you want the history of how the scene moved off these roads, read where drifting was born, or our short answer on whether street touge is still a thing.