Heading to Okayama’s Wide-Area Farm Roads

It’s been almost a year since I bought the 992, but surprisingly, I haven’t really gone on a proper solo touring trip yet.
I’ve gone to Fuji Speedway with my family and joined group tours with Porsche friends, so most of my drives have involved multiple people. I haven’t really done much solo touring.

This time, I finally took out the 992 to join the Hiruzen MT (Meeting) held at Hiruzen Highlands, thanks to an invitation from Masucchi.

Just heading straight to Hiruzen would be a shame, so I planned to drive my favorite Okayama wide-area farm roads (also known as the “Ascension Highway”) before heading to Hiruzen.

I wanted to leave earlier but overslept a bit and set off around 9:00 AM.

Onto the Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido

Despite it being Sunday, the Chugoku Expressway was relatively clear as I headed west. After passing Yamazaki IC, one of Japan’s top high-speed mountain winding roads begins. However, this area has a lot of accidents, so caution is essential.

Switching the mode button on the steering wheel to Sport mode drops the transmission from 8th to 6th gear, firms up the chassis just right, and lets me confidently power up the steep climbs.

Before I knew it, I was at Tsuyama IC. I got off here and headed first for the Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido. I’ve introduced this road many times on the blog—it’s a fantastic stretch for driving. Few cars, almost no people, excellent pavement, and wide lanes. It features about 25 km of gently winding roads with a mostly straight layout.

This road alone is enough to satisfy any driving enthusiast, but Okayama’s wide-area farm roads don’t stop here. There are many more routes to explore.

I’ve driven these roads before in the 964 and 981 Boxster GTS, but this was my first time in the 992. Since it has a PDK, I didn’t bother with manual shifting and just enjoyed it in Sport mode.

The 992’s PDK is incredibly smart—it seems to anticipate corners and smoothly downshifts automatically. It feels fantastic. Personally, I even feel that the automatic mode is more enjoyable than manual shifting.

The power delivery is ample—actually, it’s a bit too fast for my skill level. Although it doesn’t have the Sport Exhaust, the exhaust note is quite loud and very satisfying. The blend of mechanical noise and exhaust sound is very pleasant and somehow reminiscent of an air-cooled Porsche.

With overwhelming torque, it powers up the climbs effortlessly, and the neutral steering feels so good it’s almost like driving a GT3. It’s a high-performance car that makes you wonder if you could ever need anything more.

Oku-Kibi Kaido

After the Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido, I headed to the Oku-Kibi Kaido. This is another legendary road I’ve introduced many times. It offers about 35 km of almost private, exhilarating driving. Here, I switched to manual mode and used the paddle shifters to run the 992 in 3rd and 4th gears. The sequence of corners is fantastic.

The road is so long that honestly, it gets a little boring halfway through. It’s rare to get bored on a great driving road, but that gives you an idea of just how extensive this route is.

Compared to the Mimasaka Yamanami Kaido, this road has more curves, making cornering pure joy. Braking, clipping the apex, and then flooring the accelerator—this acceleration and stability are unique to a rear-engine car. The 911 transmits strong traction efficiently to the road, pushing itself out of corners.

The car remains rock-solid stable, giving the driver a great sense of security.

This truly is the “Ascension Highway.” There aren’t many roads where you can drive this blissfully.

Afterwards, I joined the Hiruzen MT, where I chatted with many owners and admired some legendary cars. I’ll write about those amazing cars from the Hiruzen MT in a future article.

Returning via Route 482

After the Hiruzen MT, I drove the Hiruzen Daisen Skyline and took a break at Kijodai Observatory. While admiring the majestic view of Mount Daisen, I planned my next route. I decided to take a less-traveled road and headed toward Hyogo Prefecture via Route 482.

Route 482 turned out to be a perfect choice. With little traffic, it’s a pleasant country road. I cruised with the 911’s top down, enjoying stretches that felt like highlands and sections weaving through forests. It was a very enjoyable drive and I highly recommend it.

When I reached around Chizu Town, this tour came to an end. From there, I took the highway back home.

The total distance was 553.6 km, and the fuel efficiency was 10.6 km/L.

Route Map for This Trip