The Tohoku Grand Touring article is finally reaching its last chapter. Please take a look if you’re interested.

Driving the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road in the Boxster

The tour is now in its final stages. Although the wind was a bit strong that day, the weather was clear and sunny. I prepared early and left the hotel by 7 a.m.

I pressed the accelerator of the Boxster and escaped from Morioka city. First, I headed east on Route 106. Route 106 now has a nice bypass, and since most cars use it, the old road is practically free to drive on. Early morning on the deserted Route 106 is truly exhilarating.

It feels similar to Route 55 running parallel to the Hyōsa Road in Shikoku.

In Sport mode with PASM set to Sport, I cleared the medium-to-high speed corners. The strong grip of the tires and the steering feedback gave an immense sense of confidence.

Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road South Course

Along the way, I turned left near the Sendai area and drove the Boxster onto the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road. It’s no exaggeration to say I came on this tour just to drive this road. It’s a large-scale, easy-to-drive, and completely deserted S-class driving route.

In fact, the full course of the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road stretches about 100 km. However, you can’t drive the entire 100 km continuously; you have to detour on regular roads at some points.

Last time I visited, I couldn’t drive the full course, so this time I came determined to complete it.

The road is roughly divided into three areas. For convenience, I call them the South Course, Middle Course, and North Course. First, I headed north on the South Course.

This South Course is a mountain winding road with wide lanes and a variety of curves ranging from moderately tight to medium-speed corners. It truly lives up to the name “Large-Scale,” with a satisfying length.

The corners make you think, “If not now, when will I use Sport Plus mode?” and I was fully engaged with the shifting. The tachometer needle stayed glued to the right side. I climbed the hill in one go, tried to take a break at a teahouse along the way, but it was closed. So I just kept enjoying the drive and crossed the pass. From here, it’s a gentle downhill course.

From the Middle Course to the North Course of the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road

When I reached Route 340, I turned left, drove a bit, then turned right again. This section is the Middle Course of the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road. Honestly, compared to the other courses, this Middle Course isn’t very exciting. The road is a bit narrow and somewhat small-scale for driving.

That said, it’s not a narrow, hard-to-drive road, so there’s no problem driving it.

The Middle Course ends when you reach Prefectural Route 202. Although you could force your way through the mountains beyond this point, I decided to make a big detour and head toward the North Course, aiming for the Pacific Ocean.

I headed east on K202. There are some narrow sections, but they’re passable. I drove along the quiet road beside the Aka River. Traffic was light, and there were occasional small rural settlements, but it’s not a road to push hard on.

When I reached Route 45, the beautiful Pacific Ocean spread out to the right. This was my first time visiting this area of Tohoku since the earthquake. Signs of reconstruction were visible here and there, and large seawalls had been built along the coast, showing the scale of the tsunami.

From Route 45, I headed west on Route 281, then turned right onto K5. This area marks the start of the North Course of the Hachinohe-Sendai Large-Scale Forest Road.

While not as wide as the South Course, it’s a very enjoyable winding road. I climbed in elevation, carving through many low- and medium-speed corners.

This road is a lot of fun. Personally, I like the boldness of the South Course, but I might prefer the North Course. This kind of road suits the Boxster perfectly. It’s long, there’s no other traffic, and it’s like having the road all to myself. It’s pure pleasure.

The large-scale forest road connects to K11 and literally leads into Hachinohe city. Around here, the road becomes more straight, making for a comfortable cruising area.