Following up on the previous Autumn Touring in a Porsche 911: Journey through Shinshu, Noto, Hida, and Mino (1), here is the continuation.

Hakusan Shirakawago White Road

On the morning of day three, I checked today’s route on the touring map.

Since it was peak autumn foliage season, I was quite torn about whether to go to the Hakusan Shirakawago White Road, but since it was a weekday and early morning, I expected it wouldn’t be too crowded and decided to go.

Heading south on the smooth Route 360, I guided the 911 toward the White Road. From the moment I passed the tollgate, a stunning panorama of autumn leaves greeted me. That said, I wasn’t here just for leaf-peeping. I was here to drive, so after a brief visual treat, I switched on Sport mode and urged the 911 onward.

The roaring engine echoed through the valley as I climbed the winding hairpins.

Stopping occasionally at pullouts, I carefully savored the White Road. By the way, motorcycles are banned here due to the many sharp curves and steep gradients, but there are plenty of other places in Japan with even more severe bends and slopes. Japan’s traffic rules really do show a strong bias against two-wheelers.

Even on a weekday, there were a few tourist cars, so the pace inevitably slowed. Ideally, I’d love to drive this road again on a quiet off-season weekday.

From Shirakawago to Route 158

Crossing the mountains, I entered Shirakawago. I took care of a web meeting from inside the parked car, then explored the village a bit. Though I’ve been here many times, it feels like the number of traditional gassho-style houses is gradually decreasing.

Maintaining them must be quite a challenge.

Leaving Shirakawago, I headed south on Route 156, then onto Route 158. This Route 158 is an exceptional driving road. Running parallel to the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, few cars take the national road, making it almost like a private track. I stopped for lunch at the soba village Shokawa, then headed north.

Along the way, a beautiful autumn-colored shrine caught my eye. Confirming no cars were behind me, I slowed sharply and stopped. It was a very small, old shrine called Kamikotori Hachiman Shrine, but something about it deeply attracted me.

I parked the car in the shrine grounds and took some photos, then headed toward the main hall to offer thanks. Descending the stairs and crossing a small bridge, I suddenly felt an intense tension in the air. I’m not particularly sensitive to spirits nor interested in religion, but the sharp, charged atmosphere was unmistakable. Sometimes when visiting so-called power spots, I feel similar energy, and this place was definitely one of those powerful spots.

After praying for a safe tour, I left the shrine.

Later, I thought about visiting Seseragi Kaido, but then remembered I had driven it last year in the GT3.

Seseragi Kaido is a famous road running along a river, selected as one of Japan’s top 100 roads. It’s wide, easy to drive, and scenic—especially stunning in autumn. However, traffic is particularly heavy during this season, and most sections prohibit overtaking, making it an extremely tedious drive. For a driving-focused tour, it’s better to avoid this road.

From Route 256 to K91 Sarasa Dodan Kaido

I descended straight to Gujo Hachiman and headed west on Route 256. Along the way, I spotted an intriguing old road called Taraga Pass and decided to try it out. Approaching the old road instead of the new tunnel, I found a light truck parked on the road with workers.

Trying to squeeze past, I caught the eyes of two elderly men working there and asked about the pass ahead. They said, “No, no, you absolutely shouldn’t go there in such a nice car!” The other man added, “Don’t take that pass.”

I pressed them, asking if it was really that bad, but they were adamant. Reluctantly, I turned around.

Suppressing my urge to go just because I was told not to, I headed south on Route 256 and then onto K91 Sarasa Dodan Kaido.

This turned out to be a fantastic road. A thrilling mix of long straights and moderate winding sections. I could tell the 911 was loving it. The engine revved higher, and as I approached corners, the PDK shifted down flawlessly—4 to 3 to 2—matching my braking perfectly.

The blip sounds echoed, and exiting the corners, the overwhelming traction propelled me forward. This whole sequence felt so good that I couldn’t stop smiling.

That said, this road passes through residential areas, so caution is needed. While driving slowly through town, a small elementary school child suddenly wobbled out on a bicycle from a side street. I had some distance but braked hard and steered to keep a safe distance.

In moments like this, being able to instinctively perform full braking is something I’m truly glad to have trained for at driving school. Without training, people tend to try to steer away suddenly, losing control.

So, it’s absolutely essential to learn to brake hard while steering to avoid danger. Modern cars, especially Porsches, have incredible braking and ABS systems, so trust your Porsche and brake hard. I highly recommend training for this.

Entering Hashima City, dusk was falling. Nervous about local cars flying along the narrow, dark embankment by the Nagara River, I arrived at the hotel and ended day three.

A Private Run on Ibuki Mountain Driveway

On the morning of day four, I quickly checked out and headed for the Ibuki Mountain Driveway. I had visited here before when taking delivery of this 911 Carrera 4 GTS.

This time, I aimed to arrive right at the 8 a.m. opening to enjoy a completely empty driveway. And indeed, it was a perfect clear lap with zero cars ahead. I climbed the initial mountain section at my own pace. The Carrera 4 GTS is incredibly fast. Its speed is a different kind than the GT3 or Boxster. The strong sense of security and trust in the car let me push the pace more and more.

The latter half becomes a large-scale mountain winding section with gentler curves. The morning air and scenery on Mt. Ibuki were superb. By this point, I wasn’t in a hurry to speed anymore, just savoring this famous road until I reached the summit.

From Tokuyama Lake to Lake Biwa and Home

After a short rest at the summit, I headed to the next destination: Tokuyama Lake, a place I had never visited before.

I drove north on Route 417, another pleasant winding road along a river. Along the way, I spotted a castle. Curious, I stopped and found it was a modern-built planetarium called Fujihashi Castle – Nishi Mino Planetarium. Unfortunately, it was closed that day.

Since I couldn’t enter, I had lunch at a nearby diner, then headed to the Rokusha Shrine Ruins Observatory. There were some narrow roads, but plenty of pullouts and almost no traffic, so no worries.

The view from the observatory was quite impressive. I imagine it would be even more spectacular with morning mist or a sea of clouds.

Returning the way I came, I then headed for Oku Biwako via Route 303, one of Shiga’s proud scenic roads.

Having driven Oku Biwako Parkway many times, I skipped it this time. I cruised slowly along the lakeshore, took a break at Kaizu Osaki, and reflected on the trip while gazing at Lake Biwa. The 911 standing quietly beside me truly felt like a partner. Porsche is absolutely the best travel companion.

The advantage of the Carrera 4’s four-wheel drive is huge—no matter the situation, I can confidently press the accelerator, and the ride quality has minimal front-to-rear sway. This makes it ideal for grand touring and long drives without fatigue.

Being a GTS, the suspension is fairly firm, but the ride comfort feels different from other Carreras. While the 991.2 and 992 GTS models come standard with sports chassis, the 991.1 GTS has a normal chassis as standard, which I believe contributes to its smoother ride.

Heading home, I stopped by a local gas station to have the 911 thoroughly washed after the long trip. Admiring the sparkling clean 911, I concluded the four-day tour.

The total distance was 1,928 km, with an average speed of 51 km/h and average fuel economy of 10.1 km/L.

Route Map for This Trip