Heading to Ashinoko Skyline

The Porsche Track Experience (PTE) Master Course was canceled due to heavy rain, but the next day cleared up as if by magic, so we decided to head to the Ashinoko Skyline and then make our way home.

If the kids weren’t with us, I would have loved to drive all the famous roads around there, like the Hakone Turnpike or Fuji Subaru Line, but with children, that’s not really possible. So, we decided to go to the Ashinoko Skyline, which I had never driven on a clear day before.

Actually, shortly after the Panamera was delivered, we stopped by Ashinoko Skyline on the way to Fuji Speedway to watch the WEC, but as usual, it was thick fog—not only was Mount Fuji invisible, but we couldn’t even see two meters ahead, so we had to drive very slowly back. (Seriously, why am I such a rain magnet…)

320i on Ashinoko Skyline

We approached from the Gotemba side and entered Ashinoko Skyline from Hakone Pass.

For a while, the road was quite narrow mountain paths, and I was a bit nervous with oncoming traffic. As we neared the Ashinoko Skyline toll booth, sports cars and other obviously fast vehicles increased in number, and I thought, “Car enthusiasts living in the Kanto area must be out here driving from early morning on their days off, too.” It made me smile to realize that no matter where you go in Japan, everyone’s doing the same thing.

Since I don’t have much experience driving on driveways other than the nearby Royu Driveway, I couldn’t help but compare them, but the Ashinoko Skyline has a variety of curves like a mountain pass, along with wide, gentle downhill and uphill sections, making it a very enjoyable drive.

And above all, the breathtaking view below is simply incredible… It’s amazing to be able to drive while overlooking such a majestic landscape. We stopped for a photo break at Mikuni Pass.

When I said, “Wow, Ashinoko is really huge,” my husband replied,

No, that’s Suruga Bay. Ashinoko can’t be that big—it’s not Lake Biwa, you know, lol.

I realized I had no sense of the local geography as a Kansai native and had made a big mistake, but such grand scenery is rare in the Kinki region, so I felt a bit envious.

I drove the Ashinoko Skyline in the BMW 320i, and naturally, it felt fantastic. The 320i handles well and the engine has started to respond nicely, so driving it was fun. However, with the kids in the back seat, I had to be mindful of them, so I couldn’t really push the car hard.

This is true wherever we drive: the kids in the back seat might say things like “I feel sick” or “Open the window—no, it’s cold, close it again,” or if they’re asleep, their heads bounce violently side to side with every curve, so I have to drive a bit more cautiously.

When the kids are older, I’d love to come back and drive here just the two of us—but knowing our luck, it’ll probably rain again, lol.

GT3 on Ashinoko Skyline

After we got home, I asked my husband, “How was driving the Ashinoko Skyline in the GT3?,” and he said,

I’d only driven it in the Boxster before, but it’s totally different. The GT3 sticks to the curves like glue, which makes it incredibly fun. Ashinoko Skyline has wide roads with gentle high-speed curves. On roads like that, the GT3 really shines and is a blast to drive. It grips the road tightly at high speed through the curves. On the other hand, places like Royu have narrow roads with sharp low- and medium-speed corners, so the GT3’s strengths are harder to show there. In those cases, I think it’s more fun to drive the Boxster.

Indeed, the GT3 looked like a fish in water, driving with such joy and confidence.

Kanto really has many wide and beautiful roads.

By the way, I’ve never experienced a clear day on the Nishi-Izu Skyline either, so I’d love to drive it again someday.