The Boxster Road Trip Continues

Following Part 1 of our 3,000-kilometer Tohoku road trip in a Porsche Boxster,

ポルシェ ボクスターで行く東北3000kmツーリング【前編】

here’s Part 2. As before, this is mostly about driving, with very little in the way of sightseeing tips—but we hope you enjoy the ride.

Tohoku Boxster Road Trip: Day 3

Day three. I looked out the hotel window to find a dramatic change in the weather: clear blue skies at last. The wind was strong, but it was a perfect day to drop the top. Today, we’d follow the coast along Route 345 and Route 112, heading for our first destination: Mount Chōkai.

The ocean was simply beautiful.

With the roof down, the Boxster seemed to come alive, as if to say, “Finally, it’s my turn!” I switched on the sport exhaust and sped along the coast to the thunder of the flat-six boxer engine. Who needs music?

This is what convertibles are all about. It’s an escape from the everyday—a driving experience unlike any other. You could say this is exactly why I drive a car with a roof that folds away. The wind, the light, the sound…everything becomes part of the perfect drive.

We joined Prefectural Route 210 and took the Chōkai Blue Line straight up toward Mount Chōkai. In Sport Plus mode, working through second to fourth gear, the Boxster quickly gained altitude. The blips on each downshift echoed through the mountains, and I couldn’t help talking to myself.

“Man, the Boxster is just so good…”

Even though it was Golden Week—the Japanese holiday period around the start of May—the roads were quiet. As we climbed at our own pace, the outside temperature gauge began hovering around 5–6°C, and the air grew noticeably cooler. Near the summit, mist rolled in and snowbanks—some four or five meters high—rose beside the road, creating an almost otherworldly scene.

Of course, I kept the Boxster’s top down even in these conditions. With the heater on, the cabin was perfectly comfortable.

After leaving the summit, we began our descent down the north side of the Chōkai Blue Line. On the way, a red 991.2 GT3 came charging uphill. “Oh, a facelifted GT3!” I thought, but our meeting was over in an instant. I watched its magnificent shape in my rearview mirror as the Boxster continued downhill.

I later learned that the GT3’s owner was a reader of this blog. He messaged my wife on Twitter to say he thought he might have seen my Boxster on Mount Chōkai. What are the odds of that?

The north side of the Chōkai Blue Line offers spectacular scenery. As we lost altitude, the mist cleared, revealing a vast panorama stretching down to the Sea of Japan. I eased off the pace and took each corner carefully, savoring the view.

Near the foot of the mountain, a sign pointed to the Chōkai Green Line. It wasn’t on our original itinerary, but we decided to give Prefectural Route 312 a try. The first stretch was a fast, open road, much like a rural agricultural route, and it was a joy to drive. As we climbed higher, it became clear that the road led to Nikaho Plateau.

The plateau was dotted with wind turbines, with open grassland all around. It felt like a smaller version of the Milk Road in Aso, Kumamoto. Mountains appeared and disappeared behind the clouds in the distance. Despite it being Golden Week, there was hardly any traffic, and we practically had the road to ourselves. What a fantastic drive.

After leaving the plateau, we headed back toward the Sea of Japan, then took Route 7 to our hotel in Akita City. I soaked in the hotel’s large public bath, stretched thoroughly as I replayed the day’s scenery in my mind, and turned in early.

Tohoku Boxster Road Trip: Day 4

The next morning, I wolfed down breakfast at the hotel buffet and got ready to go. The Boxster had been sitting in the parking lot, and after so many miles, it was filthy. Dead bugs made the front end look as if it had a mustache, while dust and road grime blackened the rear bumper and muddy water had splattered the sides.

I wet a microfiber cloth from the hotel, sprayed the car generously with a diluted solution of SurLuster Zero Water that I’d brought along, and gently wiped away the loosened grime. Ready to go.

A freshly washed car somehow feels like it runs better—I’m sure plenty of you know the feeling.

Today, instead of following the coast, we’d head inland. First stop: Lake Tazawa. I remembered seeing it in my elementary school social studies atlas, where it was labeled “Japan’s deepest lake.” I’d always wanted to see it for myself.

We took Route 13, then Route 46, before joining Route 105. From there, we followed Prefectural Route 60 to the lakeshore. The water was an incredible shade of blue, unlike any lake I’d seen before—so beautiful it seemed to pull you in. We parked by the lake, took a break to admire the view, then set off counterclockwise around its shores.

Then we turned onto Route 341 and headed for Hachimantai along a sublime mountain road, its broad lanes and gentle curves seeming to go on forever. You don’t often find roads this good in Kansai.

“Wow, Tohoku is incredible.”

My right foot naturally pressed harder on the Boxster’s accelerator.

We joined the Hachimantai Aspite Line and chose a route that loops counterclockwise around Hachimantai.
As the Boxster climbed, snowbanks appeared along the roadside, just like on Mount Chōkai. The scenery was reminiscent of the Shiga-Kusatsu Kogen Route. More tourist traffic appeared as we neared the summit, but the views were so spectacular that it hardly mattered.

The route alternated between smooth, flowing bends and tight hairpins. With my rather clumsy heel-and-toe downshifts, I climbed in sync with the Boxster.

Afterward, we descended to the foothills, then headed back toward Hachimantai on Prefectural Route 23. This road had more tourists and tour buses, so it was hard to make much progress. We caught occasional glimpses of Mount Iwate before heading north again on Route 341.

As we passed through Kazuno, I spotted a 970-generation Panamera Turbo at a gas station and found myself thinking, “I’d love to drive a Panamera around here.” My thoughts drifted to the Panamera waiting at home as we continued on Route 103 toward Lake Towada. Route 103 was wide and quiet—a wonderfully relaxing road for a cruise.

By the time we neared Lake Towada, the sun was sinking and the lakeshore was bathed in golden light. We tried to stop at a viewpoint along the way, but the parking lot was full, so we gave up and followed Route 454 clockwise around the lake.

This route, however, had a lot of loose stones on the road, and the lanes weren’t very wide. It wasn’t enjoyable at all, but we stuck with it and headed for Aomori City.

As we continued on the Boxster along Route 102 and then Route 103, Mount Hakkoda drew closer. This was another fantastic mountain road. Traffic was a little heavier, but many drivers moved aside to let us through. I didn’t hesitate to give them a thank-you hazard-light flash as I pulled past in second gear in Sport Plus mode, then pressed on.

We stopped briefly at the Mount Iwaki viewpoint to watch the sunset.
A young couple in an old Land Cruiser kept changing the car’s position and angle, taking photo after photo of their ride against the evening sky. “Car lovers are all the same, whatever they drive or whatever their style.” I thought with a smile, before continuing on to our hotel in Aomori City.

 

(To be continued)

Next Up: The Final Leg Through Aomori, Morioka, and Aizu

What did you think? It looks like we got lucky with the weather on Days 3 and 4—those must have been fantastic drives. If I’d gone along, with my reputation as the rain-bringing, storm-bringing, fog-bringing woman, I doubt the weather would have been so kind.

Next time, it’s the final installment. We hope you’ll join us.

Continue reading → A 3,000-Kilometer Tohoku Road Trip in a Porsche Boxster: Part 3