Lieu de l'œuvre
Lake Haruna & the Akina pass
The caldera lake at the top of Mount Haruna, and the prefectural road up to it — Akina in the series.
A caldera lake at 1,100m with the lava dome of Haruna-Fuji rising beside it, reached by Gunma Prefectural Route 33 — the winding road under 8km long that is drawn as the Akina downhill. There is a ropeway to a summit viewpoint, boats on the lake in season, and hot springs on the far side.
Pourquoi ça vaut le détour
It is a genuinely beautiful volcanic lake with autumn colour and a ropeway, and it happens to be the most famous road in Japanese car culture.
Quand y aller
Busy in autumn.
Bon à savoir
Say it plainly: this is a public prefectural road used by residents, buses and cyclists, with blind corners and no run-off. Racing on it is illegal and people have died doing it. Drive it at the limit — it is still an excellent road. Buses run from Takasaki if you are not driving.
Initial D
The caldera lake and the pass drawn as Akina.