The route shown is not exact because it is a random designation, but it is roughly like this.
This article is unusually long, so I've divided it into two parts. I'll send you the first part first.
Departure time is 8:00 a.m.
My first touring in two weeks. The day before, I was looking forward to lubricating the chain and adjusting and retightening the phone holder, which had become a bit uncomfortable after buying a new phone.
I'm gonna do a sunrise departure from home once in a while! So I went to bed early...... In the middle of the night, I received a call from a staff member about work, so I was on the computer until 2 a.m. .....
I ended up waking up a little after 7 a.m. .....
Departure is at 8:00 a.m. ......
The night before, I had been considering three possible locations, but I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go, but the moment I got on the bike, it hit me. "I want to eat delicious gyoza...... Let's go to Utsunomiya....."
I think it was an association with the fact that the Tohoku Expressway area of the Tokyo metropolitan area touring plan ends at Utsunomiya, but once we had decided on our destination, we set off at a trot.
Kanagawa - Tokyo - Saitama - Niigata
It was a beautiful Sunday, but the Kanpachi was not crowded at all, and we reached the Nerima Tunnel in no time. If you want to take the Tohoku Expressway, you can go straight down Sasame Street........ If you go straight to Utsunomiya, you'll end up eating gyoza for breakfast: .... That's why I chose the Kanetsu Expressway.
The engine was running great thanks to the cooler temperatures of autumn. The Ninja 650 was in its element as a highway tourer.
Cruising in the overtaking lane in 5th gear is super fun because you can feel a good response when you open and close the gas pedal.
While taking the first break at the PA on the way, I installed a smartphone holder and applied for the Metropolitan Area Touring Plan.
We exited the highway at the Numata Interchange, the last stop on the Kanetsu Expressway, but after driving a little further north, we decided to make up for our late departure by entering the Kanetsu Expressway again at the Tsukiyono Interchange.
In no time at all, Niigata Prefecture.
It's been a while since I've been through the Kanetsu tunnel, but it's still super long ....... This may be my first time coming to Niigata on a motorcycle.
I got off the Kan-etsu Expressway at Yuzawa Interchange, where I had a second flash of inspiration: .....
Purchase of lunch
Let's go out for lunch and have a station lunch!
I stopped at Echigo-Yuzawa station to buy an ekiben.
I haven't been to this station since I went snowboarding here about 15 years ago, but it seems to be a tourist spot and the station is quite well stocked. I think there was also a hot spring.......
Okutadami Silver Line
After purchasing our lunches, we headed for Lake Okutadami. We had planned to take Route 352 through Edaori Pass, but a sign on the way led us to the Okutadami Silver Line.
I noticed this when I got a comment from a biker friend on Facebook who was posting real-time touring stories that day: .......Okutadami Silver Line is closed to motorcycles.....
Apparently, I missed the sign: ....... I'm very sorry for my carelessness. m(_ _)m
By the way, the acquaintance who pointed this out to me is a wanker like me, but he has a cafe custom made SR400. ”I leave before sunrise and return home late at night, so 800km is normal for a day trip." Yesterday, he was on a 700km touring trip from Tokyo to Niigata via Route 252 from Bandai-Azuma Skyline and back home via Kanetsu.
Let's get back on track and start the Okutadami Silver Line. This route is a bit tough for those who don't like tunnels.
It's a dam construction tunnel, and it's quite old, so the road surface is wet with water seeping out of the walls almost all the way.
At the end of the tunnel is this. Okutadami Dam.
We finished the tour with the comment, "The dam is huge. Since it was almost past noon, we decided to go back along the Silver Line to the sightseeing boat terminal, where there would be benches and we could have lunch.
This is my first time touring in Niigata, but the mountainous area is still seriously remote.
There was little traffic on Route 352: .... I mean, there were hardly any cars on the road. We drove smoothly to the lakeside for dinner....... The rest of the story is here.Next post.go to.
