【Driving in a Jimny】Visited the popular spots of Lake Miyagase and Yabitsu Pass in Kanagawa - "Lake Miyagase Edition"

I took a drive in a Jimny to Lake Miyagase, which is located in Kiyokawa village, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Yabitsu Pass in Hadano city. Although I had thought about the driving route in advance, it turned out that almost nothing went as planned… Nonetheless, all spots were great for driving.

There were many posts about driving tours at Lake Miyagase

When searching for nearby driving courses from Tokyo on social media, "Lake Miyagase" had many posts. Furthermore, when searching for nearby spots, "Yabitsu Pass" was found, and I learned that the route from Lake Miyagase to the pass called "Ura Yabitsu" is quite challenging, so I planned a route running from the lake to Ura Yabitsu and set off.

A stopover spot at Lake Miyagase: Torihara Park

Lake Miyagase (Miyagase Dam) is located in Kiyokawa village, the only village in Kanagawa Prefecture, and has been built to protect the areas along the Nakatsu River and downstream of the Sagami River from flooding and to secure drinking water. The view overlooking the Tanzawa mountains is beautiful, and it is a popular driving and touring spot due to its good access from Tokyo and Yamanashi.

First, I arrived at Torihara Park by the shores of Lake Miyagase. Even though it was a weekday, there were many riders.

Immediately, street food at Mizunomori Shopping Street

I arrived at Mizunomori Shopping Street, which has many restaurants. Since I planned to have a meal later, I wanted to do some light eating here. I was drawn to this shop for the salt-grilled iwana over charcoal.

The salt-grilled iwana was exquisite, without any dryness or unpleasant smell! I’m not very good with river fish and it was my first time eating iwana, but it was so delicious that I ended up eating it all from head to tail. It is a recommended dish when you come to Torihara Park.

Not only are there easy street food options, but there are also many places where you can enjoy authentic gourmet cuisine. There seem to be real menus like bitterleaf grilled dishes and soup curry. I found many shops that I wanted to try on my next visit.

Many bridges and a large lake are beautiful

Once I started riding, I was surprised by the vastness of Lake Miyagase. In fact, Lake Miyagase is the second largest lake (by reservoir capacity) in the Kanto region, following the Yagisawa Dam in Gunma, and one can enjoy the expansive views of the lake from the roads along its shores. Many bridges have been constructed to allow a straight passage along the lakeside, making the ride very pleasant. I understood why this place is popular as a driving and touring spot.

I had planned to run from Lake Miyagase to Ura Yabitsu this time, but I realized on-site that it is under construction until the end of April 2025, and I changed my route to go around from Hadano and run along Omote Yabitsu. I regret my lack of research.

Next time, I will head to Yabitsu Pass, which is well known and appears in Initial D.

Interview & Text by Kazuma Tanaka

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