is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

high at the north-end of the

Hidaka Mountains The are a mountain range in southeastern Hokkaido, Japan. It runs from Mount Sahoro or Karikachi Pass in central Hokkaidō south, running into the sea at Cape Erimo. It consists of folded mountains that range from in height. Mount Poroshiri ...

Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The east side feeds into the

Tokachi River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. Etymology In 1820, the explorer Takeshiro Matsuura (松浦武四郎) proposed "Tokachi" as the name of the surrounding Tokachi Province, with each character corresponding to a Japanese homophone. The provinc ...

system and the west side the

Saru River is a river in Hokkaido, Japan. The Saru River rises in the Hidaka Mountains and empties into the Pacific. It is considered sacred in traditional Ainu beliefs. The Nibutani Dam is situated on the Saru River, at Nibutani village. The construct ...

system.

Overview

The area is an important route connecting central and eastern Hokkaido. Although the elevation is only 1,022m, the vegetation and natural environment is comparable to that of 3,000m class mountain areas in

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

, and driving conditions can be treacherous. Visibility is often impaired due to heavy fog or snowstorms, depending on the season, and the 33.3-km section from Ōdai bridge in Hidaka to Ishiyama in Shimizu is designated a special traffic regulation zone, resulting in measures to improve visibility, and prevent snow and ice on the road surface. Uphill lanes for slow vehicles and emergency lanes for vehicles with brake failure have also been installed. Travel along this route was somewhat eased in 2011 when the East Hokkaido Expressway was connected to central Hokkaido.

Outline

The roadbed traverses the pass through the Nisshō Pass Tunnel at . The pass is long. The road is wide with a maximum grade of 6.2%. The minimum curve radius is . Snow is possible on the pass from October to May.

Japan National Route 274 National Route 274 is a national highway of Japan connecting Kita-ku, Sapporo is a ward of Sapporo composed of residential neighborhoods mostly arranged in grid patterns, and each built surrounding a train station, broken up by areas of fa ...

crosses the pass between Hidaka and Shimizu.

References

External links

Geographical Survey Institute
Mountain passes of Japan {{Hokkaido-geo-stub