With a paved road that reaches almost 1400 meters (4500 feet), Mt. Akagi is a popular choice for road cyclists near Tokyo looking for a challenge. The annual Mt. Akagi Hill Climb race alone draws thousands of riders every year. And while a bike ride up a mountain might seem daunting for some, there is a way to make the ride fun and accessible to intermediate or newer cyclists: tackling the climb on an electric-assist bicycle. You ride it like a normal bike, but an electric motor assists to make turning the pedals easier when climbing.
Tackling the mountain will give you more than just the satisfaction of completing the challenge. The road up winds through the forest, lined with green in spring and summer, then scarlet and yellow in fall. Tasty Japanese food and lake views wait for you at the top. This is why we offer e-bike hill climb tours here at Akagi Trip. The route is an all-around great way to experience the Japanese countryside with your whole body.
As a guide, my job is to make sure guests learn about the local area, make it to the top safely, and have a great time while doing it. The following is a report from a tour I guided last fall.
I met our guest at Maebashi Station, where he arrived on his train from Tokyo. He was sightseeing in the metropolis for a few days, and had just come up to Maebashi for a daytrip. It was cloudy and chilly that day, late in the fall season, but at least that meant we were in no danger of overheating during the climb. We got his bike and helmet adjusted, loaded up on water, and then we were off.
The first part of the ride cruises through downtown Maebashi. You spend a bit of time waiting at traffic lights, but you also get to see what the city looks like. For travelers who spend most of their time in Japan in Tokyo or Osaka, I think it can be nice to see what a smaller, more normal city looks like.
As we rode further, we passed by fewer and shorter buildings, convenience stores and car repair shops interspersed between houses. The road started to slope gradually up. After about half an hour, we reached the first landmark on our journey: the big red torii gate that marks the entrance to the mountain. The gate straddles the road, so you can ride right through.
The scenery changed to crop fields, farm stands, and soba shops as the road continued at a moderate slope. We stopped for a water break on a brief sidewalk. The e-bikes make climbing easier, but you’re still climbing. Since I’m used to riding a normal road bike here in mountainous Gunma Prefecture, this part of the ride still felt like light exercise to me. But my guest was from the Virginia coast, and he mentioned that while he often goes on long rides with some up and down, he had never climbed continuously for that long. “This is tough!” he said. Nevertheless, after rehydrating he was ready to keep going. I made sure the ride was a comfortable speed for him, checking in every once in a while. I know what it’s like to run out of steam half way through from riding too fast, so I always aim for a steady pace.
Trees rose up around us as we left the occupiable foothills behind. There were almost no cars to share the road with at this point, so we were able to chat to distract ourselves from the relentless climb. We looped around switchbacks in the shade of the forest. It would have been getting chilly at this elevation, but we were nice and warm from the exercise.
We stopped for another water break at a park on the side of the road. In contrast to the still-green trees at ground level, the foliage here was a burst of color, Japanese maple leaves ranging from gold to crimson. We snapped a few photos as we recharged for the final part of the climb.
The switchbacks got steeper the further up we got, but much of the road still felt gradual on my e-bike. I had switched it to full power mode long ago, and that electric motor was now my best friend. My tired guest asked hopefully if we would reach the top soon. I accidentally overestimated the number of curves left, but I think that kept him on his toes. He kept up with the steady pace.
We were high enough up that every turn looked like the last one–and then we were at the top! We cruised by the wide grazing fields of a sheep farm and rolled the last of the way up to the sign marking the goal point of the official hill climb race.
This was technically NOT the highest point we would reach today, but it was the end of the continuous climb. From here we rode down into the crater, onto the road around Akagi’s caldera lake.
Note: a few of these photos are from previous tours
The short descent was a welcome respite and views of the lake cheered us on to our last climb. Just another few minutes of electric-assist pedaling got us to the highest paved point on the mountain: Torii Toge Viewpoint. From up here at 1390 m (4560 ft), we could look out at the rolling foothills and the endless Kanto Plain. (Actually it was cloudy the day we went, but on a good day you can see all the way to Tokyo Skytree.)
From the other side of the viewpoint, you can look down into Akagi’s caldera. Although technically not dormant, this volcano has been inactive for the past 20,000 years, and its crater is covered in greenery and dotted by three lakes.
After taking in the view, we headed back into the crater and stopped at Akagi Shrine, a large, scarlet Shinto shrine on the edge of the lake.
We were starving at this point, so it was time for lunch! There are several restaurants on top of the mountain, with offerings that include ramen, Japanese tonkatsu pork cutlets with local Gunma sauce, fried wakasagi lake fish, and out-of-place but authentic Italian pizza. Lunch is included in the price of the tour, guests can decide what they want when we get to the top. Today we headed to Aoki Ryokan for some deep fried pork and fish.
We took our time chowing down and giving our legs a well-deserved rest. My guest seemed quite proud of himself for making it up his first ever proper mountain climb, looking over his stats on Strava. He said the route was challenging but just right. I still remember how rewarding my first big climbs were when I started sport cycling, and I love getting to share that experience with others now.
Once we were ready to move again, we thanked the cute old lady shopkeeper and headed back out. It was cold on top of the mountain now that my heart rate was down, and we both put on our extra layers and windbreakers. These would be crucial for the descent, where the elevation, wind chill, and lack of actually moving your legs can combine to get very chilly. Then we climbed out of the caldera, and headed down the mountain.
Despite the cold and regardless of exhaustion, over 30 minutes of continuous descending is awesome! We zoomed past the fall colors and cedar forest, curving around the switchbacks and cruising down the straight stretches.
It started to drizzle as we reached the city, but since we were already wearing jackets, that was no problem. We made it back to the station without getting too wet. Before he got on his train back to Tokyo, my guest said he had a great time. Comments like these are always the best part of the tour for me.
Afterward, I sorted through the pictures the support guide and I had taken so we could send them to the guest. Whenever I look through pictures of a good ride, I just want to get back on my bike and head out again. So here’s my message to you, reader: consider an e-bike tour with Akagi Trip–for my sake!
If you’re interested, you can book the tour on Viator here.
Or, see here for our other e-bike tours.
