⛰ Nagano · 2 days
Venus Line Drive: Utsukushigahara, Lake Shirakaba and the Highest Roadside Station in Japan
A 2-day Venus Line road trip from Suwa across the Utsukushigahara highlands at around 2,000 m, then down the old Nakasendo to Saku: Lake Shirakaba, Lake Megami, the highest michi-no-eki in Japan and 5 roadside stations in driving order.
The Venus Line is the drive Japanese road-trippers name first when you ask them where to go in Nagano. From the Suwa basin the road climbs through the Kirigamine moors, past Lake Shirakaba and Lake Megami, and keeps rising until the trees stop altogether: Utsukushigahara is a treeless ridge of grazing meadow at around 2,000 metres, and the michi-no-eki up there is the highest roadside station in Japan. On a clear morning the ridge hands you the Japan Alps on one side and Mt Fuji and the Yatsugatake range on the other.
The second half of this route is the way down. Instead of doubling back to Suwa, you drop east off the ridge into Nagawa and Tateshina — upland farm country where Lake Megami sits in the larch forest — then join the old Nakasendo highway at Mochizuki, a post town that still has its sake brewery and white-walled storehouses, and finish in Saku where the Chubu-Jukan Expressway takes you home. Five michi-no-eki, in driving order, from 2,000 metres down to the Chikuma river.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Utsukushigahara Kougen 道の駅 美ヶ原高原 · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Utsukushigahara Kougen (道の駅 美ヶ原高原) is a government-designated roadside station in 上田市, Nagano, Japan, registered in 2007 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, a museum or gallery and an observation deck. There is free parking for about 800 cars and 15 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–17:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Marumero No Eki Nagato, Aoki and Megami No Sato Tateshina.
Nearby: ⛰Ogato (3 km) · ⛰Ogahana (3.9 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Marumero No Eki Nagato 道の駅 マルメロの駅ながと · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Marumero No Eki Nagato (道の駅 マルメロの駅ながと) is a government-designated roadside station in 小県郡長和町, Nagano, Japan, registered in 1997 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 48 cars and 16 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:30–18:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Megami No Sato Tateshina, Mimaki and Utsukushigahara Kougen.
Nearby: 🌄上田城紅葉まつり (14.5 km) · 📸Ueda Castle Park (14.6 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Megami No Sato Tateshina 道の駅 女神の里 たてしな · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Megami No Sato Tateshina (道の駅 女神の里 たてしな) is a government-designated roadside station in 北佐久郡立科町, Nagano, Japan, registered in 2017 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. There is free parking for about 66 cars and 23 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–17:00（1/5–4月・毎週木曜日定休）、9:00–18:00（GW–12/30） ＜休 12/31–1/4＞. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Marumero No Eki Nagato, Hottopa ~ Ku ・ Asashina and Mimaki.
Nearby: 🌄Fujimi Viewing Platform (9.4 km) · 🌄Mizunote Viewing Platform (9.5 km)
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Hottopa ~ Ku ・ Asashina 道の駅 ほっとぱ〜く・浅科 · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Hottopa ~ Ku ・ Asashina (道の駅 ほっとぱ〜く・浅科) is a government-designated roadside station in 佐久市, Nagano, Japan, registered in 1998 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, a tourist-information desk, a baby room and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 34 cars and 7 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18.00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Herushiiterasu Saku Minami, Megami No Sato Tateshina and Mimaki.
Nearby: 🏯大井城跡 (7.2 km) · 🌄Fujimi Viewing Platform (7.7 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Herushiiterasu Saku Minami 道の駅 ヘルシーテラス佐久南 · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Herushiiterasu Saku Minami (道の駅 ヘルシーテラス佐久南) is a government-designated roadside station in 佐久市, Nagano, Japan, registered in 2016 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 111 cars and 30 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00 –18:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Hottopa ~ Ku ・ Asashina, Megami No Sato Tateshina and Mimaki.
Nearby: 🏯大井城跡 (5.6 km) · 📸Tatsuoka Castle (7.1 km)
Make this route yours — load all 5 stops into the planner, reorder or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
Customize this route →Onsen baths and beds along this route (Nagano · 8 with onsen / 2 with rooms)
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Marumero No Eki Nagato 道の駅 マルメロの駅ながと · Nagawa, Nagano · on the route -
Mimaki 道の駅 みまき · Tōmi-shi, Nagano · ~7 km off the route -
Ooshiba Kougen 道の駅 大芝高原 · Minamiminowa, Nagano · ~42 km off the route -
Shinshuu Tsuta Ki Yado 道の駅 信州蔦木宿 · Fujimi, Nagano · ~43 km off the route -
Pokapoka Rando Miasa 道の駅 ぽかぽかランド美麻 · Ōmachi-shi, Nagano · ~47 km off the route -
Kotani 道の駅 小谷 · Otari, Nagano · ~71 km off the route -
Touyama Sato 道の駅 遠山郷 · Iida, Nagano · ~103 km off the route -
Shinshuu Hiratani 道の駅 信州平谷 · Hiraya, Nagano · ~111 km off the route
♨ All 143 michi-no-eki with an onsen bath🛏 All 81 michi-no-eki with rooms on site♨🛏 All 46 michi-no-eki with both onsen and rooms📍 Every michi-no-eki in Nagano
Route tips
- Utsukushigahara is seasonal. The prefectural road over the ridge and the station at the top close for snow, so this drive runs late April to mid-November. The station keeps 09:00–17:00 hours and cloud usually boils up by midday — be on the ridge in the morning.
- Nagawa is the stop to time a bath around: Marumero no Eki Nagato (09:30–18:00) has a hot spring, a restaurant and a tourist desk, and it is the only stop on the route with an onsen.
- Megami no Sato Tateshina is a farm-stand and parking stop, not a meal stop — no restaurant, no cafe — and it closes Thursdays from early January through April. Eat at Nagawa or Asashina instead.
- None of the five stops has rooms, so book the night in Suwa, Tateshina or Saku. Healthy Terrace Saku Minami at the end has EV charging, wifi and parking for 111 cars — the easiest place to regroup before the expressway.
Before you drive
- Can you drive in Japan? License rules by country
- Renting a car in Japan: the complete guide
- Can you sleep overnight at a michi-no-eki?
FAQ — Venus Line & Utsukushigahara
How many days do you need for the Venus Line & Utsukushigahara route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 40 km of driving with 5 michi-no-eki stops along the way. You can compress it, but the stops are the point.
Where does the route start and end?
It starts at Suwa / Chino, Nagano (2h from Tokyo on the Chuo Expressway) and ends at Saku, Nagano (Chubu-Jukan Expressway; about 2h back to Tokyo). Load all 5 stops into the free MichiStops route planner to reorder, add or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
When is the best season to drive this route?
Late April to mid-November — the ridge road over Utsukushigahara and the station on top close for winter snow.
Do I need to rent a car?
Yes — michi-no-eki are roadside stations, realistically reachable only by rental car or campervan. Most visitors can drive in Japan with a 1949-convention International Driving Permit; check the license rules for your country before booking. License rules by country →
Can I sleep overnight at the michi-no-eki on this route?
Resting overnight in your vehicle is tolerated at most michi-no-eki, but tents, awnings and open-air cooking are not allowed. Read the overnight-stay guide for the etiquette. Overnight-stay guide →