Text and photos by: Tim Muzik
Welcome to the fourth post in our cycling series! This time Tim and Rachael explore the Sasaguri area, a mix of mountain passes, quiet roads, and cultural landmarks like Nanzoin Temple. We’d love to hear your feedback, suggestions, or requests for future rides—feel free to email us at cycling@fukuoka-now.com
This article is part of our growing collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page—and get out and discover Kyushu
Route Overview
Route Highlights: Temples of Sasaguri, The Shoke Pass, Yakiyama Farmers Market, Nomiyama Temple
Length: 78 km
Climbing: 1088 m
Konbini calories: 11 onigiri
GPX File
Overview
Today, we’re riding up, over, and through some winding mountain passes around the Sasaguri area, just east of Fukuoka City. This area is best known for Nanzoin Temple, home to Japan’s largest reclining bronze Buddha. Japan-based hikers and adventurers will also be familiar with the Sasaguri region due to the famous 88 Temple Pilgrimage and the stunning hiking and camping opportunities the dense mountains offer. This route is a perfect example of what makes Fukuoka cycling world-class, as it takes you from the bustling streets of Tenjin to empty, river-lined mountain roads in just a few short kilometers.
Leaving the City
The ride begins heading east out of downtown Fukuoka toward the Homan Range. Cycling on a road bike through a busy city is a bit of an art, but it can be really enjoyable with the right disposition. The Tenjin area, in particular, is well-designed for two-wheeled traffic, as the blue cycling chevrons along the major roads provide a safe way to clear busy intersections. We have found that drivers in Fukuoka are courteous, and the well-timed stop lights make crossing from Ohori Park to Hakata effortless. With some carefully timed sprints and maxed-out efforts, you might only get stopped at two to three lights before being shot out onto the emptier roads east of the airport. Editor: Tim might be giving Fukuoka’s drivers too much credit. It’s safer not to assume that all—or even most—drivers understand the purpose of the blue chevrons. Stay vigilant and keep your guard up!
As a rule, before leaving the comforts of the city behind and getting into the mountains, we stop and load our pockets with some emergency calories. We were quite pleased, on this occasion, to have stumbled upon one of the rare 7-Elevens that stock the much sought-after warm chocolate chip cookies. After eating one and pocketing another, we continued to head toward the Shoke Pass along the separated and smooth bike lane that runs below the Fukuoka Circular Road.
The Shoke Pass
Roads traversing from one side of a mountain to the other, typically following the lowest elevation between surrounding peaks, are known as mountain passes. The French refer to them as “cols,” while in Japan they are called “toge.” These passes are an important aspect of big mountain cycling and are highly sought-after destinations for exploration and ticking off the bucket list.
The Shoke Pass or Shoke Toge is the first of three passes this route weaves up and over and connects the towns of Umi and Iizuka. Leaving Umi, Prefectural Route 60, climbs 400m of elevation in 6 km of smooth switch-back-rich road. After passing the Umi train station, and rolling over the Umi and Sue rivers, Route 60 passes the Wakasugi Forest Park, which includes a grass skiing area, and the Sue Dam. This summit is marked by a sign that welcomes you across the border of Iizuka City.
A fun, fast descent follows, crossing the Tatara River and joining Route 435, which offers stunning, elevated views of the terraced rice fields in Naiju. The gradient then steepens, propelling you into Sasaguri. Here, the road winds alongside the Tatara River, offering breathtaking views of the towering, bare rock cliffs behind Nanzoin Temple.
At this point, you can choose to stop and admire the reclining Buddha or continue onward to tackle the next hurdle, the Yakiyama Pass.
The Yakiyama Pass
This is the second and smallest pass of the day, climbing 160 meters over three kilometers. Though shorter, it can feel draining as it sits between two more significant climbs. The Yakiyama Pass makes up for this with its impressive views of the surrounding mountains and leads past the Koyasan Shingon Temple. It’s worth hopping off your bike to see the large waterfall in the back and the unique green, sword-bearing statues that guard it. While this temple is the 34th stop on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage, it ranks much higher in terms of charm. There are also several short hikes and trails across the road in Shinyoshino Park that are worth exploring.
Descending from the pass brings you to a must-visit spot: the Yakiyama Farmers Market. While previous articles have highlighted the charm of Japan’s rindo-roads, well-placed roadside stations (Michi no eki/ 道の駅) and farmers’ markets rank just as high on the list of what makes Japanese cycling so special. The markets usually appear at just the right time and place when you find yourself shaking with hunger and confused at the lack of konbinis. Rachel and I eagerly pulled in here and enjoyed a basket of seasonally affordable mikans and some freshly grilled chestnuts. Cycle Fukuoka has also provided bike racks at many of these roadside utopias.
After replenishing some calories, the final climb of the day kicks off almost immediately.
The Nomiyama Pass
Three kilometers after leaving the Farmers Market, the Nomiyama Pass begins its ascent up Route 92, climbing over 300 meters within a few short kilometers. The standout feature of this climb is a sharp switchback that offers an excellent view of the road behind and highlights the Yamatsumi and Itsukushima shrines that line the route. The true reward comes at the summit, marked by a Sasaguri Town sign, signifying that the day’s major climbing is complete.
Immediately after beginning the descent, the road passes what could be considered the second most famous temple of the 88 in the Sasaguri area, the Nomiyama temple. This temple is famous, particularly for its beautiful autumn foliage and cherry blossoms in spring. We were happy to have slipped by with green leaves on the trees and relatively empty roads. Descending further leads to some stunning open rice fields with walls of green cedar trees behind, This is where we chose to stop and pull out the second 7-Eleven cookie we had stashed away from the morning. No longer warm, but in Rachel’s opinion, more delicious.
Back in the City
With the hardest part of the day behind you, bringing a sense of accomplishment, the final 20 km of flat terrain back to the city is easy to enjoy. We always opt for roads running parallel to main routes, staying close to our intended path. This time, these roads led us to peaceful farming lanes beside the Tatara River, just outside the city. Careful route planning also ensured that our loop re-entered the city near one of our favorite Fukuoka bakeries: Boul’Ange, which is quickly becoming a staple on our “never bike by without stopping” list.
This article is part of our growing collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page—and get out and discover Kyushu
