Day Trips from SapporoJapan's Longest Straight Road: A Day Trip from Sapporo on Route 12
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- Route 12 runs dead straight for 29.2 km between Bibai and Takikawa, the longest straight road in Japan
- Eat Bibai's torimeshi (chicken rice) and buy its yakitori and bagged yakisoba
- Monuments at the start, middle and end; the road was first built by prisoners in 1886
- About 1.5 hours from Sapporo on ordinary roads; finish at a hilltop hot spring
Route 12, the main road between Sapporo and Asahikawa, runs dead straight for 29.2 km between Bibai and Takikawa: the longest straight road in Japan. You do not need the expressway; it starts about an hour and a half from Sapporo. This is a day on and around it, with Bibai's local food, the monuments at the start, middle and end, a memorial to the prisoners who first cut the road, farm gelato and a hilltop hot spring.
What is Japan's longest straight road?
Japan's longest straight road is the 29.2 km stretch of Route 12 from Bibai to Takikawa, across the flat rice fields of the Sorachi plain. Its origin is the Kamikawa road, about 90 km, built in 1886 by prisoners from the Kabato and Sorachi prisons, which is why Route 12 is sometimes called the "prisoners' road". Bibai itself was a coal-mining town, and its local food, like yakisoba eaten straight from the bag and chicken rice, was made for miners.
The second-longest straight road in Japan is also in Hokkaido: the 28.1 km "Road to the Sky" near Shari on the Okhotsk coast of eastern Hokkaido.
Still deciding where to go? I compare all the day trips I recommend from Sapporo in this guide.
Day Trips from Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Where to GoThe best day trips from Sapporo, chosen by a local who drives them: Otaru, Jozankei, Noboribetsu, Shakotan, Lake Toya and Biei, with drive times, train options and the best season for each.
Driving from Sapporo to the straight road
From Sapporo: about an hour and a half on ordinary roads: Route 12 runs straight out of the city toward Asahikawa, through Ebetsu and Iwamizawa. The expressway runs alongside but saves little time.
From New Chitose Airport: a little over an hour and a half, via Naganuma, joining Route 12 at Iwamizawa.
There are convenience stores all along Route 12, and Roadside Station Mikasa, Hokkaido's first roadside station (1993), is about 7 km before the start. Mikasa is a coal town famous for ammonite fossils, and you can see some at the roadside station.
A local's one-day route on Route 12
This is the order I recommend, leaving Sapporo at 9:00. Avoid Wednesdays and the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays, when some stops are closed.
| Time | Stop |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Leave Sapporo |
| 10:30–10:45 | Antenna Shop PiPa, Bibai |
| 11:00–11:40 | Lunch at Shirakaba Chaya |
| 11:50–12:10 | Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie (the halfway point) |
| 12:30–12:40 | Kamikawa Road Memorial |
| 13:10–13:50 | Maruka Kogen Observatory |
| 14:10–14:30 | Iwase Farm |
| 15:15–17:00 | Pipa no Yu Yurinkan |
| 18:30 | Back in Sapporo |
The start: the monument at Bibai
Seven kilometers past Roadside Station Mikasa, after an S-shaped overpass, a tall monument on the left reads "Straight Road, Japan's Number One, 29.2 km". There are monuments like it at the start (Bibai), the middle (Naie) and the end (Takikawa). The pull-off in front of it is narrow and the road is one lane each way with heavy traffic, so I do not recommend stopping; take your photo at PiPa instead.
Antenna Shop PiPa, Bibai
Five minutes on, turn right at the big "Restaurant Fuji Kanko" sign. This little shop sells Bibai's local products; the ones to buy are Kadoya's yakisoba, made so miners could eat it straight from the bag, and Fukuyoshi's yakitori, Bibai's style of chicken skewers.
Outside is a "Japan's longest straight road, Route 12, 29.2 km" sign that is easy to photograph (it is the photo at the top of this page).
It is open from 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and to 17:00 at weekends, and closed on Wednesdays.
Lunch at Shirakaba Chaya
Fifteen minutes up Route 12, look for the blue "とりめし" sign on the left. This roadside restaurant serves Bibai's torimeshi, chicken rice cooked in broth. My favorite is the torimeshi omurice, the rice wrapped in a soft, runny omelet; it is not on the menu, so ask for it. The salt ramen and torimeshi set is also good. It fills up even on weekdays, so arrive at 11:00 when it opens.
Shirakaba Chaya in Bibai: Torimeshi and the Off-Menu OmuriceA local's guide to Shirakaba Chaya on Route 12 in Bibai: torimeshi chicken rice, the off-menu torimeshi omurice, the salt ramen set, hours, closing days and when to arrive.
Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie: the halfway point
Ten minutes on, the halfway monument stands beside Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie, a log-cabin-style building named after Naie's sister town in Finland. Try the haskap soft cream, covered in a sauce of local haskap berries, sweet and a little sour.
Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie: Halfway Along the Straight RoadA local's guide to Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie on Route 12: the halfway monument of Japan's longest straight road, haskap soft cream, hours and parking.
Kamikawa Road Memorial
Just under 20 minutes on, turn left at the T-junction before the Sorachi River; the memorial is a little way down on the right, before a Mazda dealer. It honors the prisoners who died building the Kamikawa road in 1886. It is not a sightseeing spot, and there is room for only one or two cars, but it is worth a quiet stop. Across the river, the last monument marks the end of the straight road.
Maruka Kogen Observatory
About 30 minutes north-east, up into the hills, this lookout sees over Takikawa, the fields and the end of the straight road. Sheep graze nearby. The road is open from mid-May to late November; the last part is narrow, with passing places, and there are no toilets.
Iwase Farm
Twenty minutes on, this dairy farm's cafe serves gelato, cakes and pudding made with its own milk; the gelato is also sold at Sunagawa SA on the expressway. It is open from 9:00 to 18:00, with parking for 40 cars and toilets.
Pipa no Yu Yurinkan
About 40 minutes back south, this hot spring on a hill above Bibai has six baths, including a cave-like outdoor bath, with smooth, slippery water known as a "skin-beautifying" spring. It costs 650 yen. In summer the sun sets after 19:00, so stay for dinner if you want this view. If you have time, the Coal Mine Memorial Forest Park, with its red mine towers, is 15 minutes away.
Pipa no Yu Yurinkan: A Hilltop Hot Spring in BibaiA local's guide to Pipa no Yu Yurinkan, a hilltop hot spring in Bibai: six baths including a cave-like outdoor bath, smooth skin-beautifying water, the sauna, price (650 yen), hours and parking.
Onsen Near Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Day-Trip Hot SpringsThe best onsen near Sapporo for a day trip, chosen by a local who has bathed at all of them: Jozankei, Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Shakotan and Lake Toya, with prices, tattoo-friendly and private baths, and shuttle buses.
Route 12 in winter
Route 12 is a main road and is kept clear, but from November to April it can be icy and blowing snow can cut visibility on the open plain. The road up to Maruka Kogen is closed in winter (open mid-May to late November).
Driving in Hokkaido: A Local's Guide to Renting a Car and the RoadsHow to rent a car and drive in Hokkaido, from a Sapporo local who drives every week: the license you need, expressway tolls and the Hokkaido Expressway Pass, road rules, and winter driving.
FAQ about Japan's longest straight road
Q1. Where is the longest straight road in Japan?
On Route 12 in Hokkaido, between Bibai and Takikawa: 29.2 km.
Q2. How long does it take from Sapporo?
About an hour and a half on Route 12 to the start at Bibai.
Q3. Can I stop at the monuments?
The pull-offs at the Bibai and Takikawa monuments are narrow on a busy road; stop at the halfway monument at Roadside Station Hausjarvi Naie, or the sign at Antenna Shop PiPa.
Q4. What should I eat in Bibai?
Torimeshi (chicken rice) at Shirakaba Chaya, and Bibai yakitori.