Explore the Venus Line, one of Nagano Prefecture’s scenic mountain driving routes, from above in Google Earth.

Stretching approximately 76 km from Chino City to the Utsukushigahara Highlands, the Venus Line climbs from the urban area of Chino at 767 m to its highest point at 1,959 m — an elevation gain of about 1,200 m.

What makes this route particularly fascinating is the landscape it passes through. Rising to nearly 2,000 m in elevation, the road travels through a mountainous region surrounded by several basins, with the Northern Alps, Central Alps, Southern Alps, and Yatsugatake Mountains forming a spectacular backdrop of peaks reaching around 3,000 m.

In this video, we follow the Venus Line from Chino City through Tateshina Kogen, Lake Shirakaba, Kurumayama, Kirigamine, and Yashimagahara Wetland, before reaching the Utsukushigahara Highlands — following the entire 76 km route from above in Google Earth.

・Timestamps
00:00 Overview of the Venus Line
00:20 Start of the Venus Line – Akebono Tunnel Intersection
01:47 Tateshina Kogen
03:23 Shirakaba Kogen
04:49 Kurumayama Kogen
05:40 Kirigamine
08:25 Wada Pass
09:24 End of the Venus Line – Utsukushigahara
11:12 Mt. Ougatou – Highest Peak of Utsukushigahara
11:25 360° Mountain Panorama