Soon you find yourself on a mountain road with not even a trace of habitation - and the wide road narrows, so you should be careful of traffic (on weekends, the road can be quite crowded). There are also no drink machines or places to get the aforementioned Rokko water along the way, so get your liquid nourishment before you reach this point or you'll have a long, hot ride to the top.

Eventually the road begins to curve more, and there are a few hairpin turns that let you know you're getting near the top. Still no views, though; this is one of those roads that doesn't give you any good scenery until the very end.