Shibu-tōge, Mountain pass between Nakanojo and Yamanouchi, Japan

Shibu-tōge is a mountain pass at 2,172 m between Mount Yokote and Mount Shirane, on the boundary of Nakanojō, Gunma and Yamanouchi, Nagano. National Route 292 crosses it; a blue shield sign marks the route and a white plate below reads "渋峠". The pass is a broad grassy saddle furrowed by shallow gullies, with scattered evergreen shrubs and conifer stands on the upper slopes below a bare, snow-streaked crest.

The pass was incorporated in 1961 into the Chūbu Ōdan Kankō Road plan, and construction was largely finished by 1965, when the road was still unpaved and poorly maintained. Gunma and Nagano agreed to make it a toll road, reopening in 1965 as the Shiga Kusatsu Road; it became toll-free in 1992 and was absorbed into National Route 292.

The pass lies on the border between Nakanojō, Gunma, and Yamanouchi, Nagano. The Shibu-tōge Hotel straddles the prefectural line, which is painted on its walls and grounds, making it a popular photo spot; the hotel also sells a certificate of arrival at Japan's highest national highway point. In winter the slope between the summit of Yokote-yama and the pass becomes the Shibu-tōge area of the Yokote-yama Shibu-tōge ski resort.

The road closes from early November through late April because of heavy winter snow, making the pass inaccessible during these months. Travel here is best planned for the warmer season, and you can reach the area by train to Yudanaka Station.

The true highest point of Route 292 lies a few hundred metres on the Gunma side of the prefectural border, not at the border itself. A stone monument reading "Japan's highest national highway point" was erected there in 2004, and Shibu-tōge Hotel sells a certificate of arrival at that spot.