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Just got caught up with this thread...good times, good times indeed!
Keep posting pics...it's appreciated.
I've seen similar threads about Japanese roads and the one thing that always pops up is the quality of the roads. I don't think I've ever seen a major pothole.
love this thread, I don't have the experience of all the folks on here, I went to Formula1 Japan in Suzuka in 2016, we stayed in Tokyo, Kuwana City and Nagoya. without question this was one of the best trips of my life.
Indeed!
One of the great pleasures of driving in Japan is the high quality of the road surfaces.
Additionally, you rarely see off camber corners, or corners that tighten up - mostly, the roads appear to be designed for driving enjoyment.
Putting aside the two major restrictions on driving in Japan that is; poor timing for holiday driving and narrow roads.
To assist with the first, there are plenty of tools (like Jartic and apps), calendars, and common sense available (like do not drive in Golden Week, duh!), and the second we just have to live with...
Originally Posted by grgallo
I went to Formula1 Japan in Suzuka in 2016, we stayed in Tokyo, Kuwana City and Nagoya. without question this was one of the best trips of my life.
Even if you've been to GPs in the EU, and other APAC locations, the JPN GP is something else.
I will see what I've got on file for GP fans...
This last weekend was Lunar New Year, and some friends came out for some driving, eating, and a good burning.
With my partner at work for the weekend, I went past Daikoku Futo on Friday night, always great for cars.
Then, enjoyed the weekend roads, before helping a Wild Boar born friend light our village dondo-yaki.
The last one of the Heisei era.
Speaking of Golden Week though, this year there are ten days off in a row in Japan for the generational unique combined GW and enthronement, so anyone planning on travelling to Japan or getting business done in Japan from April 27 to May 7 had better rethink those plans...
One of those narrow roads:
Silver and lipstick red leather makes a great combination, and one I never get tired of:
I've never realized 'Stop' written on the pavement in Japan, looks like '911' before.
Or, rather the 'ま' from '止まる' sideways does:
Over 20m tall, this pyre really delights, and with some atsukan (hot nihonshu) from the kettle on the fire warming your insides, even the cold night doesn't detract:
The roads were largely deserted on Sunday, and we enjoyed the high speed run, and were back in Tokyo in an hour so so:
Home to the once famous Wangan Mid Night racers, the Tokyo Wan Aqualine still gets drivers out for midnight runs, but on a Sunday morning Umi Hotaru (the man made island in the middle of the bay for the bridge to tunnel transition) was deserted too:
As others have noted, Japan loves its cars, and the Mini is one of the popular classics:
This last weekend, we had a light snow overnight, but with sun out, it was gone by mid-morning.
It was also a three day weekend, so we took a break from working on the minka and kura and took leisurely drive down the coast to do some exploring, and have a Sunday lunch beside the sea.
Though it was less than 2 or 3C for most of the day, we shared the road with two Boxster - both roof down - similarly enjoying the great roads in Boso Hanto.
The Classic Driver newsletter just recently had an article on a beginner's guide to Japan's car culture that made me think of this wonderful thread. See:
“Japan – a land where tradition and modernity sing together in perfect harmony, where centuries of customs have directly influenced the future. It’s also a country that people associate with a car scene that’s as bright and flashy as the cities in which it convenes, where neon-strewn Lamborghinis and Nissan Skylines with comically large aerodynamic addenda reign supreme. Thanks to click-bait YouTube videos and attention-grabbing Instagram posts, that’s the part of Japanese car culture most get to see. And while it’s great to see the whacky modified cars that are so uniquely Japanese, there’s so much more to it than that. There’s also a large and active group of people who appreciate classic cars, and it’s safe to say these guys are not in it for the social media likes...”
I guess there are a large number of car events that all happen to fall in the month of November, including Suzuka Sound of Engine, Tokyo’s Supercar Day, the Coppa di Tokyo, and Lamborghini Day. Sounds like that might be an interesting time to visit.
I guess there are a large number of car events that all happen to fall in the month of November, including Suzuka Sound of Engine, Tokyo’s Supercar Day, the Coppa di Tokyo, and Lamborghini Day. Sounds like that might be an interesting time to visit.
Ha!
You're the second person to ping me this link...
There are a large number of car events all the time in Japan.
Not just November.
If you read Speedhunters, they insist it is January...
Looking for some GP photographs, I did find a set from the Jingu event mentioned above.
It's one of my favorites as it does not get cancelled if there is rain and the cars are out, driving around Tokyo, so you get to see them all in a variety of scenes, not just static.
I love the old school look you give to your photo’s, I assume you’re doing this digitally and not actually using film? Either way it really gives the photos character, especially the older cars.
I love the old school look you give to your photos, I assume you’re doing this digitally and not actually using film? Either way it really gives the photos character, especially the older cars.
Film!
Most of the 135 photographs here are either Fuji 400, Ektar 100, or recently Portra 400, from this:
The square format (120) from this with Ektar again:
The old lenses give a great feel, that's for sure.
Even if they vignette sometimes...
You can of course fit the old lenses to digital these days, but that's not for me...
Plus, you get some fun results sometimes:
Film! Most of the 135 photographs here are either Fuji 400, Ektar 100, or recently Portra 400...
Nice, I was hoping that'd be the case! I sometimes get the urge to dab into that realm but I've invested heavily into all my digital gear and plan on focusing on that for now.
Thanks for sharing and making the effort to get these scanned.
No effort!
This is Japan, where convenience is important...
Shooting events, I often used to make it to press faster than digital for a few simple reasons; Japan scans straight to CD in the developing machine so need to waste time scanning, none of this huge file RAW business and need for balancing and adjusting and correcting (film does that!), there are less photographs to choose from, because film!
For 964 Peteinjp, from our last Toyama-ken tour.
See you there one day we hope...
The Kurobe Dam is an absolute marvel of a place to visit.
Touring the tunnels via the lottery tour, is a half day adventure you'll never forget - the worker train tunnels alone are just amazing...
Sparsely driven roads (except for the ubiquitous crazy kei driver), endless skies, quiet onsen, remarkable food, and friendly locals.
We even found a minka like ours, though with a full thatch roof it was a lot more traditional.
The colors here look pushed, but Toyama-ken in November really is this colorful.
I'm even more impressed now that it's been revealed you're taking these with actual cameras and film rather than a filter on digital. Awesome.
Happy to see you enjoying them then...
Two weekends ago, we had the largest snow this season...
Nothing even close to serious, but it did make for a few cold days.
Heated seats are a joy - no idea how we're ever going to do without those.
With the weather clearing though, we went hunting a quiet Sunday lunch in the mountains.
Three brands in one shot.
We wondered the history of that BMW container, and there's possibly a joke there about it being a lost shipping of indicator bulbs or something...
While the macaque (with babies on their backs as pictured) keep to themselves, in a troop of 20 or more, they make a bit of a road hazard if you're flying around the local Skyline too fast.
Shika (small deer), tanuki, inoshishi (wild boar), and hakubishin (civet) are all regularly seen in either our garden or on the roads.
Any of which would likely make a mess of the 987 at dawn or dusk, most other times during the day, they're tucked up asleep...
02-08-2019, 02:53 PM
