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Later we moved to a large 1930s era mansion, in Denenchofu, just where the terrain started to drop to the Tamagawa, surrounded by rice fields (in Denenchofu ! - hard to imagine today). Magnificent views over the Tamagawa!
That's some serious history there.
I cannot imagine the feel of Japan at the time, nor the need to be displaced as a result of the War.
Have you seen the film Spy Sorge, based in that period, about a Soviet spy operating in the region at the time?
A Denenchofu mansion sounds just perfect...
Originally Posted by TEF
The Japanese have adopted some Western traditions, but often with their own spin.
Ha!
Indeed, one of the curious things about Japan - like, how come we eat Egg and Ham Sand from konbini?
Originally Posted by TEF
However, our little group of American kids had an entire abandoned US air base (RAF Sturgate) as a forbidden play ground. It had not been closed for long, so we were able to get into the control tower and turn on the runway lights.
That's a great story.
As an adult, I like exploring similar... as there's a few abandoned US bases.
Judging from the vault door, numbered building and gate signage, the photos are of a US base, but would love to know which one(s). My first guess would be one used by the US army. The only airbase that comes to mind is Tachikawa AB that was located west of Tokyo.
Judging from the vault door, numbered building and gate signage, the photos are of a US base, but would love to know which one(s). My first guess would be one used by the US army. The only airbase that comes to mind is Tachikawa AB that was located west of Tokyo.
Tachikawa Air Base it is!
Impressed...
There was a fashion shoot underway at the time, and we piggy-backed on their access.
Originally Posted by quickboxster
That's neat. Like a set from the Walking Dead.
There used to be a lot of haikyo in Japan, but it has been slowly removed (supposedly, after reports of too many cliched HDR photographs making people's eyes bleed).
Here's a few more, starting with Gulliver's Kingdom from Mark Magazine a few years ago, and a Gemballa 928 seen before.
Sakura season in Japan is great excuse to get out and drive...
Fresh off the Aqualine from Yokohama, this Civic had the same idea.
Hopefully, Honda will stop making needlessly ugly cars one day, and refocus on their otherwise excellent chassis dynamics and engine tech.
Perhaps when they realize 12 year olds do not buy too many cars?
We took the Maple Road, in seek of a famed Cuban sandwich van.
Enjoying the twisty bits, and sakura trees along the way.
Though a weekend, the roads were relatively quiet, except for the usual smattering of sport bikes and touge hunting cars.
Manual shifted PDK, up and down, between second and third; heaven.
Carnewal mufflers barking and popping on the downshifts and over-run.
Pity I am not into vids.
Sport bikes parked beside the road, signaled a place to stop.
Fresh coffee, pulled pork, chorizo, hot buns, coleslaw, roast beef, and a place to sit.
We took a drive up the valley with a handful of sandwiches, and sat beside the road on a few collapsible chairs and watched the passing weekend traffic...
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Sometimes, the color of life, film, and lens come together as a good summary of the day.
Beside the road - with some Cuban sando - we sat under the sakura trees as they shed their petals in the warm breeze.
It's been said before, but the luggage capacity of a Cayman is pretty good, and here it easily swallowed collapsible chairs.
Some of the passing traffic.
Though a four-outlet system on a three-cylinder engine might in theory be a bit strange, this S660 sounded great!
The Fairlady made multiple passes, and the Seven was on it...
Some of the exotic machinery out on the Maple Road.
With bars like, the one on the right I would guess be a bit 'squirrely' in the corners.
The road home.
Fishing on a local lake, and the reverse view of the one above.
Stone kura (storage house on the left), a rare sight in most place in Japan, and a sign of wealth.
This one would be at least 120, or more, years old and as strong as the day it was built.
Our street.
Our sakura this year, mostly saved from marauding monkeys who otherwise enjoy the fresh buds to eat.
We used a 'garden sentry' for the first time, an infrared deer movement detector with a water sprinkler head - very effective (scared the mailman a few times for sure as well).
Thanks!
Not sure there's that much of interest here today, but with the warm Spring days, it's great to get out of the house...
With my partner in Tokyo for a few days' work, I was left alone looking for excuses to get out and drive.
Neglected danchi, and I must go back before it is demolished for that Showa-era immersion experience.
Looking like something on Gunkanjima, it's sure to be interesting.
Neglected kura, and though on the property with a nice house, both appear to be slowing decaying.
Lunch with a C4 friend, down the coast.
Japanese comfort food - plate burgers, salmon steaks, deep fried prawns, sea-chicken rice bowls - always has a place.
Unlike palm trees, which for some reason denote 'resort' or 'luxury' in Japan, and were seemingly planted in auspicious locations to add a sense of the exotic.
The trend appeared to stop after the bubble, at the end of the 1980s.
Local rice planting across the region is coming to a close, and over the next few months the tanbo will transform from frog-infested paddies to vast fields of waving green.
Typhoon threats aside...
Friends of friends are just opening a new event space down the valley.
One of their first events was an Alpine brunch, with nearly 30 cars in attendance.
I took the slow roads, doing some exploring along the way.
This barber was adjacent to an old brewery.
Many shops appeared closed, but possibly just for the day.
Having left the house early, I stopped for a coffee and was quickly joined by the first Alpine of the day.
The Jimnys were also out in force, and I am sure the Outdoor Monster would be fun on the many mountain trails.
Classic Alpine mark.
The event space is over a single lane bridge, but otherwise has plenty of space.
About 30% of the Alpine Blue.
Our host who drives an original Alpine A110, also has a great Renault coffee truck.
I can't help but see a hippo every time I look at that front end. Great cars though I hear.
At less than 1100kg, they are indeed pretty neat machines; well built, lithe, as fast as a Cayman, and they sound great for a four-cylinder turbo too.
Leaving the Alpine brunch, I took the back roads home, and did some exploring...
Though invited, I parked a discrete distance from the Renault.
This white one from Tokyo made a good match though.
Local road, yellow line, no passing, but not too much traffic, so a great run.
A kura that has definitely seen better days.
'No Through Road', avoided accordingly in the Cayman.
Tunnels!
Safari-resto started with Flex Auto, and their remade Land Cruisers.
With 4WDs migrating further and further up market, into soccer parent luxo-barges, and no workhorse 4WDs easily accessible, Flex Auto stripped down and rebuilt old Land Cruisers.
They remade them with navi, utilitarian colors (desert tan, khaki, battleship gray!), ditched the fuel economic SUV tires and fitted decent tall AT tires on black steelies with dog dish hubcaps. Back-dating is also an option.
Random kei also get the treatment, in this case a non-kei conversion too (too tall now perhaps).
At least this trend is somewhat functional, unlike others popular from Japan in the West these days.
Others like Free Sky added the Probox, Rasheen, Pajero, Hiace, and similar.
I've seen a few Cross Polo, Golf, and Panda too, but this however, is the first Volvo wagon I've seen similarly treated.
The new paint, grille, steel wheels, and indicator lenses really give it a lift.
Our C4-driving friend wanted to sample the Cuban sando others, then us, were so enthusiastic about.
So, with gray skies and a slight threat of rain, we took the long way via the twisties and the Maple Road.
Many sport bikes out in the area too this time.
Kura and some fancy tree shaping.
The Maple Road traverses local farm lands, and up and down a few grades.
Some rice fields were still being planted.
I think that was a Buell thruming past?
We thought we were being joined by a Boxster, but it had come loaded with empty water containers for the local spring water.
Then, a Roadster similarly equipped with a trunk load of empty water containers.
Though mostly Japanese here, there were a few Aprilia, one Laverda, two Guzzi, and a Ducati out on the day too.
While some of the Japanese machines sound nice, there's nothing like the sound of a big Ducati.
Local shrine, with stone tablet marking some long lost historical event.
More kura and some serious tree shaping.
The one on the left looks like it needs a slight trim though...
In the time it took to enjoy our Cuban sando, then a fresh brewed coffee, this farmer hand-plant half a field of rice.
High volume, Japan Agriculture production, includes subsidized seedling, machine cassette planting, and harvesting.
Hand planting, possibly hand grown seedlings, is likely used for high quality nihonshu (sake) rice or similar.
99% of kei trucks in Japan are Japanese-made.
However, there are some Ligier - which appear to have been made in cooperation with a local farm equipment supplier.
Équipe Ligier of course, famous for their Formula 1 exploits.
Like Honda...
The C4 driver is looking at a kei for home reform work, and while we tried to suggest a Ligier would be cool, they are leaning toward the Honda.
Their preference is for one of the 4WD Spirit Color editions from a few years ago, which unlike regular kei have nearly doubled in price - possibly as they are no longer made.
As for me, I am looking forward to borrowing our friends' new kei, and barreling around the corners, flat-out, on two wheels, like a local...
I was invited to attend the recent Octane Magazine and Porsche Japan celebration of air-cooled goodness. It was held under a cerulean sky at the Prince Hotel, near Tokyo Tower.
With three entrances, two car parks, 200 cars formally invited, and another 100 or so showing up it was impressive to watch the marshals coral all those whirring fans.
Factory 964 Turbo Flachbau at the head of the queue? Possibly the best looking of all the flachbau versions... at least to me.
One of a number of 993 Carrera RS present on the day.
I hope his 'followers' do not find out he went without his surfboard.
Another two tidy Carrera RS.
My friends' pre-A Speedster.
356A and C.
Abarth-style exhaust on a 356C. Neat solution for license plate light on a bumperless C.
Tastefully back-dated 964.
Based on the rear flare profile, quite possibly a genuine 2.7 RS, or at least flares (unlike the replica above).
One more air-cooled, horizontally opposed machine. Though a failure in the US, Subaru's Tentomushi was key in getting Japan mobilized in the post-War years.
The owner was sure his 912 had been a Kanagawa-ken police car. Though not sure why LHD and fitted with US headlights.
With operating lights, sirens, and a regulated speedometer, it looked the part.
Is it just me, or are Fried Eggs now starting to look OK?
964 wide-body Speedster.
Kodak Portra 400 rendered Rubystone Red; looking slightly more pink than reality here.
50 Jahre Anniversary Targa.
This RUF SCR sounded brilliant. The narrow bodied style of course designed for minimum air resistance and V-max capabilities. I did wonder about the South African-style rear reflectors, but they appear to be factory fitted.
The mostest 1980s' 911 ever? Hopefully, the driver had matching lip gloss, a wide shouldered jacket, and a big perm too.
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With the weather warming up, and Covid-19 restrictions being relaxed, we hit the road for the quick run up to Sodegaura Forrest Raceway.
The Tokyo Bayside Classic Cup was again allowing visitors and guests, and not just drivers and support.
C4, with recently fixed frown.
US-spec Midget.
Five-gauge 912.
MGB in race paint.
900 Cabrio, Jensen Healey, and regular Cayman in the car park.
Two Bugatti Type 35s present on the day.
Fun to watch their start, warm-up, and track work.
Anyone know how those ignition systems work (assume the top one is a twin-plug magneto)?
Low-light Ghia with stinger exhaust and drag tires.
Racing Imp, and check out this thread if you want to see more Imp goodness.
05-02-2022, 12:14 AM
