Kuro Neko

Yup!
Pretty rare indeed, as you suggest.
At least as a mobile caravan thingy... where I've never seen one on the road.

However, fixed, as a cafe / burger joint, accommodation, house extension, weekender, or similar, they are very popular in Japan.
Some acquaintances have one, and there's at least another four or five just down the coast from us too.

Here's one in Sendai - with a suitably Americanized Toyota Kujira:

Kuro Neko

Quick trip into Tokyo...



Last of the leaves falling at our house.



The view across our valley to our minka.



Local bridge.



Contrasting with Tokyo bridge on my commute.



Shinjuku.



Early morning arrival in the office.



Ambulance takes the red light.



Local streets of Shibuya...

Zach L

A Japanese Abbey Road!

Very cool tunnel and local bridge. Japan is super lush.

Kuro Neko

Ha!
There's more lushness coming from a recent trip West, but here, just a Sunday lunch in Yokohama...



Cold, still, sunny day.
Some rain supposedly forecast.



Finished in the late 1890s, the Imperial Japanese Army built a 24cm gun battery to protect from foreign invasion.
It's a fascinating visit if you're into war ruins and similar.



The magazines, turntable areas, barracks, and stuff like that are all still in place.



The view out over the bay is pretty good, and we were lucky the JSDF and US Navy were conducting some type of joint exercise on the day, with plenty of ship things floating about - many doing ship stuff to keep the white-suited guests entertained.



Reminds me of the 'MG MG-B GT MG6' badged MG.



Lunch at the yacht club.
Before you start, we were not guests and do not drive a yacht.
Merely restaurant users.



Tokyo 996 had made a similar trip across the bay.



Yokohama stone kura.



Yokohama abandoned danchi.



Another stone kura, and possibly both dating from at least the time they made the gun battery.




Ferry companions for our trip back across the bay...

GeoJoe

This thread continues to deliver cars + culture.

Kuro Neko

Glad to see others still enjoying the stuff too!
If you're into Japanese cars and the Japanese car scene - including the occasional Porsche - check out my stuff in Classic. Retro. Modern. magazine.
Easy to find I think on most social media platforms... as well as your UK newsagent (whatever that is).



As for lushness - thanks for that word - we recently took a tour West for a week or so, and after 1900km (side trips and a few touge added to the main route above), we thoroughly enjoyed just that.



With the tourists back, we studiously avoided anywhere where crowds might be found and booked accommodations well away from main train lines and similar.
Mountain mists being particularly photogenic.



After a high-speed blast out the Shin-Tomei Expressway, we dropped off to get into some mountain roads exploring.

'High-speed' for Japan, at least on the Shin-Tomei is the posted speed of 120km/h, and with spouse-allowable bursts for passing over that (some may have seen an indicated 150 or so, but I could not comment) you can cover some distance rapidly.
The Shin-Tomei is for the most, four extra-wide lanes each way, with at least 1.5 width emergency lanes on both sides, and with large radiused curves you can safely manage the higher speeds.
The few patrol cars we saw seemed to not mind being passed by cars safely doing just over 120, and after a while we fell in with the cars travelling in the fast lanes.
While not fraught with the same stress as de-restricted autobahn, you did need to keep an eye on your mirrors, as some patrons seemed quite happy to be running at what looked like 160km/h or more.
One S-Class and a Turbo each on separate occasions passed us with a shinkansen-like speed whoosh...

Once again using the touge list as a starting point, we took as many cross-routes as possible.
Here, we stopped and spoke with a local who was first suspicious of the Tokyo-registered car, then surprised we had stopped to photograph his local shrine.
After that though, he was very happy to talk about his village, his friend he was walking to meet, and the rain water drain to the river he had been clearing the day before...



When planning the trip, as we knew some mountains were on the agenda, we were a little concerned the PS4s were to be unsuitable, but although wet the temperature didn't really dip below 15C.
Snow chain bay sign though would be needed in January or so, according to some locals.



The many little villages had us stopping to enjoy the mountain air and the views.



As always, we enjoy a mix of touge driving and stopping to photograph minka and kura.



These kura have seen better days, and with their shikui (external render) falling off, the suche (clay and straw) walls are more subjected to weathering.
Typhoon damage has also disturbed their tiles unfortunately.



Stopping in one village, we were approached by a local policeman who wanted to know what we were doing as he wrote down our licence plate.
Seems the Tokyo plates had again triggered some suspicion.
He was very nice about it, but not sure he appreciated me laughing out loud at his question, 'Are you sleeping in your car?'

But, look at that elaborate minka roof!



Thatch is rare outside of the conservation areas, but you can still find it in many pockets across Japan, and this is one of the reasons we go off the main roads.



Looking like a postcard, this minka and matching kura scene would look just amazing during the height of summer with the blue-blue sky and super green of the rice in full growth mode.



Some valleys would have looked just amazing post-war with their original thatched roofs all over the place.



During the Edo and Meiji-era merchant and post-town (accommodation towns) sprung up and many are still in existence across Japan, and their skinny roads (ex-horse and walking paths) and tightly packed shops and inns make great exploring.



In some little towns, the daimyo (lord) homes are preserved and maintained by local government grants to either private owners or collectives.
More to follow as I process the pics...

nzskater

You really appreciate the stretch speed limits here after coming from NZ, where a few kms over the posted limit will almost always net you a fine.

We did a 4 week long road trip back in May with many stops and detours, from Saitama, down to Nagasaki, across to Kumamoto and then through Shikoku and eventually back to Saitama.

So many great roads, although the Golf R isn’t quite as fun to hoon as a Porsche…

Kuro Neko

Indeed, and agreed.
I guess the general acceptance of speed limits, and respect for authority suggests active policing of such is less of a need in Japan.
In other words, the percentage of hoons willing to take exception to limits is a lot lower here than in other countries?
Only a few Monaro and no bogan-donk here for example (but a guy in Shibuya does have a Maloo).

Four weeks!
Dreamy... feel free to post pics here accordingly as I am sure a Golf R still makes the cut, especially as that route includes some amazing places.
Shikoku alone could consume as many weeks...

Goonfather

Always appreciating this thread. I get so used to the local and American influence, so it's always refreshing to see Caymans getting about in other countries. You must be racking up the miles. What KMs are you up to?

Kuro Neko

It had just over 33,000km after its first nine years with the original owner, and since we've have had it, it now has over 65,000km.
Nearly doubled in less than half the time.
Here's some more of the last few thousand...



Winter on the touge.
About 15C for most of this trip, not cold enough for concerns with the Michelin.



Some of the roads around Biwa-ko are just great.
We had very little traffic in the area.



Embarrassingly, I was caught photographing this S as the owner approached at some reformed warehouses we had stopped to visit.
Pointing to the white S, they understood and laughed.



Plenty of late-Meiji and Taisho-era stuff about.



Stopping near one nuclear power plant, we were swarmed by guards and staff and advised to NOT take photographs of their infra, though street and satellite views on the internet clearly show the location of all material handling and reactor vessels.
Very strange.



Another nuclear plant's visitors' center.
Showa-era 'Nuclear Modern' style; a great example of optimism architecture.
As I pointed my camera right, the obviously bored guards started hitching up their pants, so I politely bowed and walked into the building.



This is the view from the cafe deck, and we sat there and listened to the fission with an amazing affogato and cake, and wondered when nepotism and bribery would result in the pristine beach being polluted, and unusable for countless half-life.



While the cafe was hosting a mother's club meeting, and one cafe junky on their laptop, the deck was empty, and we could have sat there in the sun all day.



But, we had some more mountain roads to explore.



A few locals about, but not much else.




After too many slow detours, we hit the expressway to make up some time, and enjoyed the typical Japanese work scene...

Kuro Neko

Stopping in one seaside village, we were impressed by the size of their central square, and took a slow walk around the town.



Little Japanese quiet streets and shops are always a delight.
As is chatting with the locals, who often wonder where strangers come from.



We sat on the bench with a hot can of coffee.



We took another touge off into the mountains, and were joined by many others similarly enjoying the momiji colors.
After watching a S660, and then another photographer pose their cars under this tree, we had to do the same.



No romanji (Roman characters) on road signs shows you're a long way from now mainstream Japan - in time and space.



One touge, closed at the top end so a spotter at the bottom could easily gate cars, was predictably covered in drift marks its whole length.
Judging by the cracks in the surface, it has been closed for a long time.
With no spotter for us, we kept within the lines.



Road signs too have obviously passed their use-by date.



Yet another run into the mountains, and this time to an off-season ski resort for over-nighting.



Light drizzle and mists started as we climbed higher.



The surface though was great, and you could still get on it - a bit...



Checking in at the ski resort at the top.



The next day, we visited the disused Ikuno silver mine, dating from the 1500s it makes a great walk underground.

Elliotw44

A truly amazing thread and very impressive photography work. I am a previous 86 owner as well. I had my first trip to Japan in 2019 and rented a R34 skyline to drive the Japanese Touge. One of the best experiences of my life. Hope you don't mind a few photos to share
86 Photos
Touge Drive with R34




I plan on coming back to Japan in 2023. Would love to do some track driving if possible. If you know of a way to rent a car to drive on a track and which track that would be much appreciated.

Kuro Neko

Thanks, and nice 86 / BRZ pics there too. Share away!
Snap on the Ashinoko Skyline too...


The total run from Tokyo out and around the Five Lakes, with a Moose Hills Burger is one of my favorite days off - R8, S800, Cayman S, plus the Hako and AE86 from Fun2Drive, and a friend's R35 GT-R have all given me memorable drives!

The only immediate rental option that I can think of is the Porsche Experience Center in Chiba.
You can go absolutely flat out, with a professional giving instructions, and it is well worth the effort.
Notably too as the main circuit is challenging and includes some great replica corners, including the Karussell from the 'Ring.
Details buried above somewhere I think...

I will also ask a few of my track friends and see if Fuji Speedway or Ebisu have any rental options too.

Elliotw44

Really appreciate these tips! Feel free to PM me if your track friends have any options.

nzskater

These guys do lux car rentals, but have seen a few shots on their Instagram of track days in a GT86, so they may have an option: https://www.tokyosupercars.com/rentals