epik1

Hey guys,
I'm gonna be visiting Japan in about a month's time and I'm trying to plan it out, I'm going to try and get my IDP (international drivers permit) before I get over there.
I'll be staying in the Gunma prefecture.

Obviously I'm interested in hitting up all the tracks! (Nikko, Tsukuba, Suzuka, Ebisu, Maze, maybe Bihoku, but it seems like it's the furthest from Tokyo)
Do all the car things, visit the shops (Tec-arts, Spoon, Garage Mak, Daikoku PA).

And I'm even looking into Fun2drive, Powervehicles, "All That Low" for fun car rentals.

Other than getting my JR pass, can anyone give me tips or recommendations ?

Thanks!

Midnight Shift

If you're going to be here on April 25th, TRUST is having a track day at Nikko Circuit.

epik1

yes I will be there from April throughout May and leaving in June.

I also saw that Drift Muscle is at Nikko in April!!

bavautolover

Awesome!!! Check out my page. I saw a couple drift meets in Okinawa. I also played in the life size Initial D games at Joypolis in Odaiba. http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxY_P_hFrBDj5ou88x21y3g

Have fun. Also look up drifthunters. These guys go to Mt. Haruna(Akina) and meet some drifters.

epik1

^^ Thanks!!

Actually, the friend I'll be staying with is friends with the Drifthunter himself!! so hopefully I can meet up with him

pignose.007

How do you get an IDP?? I've actually never heard of one....aybe I've just spent too much time under this rock

epik1

I'm in Canada so I just submit an application, passport sized photo and a small fee and they'll do it for me same day.

For Americans I believe it's AAA that you have to go through!

spooled240

Anything cool going on in Kyoto, Tokyo or Osaka from 4/16 - 4/24?

epik1

Not in Kyoto but from what I been told, 9PM @ Daikoku PA.

Other than that, I would suggest looking up shops and tracks in the area, they usually have a schedule posted of events going on

pignose.007

Alright, sorry for threadjacking btw. Tha ks for the info!

nissan180sxer

not car related but cherry blossom fully bloom around that time frame. check out Kamakura, it's pretty nice there. its not too far away from Tokyo by train.

spooled240

Bumping this up. Ill be in tokyo for a few days starting tomorrow and I was wondering if any of you knew of some cool car places to check out.

razmus

Also curious as Ill be making the trip as well. Trying to find some nice shops around Tokyo/Yokohama/Odaiba. Unfortunately wont be travelling far North this time.

Almighty So

Eh I've never been to Japan or even looked into a trip but I know GTR-Garage has done trips and is planning to do them again soon. These trips are specifically geared towards dudes like us looking for cool stuff to check out.
Maybe you could inquire with them about some places to see.
Not sure how much info they'll share with you but they are bound to have multiple itineraries.

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KappaSig240

Heading to Japan in August... Need advice on where to head to see the Japanese tuner scene in Tokyo (or near)... Seems that a few of you know where to start looking. Any local hot spots, shops, or events to look for? A friend of mine mentioned Shibuya. Anything would help. Thanks in advance.

epik1

Sorry for super delayed response, I'm almost done my time here in Japan lol



In the core of Tokyo not too much, but the surrounding area, there is Type One, Spoon, Tec-Arts, I believe Advance?
I visited Tomei in Machida, which is close to Tokyo-ish. I think Top Secret is also not too far.
Also was lucky enough I got to visit TRA Kyoto, Phoenix Power SPL, MOSS, but those are all in Kansai region (Kyoto).
If you want an Up Garage, go to their website and you'll be able to see which locations are closest to you. Also keep in mind they have different versions of UpGarage. Ex. UpGarage Riders only has bike stuff iirc.
One of my best resources was going through some SpeedHunters articles. Obviously, you won't have the same access privileges as they do but most shops are very welcoming.
I don't think there was much in Shibuya, but it is definitely a tourist hot spot. #1 advice in Shibuya (or Japan in general) was to avoid any Nigerians because 99.99% of the time they're trying to scam you/tourists.

I loved Yokohama and Odaiba the most, it's about a 30-45 min. train ride between the two spots.
Yokohama has the Nissan Engine Museum (about 20 min walk from the closest JR station), Nismo HQ (also about 20 min walk from the closest station), and the Global Nissan Headquarters which is cool to check out, you won't spend a lot of time there though. Also, a Super Autobacs is a 5 min walk from Nissan Global HQ.
Odaiba, has Megawebb which you can think of as a Toyota Amusement park, but it was definitely cool to check out. Joyopolis, maybe a 10-15 min walk from Megawebb is a huge arcade which has the Initial D Ver.4 game where you sit in real cars and it moves.
Also, in Yokohama area there is Daikoku Futo PA which is only accessible by car but it was pretty cool, saw enough nice cars and you'll most likely bump into other foreigner tourists there for the same reason you're there!

There are a few companies that do this, I've looked into it but for me I was going alone and I still feel it's not really worth what they're charging. You do enough research, you can plan all of this stuff on your own and make your own schedule. Given, they might have better leverage when it comes to talking to shops, etc. and they'll have a translator and stuff.

I'm actually planning on writing an article on a Automotive blog type thing about my 2 months in Japan on a blog that my friend's and I are working on, so I'll post the link here when it's up!! It will be from the perspective of an average dude who loves motorsports and doesn't speak Japanese. I put a lot of time in to researching these spots and stuff so I feel it would be pretty helpful for the next enthusiast as I had to do quite a bit of research. Obviously, there are a ton of more places that I haven't mentioned that I didn't get to visit either. Too much Japan, and not enough time!! Even with 2 months!

spooled240

That's awesome that you were able to stay 2 months! I was only there for 9 days and I went with the GF so I could make it all car stuff, but I did go to the Nismo HQ which was awesome. Do post your blog here when you're done, I'd like to read it!