As a kid, the Countach wasn’t on my bedroom wall. Nor were bright red Ferraris or streaking silver Mercedes. Instead it was Initial D, Hot Version, Best Motoring, HKS, Greddy, APEX’i, Top Secret, D1GP, Super GT, the
After decades spent pining for that faraway untouchable place, I went to Japan on the pilgrimage of a lifetime.
But why Japan?
Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1
It wasn’t the first place to have a prominent street racing scene or the first place to go racing, period. Those were initially European and American phenomena. Nor was Japan the first to modify cars–Hot Rodders and Euro shops got there first.
If Japan wasn’t first, what it did best was democratize performance straight from the factory floor, and in fresh, unimaginable ways. A humble Mitsubishi Lancer could outperform a Ferrari for a fraction of the money; a Nissan family sedan could pack more technology than a contemporary Formula 1 car; The most focused lightweight sports car on earth could be had on working-class wages.
Japanese cars changed the world, spawning an entirely new chapter of car culture, and a new generation of enthusiasts who found Europe stuffy and American hot rodders ancient. Legends were written by those early heroes who latched on to Japanese cars and ran with them.
I wanted to see for myself the place these legends were born.
Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1
Tokyo: Landing in the heart of Japan
I’m a window seat guy. I’ll gladly exchange the freedom to urinate indiscriminately for that first romantic glimpse of the new place. And seeing the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, and endless sprawl of Tokyo from the right side of an Airbus A330 was extraordinary.
In that city were deeply familiar places, but ones I never knew. From the aircraft I could see that the Shuto Expressway is shaped exactly as it’s rendered in Tokyo Xtreme Racer and how square, industrial landfill islands shape the Tokyo Bay.
In that sprawl sat my first targets: Route B, the Bayshore Route, known as the Wangan, and C1, the Inner Circular Route, both of the Shuto Expressway. The Wangan serves Haneda Airport, and my ride from the airport to my first borrowed car began with the legendary expressway, once a mecca of high-speed street racing.
Photo by: Chris Rosales / Motor1
After decades spent pining for that faraway untouchable place, I went to Japan on the pilgrimage of a lifetime.
From the back of a Toyota Alphard taxi in rush hour traffic, it’s difficult to see how the Wangan…