Tokio - where to go?

[Simon Goes Sideways]

I went to Japan earlier this year so I can offer a bit of advice.

When we went we stuck to the main tuning shops and companies as well as visiting some auctions.

The most impressive place is the Super Autobacs in Tokyo Bay (not far from the Big Sight and Rainbow Bridge). Like a super super halfords but with things like suspension, wheels, turbo kits, boost controllers, ICE etc etc etc.


We also visited Nismo which wasnt too far away............if you have a car it will be easier to get about.

Just up the road from Tokyo is Chiba where Top Secret are based, and just down the road from that is the parts shop Crystal, which have mega cheap prices on stuff.

However, my highlight was going to Mt Akina (actually called Mt Haruna). It took us about 2.5 - 3 hours to get there, it is north west of tokyo in the Gunma prefecture.

We got to the top of the mountain up a real narrow road, found the lake and the hotel....then tried to find the downhill run, tried 2 roads with no luck then tried the last one and hurrah ! found the side barriers from where they start the races.

It was raining, there were other cars, but I was in an Evo 5 and I was gonna have a crack at it !!

The first thing that struck me was how tight all the corners are, for example, if you play the arcade, the 1st left hand corner is flat out, errr nope, 2nd gear is needed !!

I went down the route as usual, but not too hard, I didnt want to spank the car that had been lent to us, however, on the approach to the 5 hairpins there was a real slow car in front so I pulled out to overtake.

I had built up a bit of speed and could see the first hairpin ahead, on the brakes........ohh shiiittt, they've only gone and put bloody speed humps through the hairpins sections.

So i'm approaching the first right hand hairpin at speed, car bouncing all over the place over the humps, the railguard looming, us all thinking we are gonna die, then I had an epiphany...........while everything was going in slow motion, I remembered the gutter technique.

To get the front to turn in, I pulled the handbrake and turned right, i could see there was a space where the guardrail ended for the inside of the hairpin, and there was a distinct end of the tarmac and gutter type area.

Well like magic the front wheel hooked on the kerb and we came out the other side of the hairpin with no damage caused........phew !!

They've ruined it !! the whole area of the hairpins is now covereed in speed humps, 20mph max speed ! great.

And I know some of you will think its made up, while I dont have any pics of the run itself, it was filmed, I'm just waiting to get hold of the video.....but here are some pics where we stopped at the lake





I got more pics from our trip if you'd like to see.

cheers

Si