Better Late Than Never: Ebisu Spring Matsuri 2014
WARNING: This thread contains a lot of 80s/90s drift missiles and also some other nicer drift related material. If thats not your bag, this thread isn't for you.
Video teaser to get you in the mood...
Previous threads from the trip:
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/169488/street-spots-japan-stragglers
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/169995/bltn-mooneyes-2014-epilogue-moon
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/171724/bltn-daikokufuto
So, the beginning of the end is here for the photos from my Japan trip
I'm going to try and paint a multimedia picture here, so let me know if it works. Words with links will take you to maps or street view images and what not.
I also made a little Japanese music playlist to play in the background HERE. Stick it in another tab, turn the volume down, pretend its someones car radio
OK. Not only was this my last car related trip in Japan, it was literally the last few days we spent in the country. We traveled up from Tokyo on my birthday, on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Koriyama and then took the smaller local line to Nihonmatsu station.
We knew we were a long way from Tokyo when, getting off at the station we were greeted at the ticket gate by a very old man holding a large ancient wooden tray onto which you placed your used tickets. We ate and drank at a small local bar (even in the middle of nowhere, we still had to hunt it down by going up a mystery staircase!) and then went to sleep. To carry on with a theme, we didn't actually know how we were going to get to the track the next day.
We opted for the Taxi option, despite previous problems and it actually worked out for us finally! Driver knew exactly where we wanted to go and just got on with it.
Now, I'm sure there are some people who aren't aware of Ebisu circuit. Its a drift oriented set of 6 tracks nestled on the side of a mountain in Fukushima province. Yes THAT Fukushima.
It also, interestingly, shares its real-estate with a Safari park and Zoo! Which leads to some rather bizarre moments!
But if you love drifting, this is one of THE places. You'll have seen it in countless videos online for D1GP, general drift competitions, and also from the many many westerners who now flock here to watch and to drive. Its a 'Holy Grail' type of destination, especially for me as Ive been interested in this for pretty much a decade now.
You know you're almost there when you see a scrapyard of ex-zoo vehicles next to the road
Then the entrance! No real clues at this point that your getting involved with motorsport!
The taxi driver took us through, and kept getting moved on by marshalls! He eventually dropped us off in the School Course. We were here
It was at this point we bumped into two Aussie lads (Justin and Stephen) basically doing the same as us, except they were smart enough to hire a car. They offered a lift around the various courses, as its actually quite a large and impossibly hilly complex.
Photos from this point wont be particularly chronological! Apologies.
My well thumbed copy of the map. The back lists all the tracks and their opening times..... many didn't close from the start of the matsuri until 5pm on the Sunday meaning you could drift all night if you had enough fuel and tyres!
Minty soarer was the first thing we saw on the school course.
Big toyotas are popular, and as a lover of big straight 6 barges, I was right in my element. Might have to get me some large Toyota action at some point
Cars were continuously traversing the tiny connecting service roads
This chap rescued his friends aero after he failed to get into the pits for the school course.
haha loved this thing. Ive got a feeling this might be a famous car, but yeah..... 'well used' is one word for it. He seemed to be mixing it up on various tracks.
Moved on down to Minami.... this is one of the more famous tracks where competitions are held, and has the large yump before a long concrete wall.. thats famous for this sort of shenanigans
It also has an epic restaurant with HUGE windows right next to the track that does a bargain Katsu Curry. OMNOMNOM.
We ran into some interest Swedish(?) fellows and their collection of missiles.
Another super sexy ae86..... clean this time
AE86s are still as popular as ever
Sadly, with concrete everywhere you look, its easy to have a bad day. We pushed this guy off the track and he disappeared off on his pitbike to find another intercooler
I warned you there were missiles.
Rough with the smooth
tasty silvia
Impreza was converted to RWD
Tyres were the main thing on the menu
Cefiros, FCs , Silvias. Lots of the standard Japanese drifty fare
Aforementioned subaru
OOOOH this JZX81 made me do a wibble. Metalflake pink? YERZ PLZ
more JZX81.....
Getting a little too intimate with the wall
The vibe was super chilled.
You know I mentioned I like big straight 6 barges? the cream CROWN(?) here had a near identical brother, both with 2JZ engines, both driving like heros. I loved these things. They also feature heavily in my video.
A reminder that someone is having a MUCH worse day than you
We thought we could short cut to the West course, but the path just took us directly to the edge of the course!
We took a couple of snaps and then retreated.
COROLLA!
Back to Minami
S14
Our Swedish friends
Top end of the Minami course
Great view.... this is also one of the lower courses
Team Orange Evo Got camber?
HELLO FRIEND! Parked up at the entrance to the Touge course
View over the East Course
Black beauty
This had seen some action
That S14 again
FD
Oldskool soarer
Right, Part 2 in a bit!
Have a video to keep you going...
WARNING: This thread contains a lot of 80s/90s drift missiles and also some other nicer drift related material. If thats not your bag, this thread isn't for you.
Video teaser to get you in the mood...
Previous threads from the trip:
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/169488/street-spots-japan-stragglers
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/169995/bltn-mooneyes-2014-epilogue-moon
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/171724/bltn-daikokufuto
So, the beginning of the end is here for the photos from my Japan trip
I'm going to try and paint a multimedia picture here, so let me know if it works. Words with links will take you to maps or street view images and what not. I also made a little Japanese music playlist to play in the background HERE. Stick it in another tab, turn the volume down, pretend its someones car radio
OK. Not only was this my last car related trip in Japan, it was literally the last few days we spent in the country. We traveled up from Tokyo on my birthday, on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Koriyama and then took the smaller local line to Nihonmatsu station.
We knew we were a long way from Tokyo when, getting off at the station we were greeted at the ticket gate by a very old man holding a large ancient wooden tray onto which you placed your used tickets. We ate and drank at a small local bar (even in the middle of nowhere, we still had to hunt it down by going up a mystery staircase!) and then went to sleep. To carry on with a theme, we didn't actually know how we were going to get to the track the next day.
We opted for the Taxi option, despite previous problems and it actually worked out for us finally! Driver knew exactly where we wanted to go and just got on with it.
Now, I'm sure there are some people who aren't aware of Ebisu circuit. Its a drift oriented set of 6 tracks nestled on the side of a mountain in Fukushima province. Yes THAT Fukushima.
It also, interestingly, shares its real-estate with a Safari park and Zoo! Which leads to some rather bizarre moments!
But if you love drifting, this is one of THE places. You'll have seen it in countless videos online for D1GP, general drift competitions, and also from the many many westerners who now flock here to watch and to drive. Its a 'Holy Grail' type of destination, especially for me as Ive been interested in this for pretty much a decade now.
You know you're almost there when you see a scrapyard of ex-zoo vehicles next to the road
Then the entrance! No real clues at this point that your getting involved with motorsport!
The taxi driver took us through, and kept getting moved on by marshalls! He eventually dropped us off in the School Course. We were here
It was at this point we bumped into two Aussie lads (Justin and Stephen) basically doing the same as us, except they were smart enough to hire a car. They offered a lift around the various courses, as its actually quite a large and impossibly hilly complex. Photos from this point wont be particularly chronological! Apologies.
My well thumbed copy of the map. The back lists all the tracks and their opening times..... many didn't close from the start of the matsuri until 5pm on the Sunday meaning you could drift all night if you had enough fuel and tyres!
Minty soarer was the first thing we saw on the school course.
Big toyotas are popular, and as a lover of big straight 6 barges, I was right in my element. Might have to get me some large Toyota action at some point
Cars were continuously traversing the tiny connecting service roads
This chap rescued his friends aero after he failed to get into the pits for the school course.
haha loved this thing. Ive got a feeling this might be a famous car, but yeah..... 'well used' is one word for it. He seemed to be mixing it up on various tracks.
Moved on down to Minami.... this is one of the more famous tracks where competitions are held, and has the large yump before a long concrete wall.. thats famous for this sort of shenanigans
It also has an epic restaurant with HUGE windows right next to the track that does a bargain Katsu Curry. OMNOMNOM.
We ran into some interest Swedish(?) fellows and their collection of missiles.
Another super sexy ae86..... clean this time
AE86s are still as popular as ever
Sadly, with concrete everywhere you look, its easy to have a bad day. We pushed this guy off the track and he disappeared off on his pitbike to find another intercooler
I warned you there were missiles.
Rough with the smooth
tasty silvia
Impreza was converted to RWD
Tyres were the main thing on the menu
Cefiros, FCs , Silvias. Lots of the standard Japanese drifty fare
Aforementioned subaru
OOOOH this JZX81 made me do a wibble. Metalflake pink? YERZ PLZ
more JZX81.....
Getting a little too intimate with the wall
The vibe was super chilled.
You know I mentioned I like big straight 6 barges? the cream CROWN(?) here had a near identical brother, both with 2JZ engines, both driving like heros. I loved these things. They also feature heavily in my video.
A reminder that someone is having a MUCH worse day than you
We thought we could short cut to the West course, but the path just took us directly to the edge of the course!
We took a couple of snaps and then retreated.
COROLLA!
Back to Minami
S14
Our Swedish friends
Top end of the Minami course
Great view.... this is also one of the lower courses
Team Orange Evo Got camber?
HELLO FRIEND! Parked up at the entrance to the Touge course
View over the East Course
Black beauty
This had seen some action
That S14 again
FD
Oldskool soarer
Right, Part 2 in a bit!
Have a video to keep you going...
Its also interesting to see the contrast between the absolute missiles and the really clean stuff like the S14. Were they all getting drifted? I'd be too scared of wrecking that S14 
instead I managed to blag a ride with a guy on Minami.... remember crashy smashu intercooler guy from part 1? It was one of his buddys in an R33 Skyline, they had a spare lid and took me out. 
(As you may of guessed, only some of the cars are in storage)
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