When two petrolheads go to Japan...

[quadrifoglio]

As I've said, I like panningshots 



Very nice Hi-Ace 


Just to prove I took some photos without cars in them... 




Coolest bike ever!   







The Mori Building at Roppongi, The pokemon Company has their offices over there. Very impressive part of town, but also the most expensive ...






I you do head over there, which you really should, don't forget to visit Brewdog Roppongi for some great (but quite expensive) craft beers. Or to play on the Nintendo Nes ofcourse 
    

[b3nson]

Yellow RX or Evo TME for me please! Great photos, thanks for sharing.

[Littlepixel]

Fantastic thread - thanks so much for all the amazing photos. My current fave is perhaps that little Kei van with the cartoons on the side.
(I know - I'm getting treatment).

I know what you mean about 'Western' cars with JP license plates - something about the light, the overhead phone/electric cables, cleanliness -everything just looks cooler and dare I say it - otherworldly - than boring old Europe. I must go. It scares me a little but it seems a smile and a bit of a gung-ho attitude gets you a long way.

Problem being about going - not coming back with a shipping container full of treats (lottery win permitting)

Shopping list:
Forester SF5 S/TB
Nissan Pao
Autozam AZ-1
Nissan Be-1
CRX
Daihatsu Naked, Mira Gino, Walk-through Van
Kuwahara Gaap folding bike
Honda Step Van, NBOX
W10 'Mister Two'


So many forbidden delights.

Fabulous photos -thanks so much for sharing.

[The Jackeria]

Thanks for sharing, this is excellent!

[br00klyn99]

Epic thread! Photos are quality

[quadrifoglio]

Oct 18, 2016 19:51:43 GMT b3nson said:

Yellow RX or Evo TME for me please! Great photos, thanks for sharing.

Because of the roads I had planned I wanted a small and light car, so it was either the AE86 or the Seven replica for me.
If I had chosen some faster roads I'd probably take the RX myself or the NSX, but for the Motohakone (the twistiest road on the Turnpike) those simply have been too bulky and I wouldn't have been able to use the extra horses. Horses for courses as they say...

Link to the Moto Hakone: clicky

Oct 18, 2016 22:45:54 GMT Littlepixel said:

Fantastic thread - thanks so much for all the amazing photos. My current fave is perhaps that little Kei van with the cartoons on the side.
(I know - I'm getting treatment).

I know what you mean about 'Western' cars with JP license plates - something about the light, the overhead phone/electric cables, cleanliness -everything just looks cooler and dare I say it - otherworldly - than boring old Europe. I must go. It scares me a little but it seems a smile and a bit of a gung-ho attitude gets you a long way.

Problem being about going - not coming back with a shipping container full of treats (lottery win permitting)

Shopping list:
Forester SF5 S/TB
Nissan Pao
Autozam AZ-1
Nissan Be-1
CRX
Daihatsu Naked, Mira Gino, Walk-through Van
Kuwahara Gaap folding bike
Honda Step Van, NBOX
W10 'Mister Two'


So many forbidden delights.

Fabulous photos -thanks so much for sharing.

The quirkier the better, so I guess I'd need treatment too! 

[quadrifoglio]

This was one of the first photos we took after picking up our rental (I will spare you of those with my ugly mug in them ).
During the first three days of the trip we both said multiple times that the penny hadn't dropped yet: It didn't sink in that we really were at the other side of the world and seeing all the things we read so much about... But that moment we got in our little rental, headed out of the underground parking lot and drove straight into the buzzing Tokyo traffic, that was the moment everything fell in place and we started realizing what we had already seen but especially what we would be seeing the next few days. 


So many names I recognized from reading online: The C1, Bayshore Route, Tomei Expressway,... <3 Again, laughing like idiots  


And ofcourse we had to take it, the Rainbow Bridge. Such an incredible view of the Tokyo bay, both laughing like idiots  (I feel a recurring theme coming...  )  


Daikoku Futo! 


The ferris wheel at Yokohama 







E39 M5. I don't really (or really don't, both are correct ) care for BMW's, but there are some exeptions to this rule and an E39 M5 certainly is one of them! 








Our first trip would lead us to Up Garage Yokohama, to check out some secondhand wheels (again, we didn't even try to explain to our non-car-crazy friends... ). In hindsight, we should have picked another branch as it was a small shop unlike some of their other stores, but we're not complaining. 




Hayashi Streets, you've got my attention!






Hmmmm, lairy colours on a timeless wheel. I'd buy them and then start looking for a car to fit them on...  













For those on mobile internet: I'm sorry. 

[sciclone]

The best Up Garage I've been to is in Aobadai - www.google.com.au/maps/place/35%C2%B032'22.2%22N+139%C2%B030'49.9%22E/@35.539496,139.5116733,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d35.539496!4d139.513862

It's the head office that used to be in Machida, where Tomei and Monster (of Pikes Peak fame) are.

When I was riding back from Hakone/Daikoku, we started coming through the tunnel under Haneda, then hit the Rainbow Bridge about 10pm at night... I was racing a JZA70 Supra on a Gladius 400 Pretty cool memories this thread is bringing back to mind.

[quadrifoglio]

Oct 19, 2016 22:35:21 GMT sciclone said:

The best Up Garage I've been to is in Aobadai - www.google.com.au/maps/place/35%C2%B032'22.2%22N+139%C2%B030'49.9%22E/@35.539496,139.5116733,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d35.539496!4d139.513862

It's the head office that used to be in Machida, where Tomei and Monster (of Pikes Peak fame) are.

When I was riding back from Hakone/Daikoku, we started coming through the tunnel under Haneda, then hit the Rainbow Bridge about 10pm at night... I was racing a JZA70 Supra on a Gladius 400 Pretty cool memories this thread is bringing back to mind.

Will keep that one in the back of my mind for when we return, thanks!

The Bay area (or the whole of Tokyo for that matter) is just stunning at night. We would always return from Tatsumi at some ungodly hour, so the streets were almost empty and we could enjoy the scenery and buildings.
We also preferred to take the regular roads instead of the tollways because we could see more of the city...and because our navigational skills sometimes were non-existant so the costs of the tollroads were getting out of control . One evening we must have spent 6000 Yen on the tollways just to enter Tatsumi 'cause we royally F'ed up...not once, but 4 times

Our March was no competition for the RX7's and RX8 returning from Sevens Day at Daikoku, who would have thought so? Luckily someone took us for a drive on the C1 in his R32 Gtr, so we did get our healthy dose of speed-induced adrenalin (this is ofcourse totally made-up and we certainly didn't hit 200 km/hour while racing an RX7, officer )

[quadrifoglio]

I'll just leave this over here... Anyone wanna have a guess?

[bmwmaniac]

e500

[Colonelk]

Oct 18, 2016 22:45:54 GMT Littlepixel said:

I must go. It scares me a little but it seems a smile and a bit of a gung-ho attitude gets you a long way.

My advice is just go.... I was more than a little terrified, but even when you can't find someone who speaks English, pointing goes a long way. As long as you are polite they are extremely friendly and helpful. Like insanely helpful. The only downside is once you've been you just want to go back again.

*wonders off to look at flight prices*

[quadrifoglio]

Oct 20, 2016 4:19:37 GMT bmwmaniac said:

e500

 Yes...but a the same time also no. Or not anymore. 

Oct 20, 2016 9:52:15 GMT Colonelk said:

Oct 18, 2016 22:45:54 GMT Littlepixel said:

I must go. It scares me a little but it seems a smile and a bit of a gung-ho attitude gets you a long way.

My advice is just go.... I was more than a little terrified, but even when you can't find someone who speaks English, pointing goes a long way. As long as you are polite they are extremely friendly and helpful. Like insanely helpful. The only downside is once you've been you just want to go back again.

*wonders off to look at flight prices*

This man, he speaks the truth. 

[bmwmaniac]

v12 m120?

[quadrifoglio]

Oct 20, 2016 16:49:46 GMT bmwmaniac said:

v12 m120?

Nope, still the same M119 V8 as the 500E/E500.

When ordering your already impressive - and expensive - 500 you had the option to upgrade the engine to a 6.0 (together with some drivetrains mods). Not cheap, so can't imagine they sold many.
The 60 AMG had the same block as the AMG Hammers btw, but with a different head (less valves for instance)

The Japanese were quite fond of those early AMG's, pretty sure I've got some droolworthy photos of Japanese Hammers/widebodied 126 SECs/... But that's for a different thread

[bmwmaniac]

interesting, I didn't know that
I currently have a 600sl in the workshop with a engine wiring harness issue. complete with Japanese number plates still fitted

[quadrifoglio]

Oct 20, 2016 18:07:53 GMT bmwmaniac said:

interesting, I didn't know that
I currently have a 600sl in the workshop with a engine wiring harness issue. complete with Japanese number plates still fitted

Oooh, nice.  The engine is pretty crammed in there, so must be fun to work on... 
One last picture of the E60, just 'cause I love W124's




So, I'll pick up from where we left last time: leaving Up Garage. Next destination: Super Autobacs, what else? 
Our trusty little March ready to head off again


Nice Porsche


One thing we couldn't believe was how clean their trucks were. Over here in Belgium they always seem to be dirty, have some damage to the paint,... but over there every single one was gleaming, not a speck of dust on them.




Not that I'm a big fan of the new TT, but I really liked the sunlight


And the sunlight in this one too. Well, and the car ofcourse   Spotted at the parking lot of the Autobacs store, always some very cool things over there.






Steeringwheel porn 




Volk Racing ZE40's in an amazing matte bronze finish


And ofcourse, no car is complete without your French fries-holder

[Stu]

Really enjoying this, keep it up!

PS. Lonely Planet guide to Japan arrived about 6 months ago from Amazon after years of wondering whether to / when to go over that way after many trips to the US. Hopefully in 2017.
The recent Joanna Lumley TV show (on channel 4 catchup now I think?) was really good too where she toured Japan :-)

[vertex]

Great thread & pics,
Regarding this.....



S300 is the 3ltr n/a (our lexus gs300)

V300 is the 3ltr twin turbo.
(later fitted to the mkiv supra)
the only noticeable differences without looking under the bonnet & if the rear v300 emblems have been removed is gear selector buttons on the steering wheel..

[mcbeth]

Amazing photos! Thanks for posting