Thanks for coming out onto the touge with me Kat. It’s true, you never quite know what you’re going to find out on the mountain on any particular night and it was quite cool to hang out with the more “grip”/AWD oriented crowd rather than the drifters.

Is it possible to star you again for this wonderful article?

AE86 brother here. I was thinking the same thing.

I can understand the reluctance to behave like an asshat on the roads.

Obligatory Eurobeats to fit the story:

I was just talking about this in the Katana article a few days ago. It is really astounding how much Anime always influences but also how anime represents Japanese culture. Great article ^^

Woah I was thinking “Albo does stuff on this still right?” when I read the title, then to see thats the same exact guy in the article... small world.

Best article I’ve read on jalop in a long time. Im on here everyday, I find myself reading half an article and being done. Every article you write I’ve finished and loved. Maybe it’s my love for Japanese car culture. Maybe it’s my love for any passionate car culture.

I came to pay off student loans and because my native Texas had a hiring freeze for teachers.

i agree so much that I bought one and put it on my NA. It just looks right.

I definitely agree that you don’t need to go super fast on these roads to have fun. Unfortuantely I never got to drive the roads myself when I was in Japan, but even in slow moving buses - seeing Hakone and Haruna... those roads are absolutely amazing. You could probably go 30mph and have a ball.

Kat this is great. Reminds me when I was a Native Teacher in Toyama. I used to go up to Joiyama and Himeage to see the racers with my GF(now Wife) I think I still have Video of the guys just going up and down not racing. For alot of them it was more like a test and tune than a race place. Also it was secluded due to…

I love the part where the one guy says they are putting their “big” engines on the road. Big engines what is that 2.0 to 3.0 Litres turbocharged within an inch of their lives.

Thank you, this is the article I didn’t realize Ive been waiting years to read. Makes me want to take my AE86 up to the mountains tonight.

Another great article!

I really enjoy following your adventures in Japan, and it’s really started to increase my desire to move to Japan. I may have to start looking into the JET Programme again. lol

I am surprised that none of our resident protocol fascists have not called on these men to be burned alive for OMG NOT TAKING IT TO A TRACK?!

This lip is my favorite addon for an NA (Other than rollbar for track days), just looks so nice.

Meanwhile, in the Osaka industrial district...

(I took this video in 2012, back when I contributed to an online magazine called 7TUNE)