Time capsule Tuning shops and Forgotten Race tracks
Day four of our journey was true freedom; we decided to stay in Gotemba, as it was getting us down the road towards Osaka, and we needed to head down to try to remedy the plan and see where to go next. We didn’t realise that Gotemba was close to Fuji Speedway, so we decided to have breakfast at Fuji as it would have been rude not to. Waking up with nothing to worry about, getting into our newly acquired profession and hitting the road were some of the best feelings we’ve ever had.
The trip was starting to feel like a proper adventure. Our first stop was Breakfast at Fuji, which we hoped wouldn’t take too long, but we got easily distracted.
I love seeing these out in the wild, still driven by older men who have had them since they knew.
It felt right to get the classic Fuji shot of the Probox outside with the logo.
She was a funny-looking thing with off-road wheels and tyres.
Another must-do image with the new machine was shot under the Potenza Arch, right where we put the Alphard. It felt good to be back!
You never know what to expect at Fuji; what was supposed to be a quick look around ended up involving stopping to appreciate everything. This incredible FD was sitting in the paddock.
The owner was one of the original members of Midnight.
I think he used this as a time attack car and has now switched it to more of a drift car.
This trip was starting to become very RX7-themed.
Look how menacing that front end is.
I loved every inch of this car—such a highly excellent modern build.
The Midnight sticker on the back of the truck was excellent, too.
Just up from the RX7 is the old bend from the original layout of Fuji. Fun fact: Fuji was supposed to be an Oval Speedway, but they ran out of money and couldn’t afford to build the other side, so it became a circuit instead.
The lads are testing out the steepness here.
And here, imagine how cool it would have been to see race cars heading into that bend.
It’s so cool that Fuji has kept the bend and preserved it almost like a museum, reminding us of its past.
This tunnel goes under the old road and leads back to the new track.
Another excellent GR Yaris; this one looks like it just came off of a rally stage.
How good is this Endless Hiace? I loved seeing this parked outside their Fuji shop.
Of course, the Hiace has Endless callipers, too. I love the nonsense of Japanese car tuning.
This Soarer was super cool. It looked to be set up for drifting but judging by the brake setup; it could very well be a circuit machine, too.
How good are the car carrier trucks in Japan? This double-decker with side-opening doors was incredible.
Here are another few shots of this Soarer, which is so good that it’s rare to see one in Japan.
Inside the cafe, where we had planned to get breakfast over an hour earlier, was this little mini. It was Fascinating to see one that looked more Japanese than anything else.
The food was delicious. I love how the knives, forks, and spoons are all ten spanners. It’s a nice touch for the restaurant.
As we were leaving Fuji, down the road, we spotted this ancient Japanese shop front with a vending machine, so we pulled in to take a break and appreciate the freedom,
So good!
Josh is enjoying one of his first vending machine experiences in the rural countryside.
After we visited Fuji, we heard of an old Tuning shop on the outskirts of Gotemba and decided to check it out.
The owner was initially a little apprehensive but eventually warmed to us after some conversation. He was surprised to see some random Irish people calling to check the place out. He let me shoot some photos but didn’t want to be on camera himself too much, which was utterly understandable.
Loads of old random Navan ski attachments.
This shop also had a wheel wall with loads of stuff stuck in time,
As Flip says in the video, this guy’s Google was on the wall behind us.
How cool are the wheels? It looked like he had some new stuff here, but it’s hard to tell how long some of it had been sitting here.
He had a never-ending supply of old books and magazines.
I would have loved a look through these shelves.
This wall of strut braces was cool. Some stuff was scarce in the collection; what’s funny, too, is he didn’t seem too keen on selling us anything.
The number of stickers on the wall is staggering! Most of these are useless, too, considering how long they have sat here.
The shop was more like a museum than anything else, frozen in 2004. He had all sorts on display and was proud to show us some old blow-off valves or head units.
Once he warmed up, he showed us his old collection of boost controllers, early turbos, and various old electrics.
He then brought us upstairs to show us how he used to tune old ECUs for customers. As we mentioned in the video, his eyes have been acting up as he gets older, so he cannot do much tuning anymore.
Outside is a sea of cool old cars and parts; this P10 Primera was epic.
Flip was straight in to check out this old FC!
The shop front was incredible; I bet this place was something else in its heyday.
After some time looking around, we said our goodbyes and headed. What an excellent interaction! I’m very thankful we could check this place out.
It was top speed to Osaka to hook up with Rob and his mates, see if we could salvage the trip, and check in on the 86.
It was hilarious that they also have a shed dog, which looked remarkably similar to Ralph; it’s funny how we see similarities on the other side of the planet.
We all drank beer together that night and enjoyed some strange food.
Hamashin Van is pretty badass.
We said our goodbyes to Rob as he zipped away in his TE27.
The following day, this Kangoo dealer in Osaka stopped us.
We decided it was time to take Josh to a few up-garages and tuning shops in the area. It would have been rude not to let him enjoy some of the same places we had seen on our previous trip.
There’s an Upgarage right by Trial, which usually has some delicious bits.
Across the street from the Upgarage is Trial, one of Japan’s most incredible Tuning shops. Its storefront is like nothing else, and the sheer size of the place will leave you amazed.
Of course, they have a fully kitted-out Hiace outside.
The parking area at Trial is like a car show; there’s always something to drool over.
This R32 GTR, in all whites sitting on Gramlights, was hitting the spot
How about this Fiat 500? You’d never think Trial would do stuff with these, but there you go.
This Evo seemed to be sitting in the same spot as our last visit.
I enjoy an R35 GTR when it’s got the complete treatment.
A casual drag spec X90 in for a tune.
This EK9 was one of the most incredible machines on the trip; It’s a shame it was buried.
I love the fact Trial uses these as office seats.
This z30 Soarer was a proper time capsule machine, locked into 1997.
That night after Trial, we went to Meet Alex from Circuit Soul and enjoyed the cherry blossom scenes outside his warehouse.
It looked like something from a Gran Turismo menu or photo mode.
The Probox has just been renamed to the Juicebox.
It was one of the most enjoyable scenes on the entire trip! Watching the sunset next to this river was beautiful. I will leave that one here and see you for another mega photo dump for the next episode. Cheers!