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Street Racing in Japan!


You should really hop on a bike. A sportbike is an undescribable experience, leaning a foot from the ground going 70 plus mph. beaing able to extend your knee a few inches and have the kneepuck scrape hot pavement. Complete and utter control of the machine that you are on. The power one of these machines puts out is scary at times, and shouldn't be treated with anything less than respect. You will forget all about cars, I promise. Be smart though, don't be one of those guys that hops on a bike because they think it looks cool. Always gear up, and take the right precautions. Take the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation (MSF) test before you get a license, not required but only a ***** wouldn't. Oh and get a SMALL bike to start! Nothing is more dangerous than a noob on a 600cc machine. Sorry... I feel like an advertisement now, this cold weather is killing me! I NEED TO RIDE! AHH!!! -kris

EDIT wow the word m0ron gets edited??
 
Wiggly said:
You should really hop on a bike. You will forget all about cars, I promise.
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Will you marry me? Heh, I have a 2stroke 250cc and it knocks the pants off anything I've driven, including some nice sports cars. Its the feeling more than the performance that gets me hooked.
 

A big "Amen, brother" on the "idiots driving fast" part.

The "Kanjo" circuit refers to the 窶吮??窶ｰ窶ｺﾅ?ﾃつ湘ｳﾂ静ｼ (Chuo Kanjo-sen, or Central Circle Route) of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway. I will point out a couple of things. One is that there is no place on the TME that you can legally drive over 60kmh. Another is that the TME, especially the kanjo-sen, is a very, very dangerous place to drive like an idiot. Under normal conditons it is merely a very dangerous place to drive. I have for years been driving on the TME as a part of my job and, trust me, I treat it with apprehension and respect. It's no place to be acting a fool.

In addition to the cameras, there are also police stations which have direct access to the expressway from their rear entrances, right onto the kanjo-sen.
 
I've had limited experience on the Tokyo expressway system, but it freaks me out, and I've had some interesting driving experiences (hands up those who have ridden on a 150kg motorcycle during a thunderstorm at 100km/hr along a main road surrounded by semi-trailers... anyone?)

I do remember two idiots overtaking me in an emergency lane doing over 150km/he on an expressway back home that had only one exit, pulled over, called the cops and got the answer "we already have 2 patrol cars waiting, but thanks anyway". Waved to the coppers when I got to the exit ramp and got a confused wave back
 
thank you all for the input, a bike...hmmmm, is that more dangerous then a car? Anyone also have information on the Circuit near Osaka-somewhere around that area?
 
 
"Goes back to what I said in post #4, there are people who abuse the expressway system (which does have some sections that can be used as a circuit and not having to pass through tollbooths meaning you can go around and around unobstructed), but camera systems help with this in recent times, and its not racing, its idiots driving fast."

If you have ETC (a little pricey but worth it if you drive a lot) then you can stay on the expressway while only slowing down slightly going through. And not to debunk what's been said but I have witnessed illegal racing before. Don't be so sure to dismiss it as just another popular fantasy or J-myth just because some of you in Japan have never seen it for yourself.

I've met guys (and one girl) who have invested enormous amounts of time and money into tuning and customizing their cars (ridiculous amounts-enough to pay off my grad school loans...)--some do it for auto shows/print mags or because they like the attention they get cruising or when they pull up to a combini, and some do it to blow other cars out of the water when driving at high-speeds. Fact.

One of my former students was also involved in a high-speed wreck that tragically left him paralyzed from the waist down and another person dead... but he continues to work on cars to this day because according to him it's his "life." I asked him once if given the chance to do it again would he do so... "of course" was his reply. *shrugs*

He's even married and has a son but his wife allows him to have his "hobby" as she puts it. You would think his priorities would have changed as he matured but not the case. Even after the death of his friend (not to mention the ensuing litigation...) and the loss of his legs, he still continues to pursue this lifestyle of bad choices. I'm not saying I agree with it--yeah, it is stupid really when you look at the grand scheme of things but just know that to some people this is their way of life and they ARE out there. And like all enthusiasts regardless of their passion--some will take it to far and risk themselves and others in the process.
 
And not to debunk what's been said but I have witnessed illegal racing before. Don't be so sure to dismiss it as just another popular fantasy or J-myth just because some of you in Japan have never seen it for yourself.
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True, but being good citizens we cant condone illegal activity, all it takes is one foreigner involved in a horrific crash plastered over the Japanese media to yet again have a "Gaijin scare".

Plus its just common sense and being fair to every other foreigner, that when you go to any country, you abide by the rules.

Plus finally, its just downright daft, as your story mentioned, people die, people lose limbs, its just not good.

For the most part is a J-myth, yeah, folk spruce up their rides, I;ve seen that, but illegal racing is probably on a minimum.
 
nurizeko said:
True, but being good citizens we cant condone illegal activity, all it takes is one foreigner involved in a horrific crash plastered over the Japanese media to yet again have a "Gaijin scare".
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As a foreign professional driver in Japan I have the same pressure. If I cause or am merely involved in a wreck of sufficient magnitude to make it into the news, it won't be because I was careless or a dumbass...it will be because I am a foreigner.
 
Ewok85 said:
hands up those who have ridden on a 150kg motorcycle during a thunderstorm at 100km/hr along a main road surrounded by semi-trailers... anyone?
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Many, many a time, and faster. Later hitting a car at the 110 put an end to the lunacy.
 

Iron Chef said:
"its not racing, its idiots driving fast."
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Quoted you, quoting me, for the answer. People who spend lots of money on their cars, then drive them at high speeds in public without any training, thought for their own or others safety, and without any sort of organization or preparation outside of revving your engine and hoping they get the idea, is not racing. Its idiots driving fast.
 
I'm not debating that logic, never was. Simply stating the fact that for some individuals in Japan that i've met and interacted with, this "lifestyle" is very real. A lot of the posts were alluding to the fact that it is all but non-existant (for the most part, that's true). For every person on here who replied they've never seen it firsthand I felt I would comment based on my own experiences, nothing more-nothing less. No one's trying to validate their actions. I'm an ex-cop, do you really think i'm going to be enamored of such silliness let alone condone or try to rationalize it?
 
I'll make a wild flailnig statement and say there are more white foreigners in Japan then illegal street racers.
If I'm right I demand a cookie, preferably Oat.
 

Not saying that you are condoning or rationalising the issue, mainly what the OP wants (street racing) and what the reality is (people who drive dangerously) are completely different. As a LEO you would have seen this sort of thing, and in all but a small number of cases its disorganised and unplanned. That to me is against any definition of street racing.

As for enthusiasts and tuners, that happens anywhere in the world, and I'm sure he'll find plenty of it. But not any underground Tokyo-Drift leagues raced by school boys.
 

I'd like to point out that this sort of thing happens in America all the time, but faster. Isn't 100Km/hr somwhere along the lines of 60mph? Now'a'days that's the speed limit of the Interstate, if not faster. Most of the younger drivers actually drive around 70-90mph. Just look at You tube....
 
100km/hr is the legal speed limit on many major roads and highways. I travelled along a freeway (100km/hr) daily, and on frequent occasions part of a National Highway (110km/hr, and further out no limits apply).
 
I guess that many non-Japanese who saw the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, now are thinking that Japan's street and society looks exactly like that. Get over it, it is an American movie and most of the girls in the movie do not look Japanese-styled at all. I mean, how the girls look like and what they wear is not typically Japanese fashion style, but far more what the filmmakers wanted to display to the US audience.
In the big cities of Japan, there are many tuning fans, yes, but they usually cruise and do not participate in illegal street racing. Street racing is even more experienced in HongKong than in Japan. The street racing scene needed to be exagerated in the movie to make it more interesting and exotic to the mainstream audience.
Here in Germany, we have street and highway racing. Even in my hometown Heidelberg, I've witnessed many. Most of them are either tuned BMW's, VW's or Opel's. In Germany we have no speed limit at many sections of the highways, and the fastest my father drove in his old Benz (420S from 1989) was 235 km/h. You mostly can see many Audi's and BMW's driving on the fast lane at 200 or above. Most Ferrari and Porsche drivers are driving surprisingly safe at 130-160 (maybe they are out of that speeding age, since most of them are rich businessmen and not teenage machos .
I personally ain't a fast driver, because I don't want to be another dangerous factor on the streets and highways to cause any accidents. So I never drove faster than 140 km/h on the highway and 55 km/h in the city.
 
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CBT1979 said:
I guess that many non-Japanese who saw the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, now are thinking that Japan's street and society looks exactly like that....
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I've lived in Japan and have yet to see anything of the sorts. Night or Day. I enjoyed the movie, but also realize it's just a movie.
 
You'll need more than money (and a lot of that, by the way) if you plan to participate. There are road-course racetracks in Japan, such as Suzuka, Twin Ring Motegi, and Fuji, and they do have track days when amateur drivers rent the track to run their cars. But it is very expensive (like everything else, much more so than in the US) and there are rules. And nobody in their right mind will let some gaijin teenager just hop behind the wheel for some hot laps.

My advice, coming from a dozen years of professional racing, is to contact the Sports Car Club of America (www.scca.org) and start autocrossing on a local level with your own car. If you're competitive in a year or two, take a driving school at Sebring, Barber or Road Atlanta. Build your way up and learn how to drive. And never, ever, drive 10/10ths on the street.

If you go to Japan and attempt what you saw in the Streetfire video that Nicholas0016 posted, you're likely to end up a stain on a toll road in Japan which will be very expensive for your family to clean up.
 
same iron chef on NS.com?

well i know at least 2 people that do go street drifting in japan (osaka) on a weekly/monthly basis..... nd i've seen da vid's to prove it.

lol ur gonna go racing with a honda...lmao...turb'd nissan/toyota ftw
 
Save the shorthand for text messages on your cellphone. Your apparent IQ will shoot up about 50 points.
 
Haha, drifting. I went over to Japan for a foreign exchange for about a month. It was in Yamagata though, not Tokyo. Anyways, yeah, my friend's brother was a drifter and he invited me one night, so I said yes. We went to some place near Haguro mountain and then there was this whole setup with like 8 other guys, it was pretty cool. He had a Mazda RX-7 just like in the movie.

I have to say though, it was nothing like Tokyo Drift (because I wasn't in Tokyo), haha. First of all, I think you have to be like 18 (or is it 21?) to get your license there. And not many High Schoolers can afford $20,000+ tricked out racers let alone, drive it (legally) like in the movie. Although the drifting in the movie was a little exaggerated, it still looked complicated as HELL. Clutch, Shift, E-Brake, Gas, Turn, Brake or some fast-paced crazy combination like that. And I hate how after seeing the movie, everyone here in America thnks they know all about drifting ... haha
 
Omg japan street raceing

Lol those Kanjo Racer's they chase Cops for fun Really Funny.
and no i dont think any of those are stock at the end of the video they have way better looking customized visual,accesories civics they have all these vinyls and stickesr.
And yeah ive heard street raceing is dieing in japan but the japanese today are more likely to customized they're car and add body kits and vinyls as i seen on a documentary.
And yes most of the Marines in Japan are street racers they have a team of skyline drivers.
Jn9GHX6Kzsk is a Place called Daikoku its where all the cars get shiped to other countrys and stuff this is where alot of japanese car clubs hang out and drift near a free way bridge.
Yea drifting is easy but whoa its really hard to do it on mountains.
Also the link i just posted explains why all these kids have all the money to customize they're cars. it has something to do with intrest/income and noone invest in houseing cause of earthquakes so the houses are cheap

So just go to youtube and type Jn9GHX6Kzsk in the youtube = Bar or just type Daikoku and the third video below is the Documentary
 
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