Only but a week or so ago; Soph and I had been in touch with the well known Taryn (Japancarculture.com) and her other half Pedey regards an event on down south of Tokyo; In Osaka. Soph and I hadn’t really any plan to leave Tokyo for our short trip, however; an opportunity to finally meet these guys came up.. we couldn’t really pass up. All we really knew was.. It was Drift Muscle and we needed a hotel in Osaka.
… Keep reading for the snaps.
5 minutes before heading out to Daikoku Futo we booked a hotel near by with the help of Taryn. Just before we left the UK we got ourselfs some JR Passes aswell, so save some costs on the Shinkansen. Saturday afternoon we caught the bullet train and begun the 3 hour treck down south.
We had been told there was a mystery meet on that night, and the guys wondered if we would make it in time to join them, to which we literally arrived, Just on time. Shortly after; Pedey’s 1JZ Soarer was heard rumbling through the busy Osaka streets and again we found ourselfs in yet another JZ Toyota. Heaven for someone who hates public transport. Thank you so much for the transport and munch.
Now was the time to find a bit more out on the event on Sunday.. It turned out; it was at Meihan! NOW the excitement levels were up.. Meihan, The famous spot for Burst and many others. I had been to Osaka several times in the past, but never.. to Meihan!
Sunday morning came quick and we found ourselfs on board more trains to meet up with the former Speedhunters duo. Giving us a ride for the day was Splash driver Ryota Hirakawa.
Possibly one if the coolest Japanese dudes we have met.
Ryota-San drives a green s14 kouki and is a regular at Meihan circuit.
Behind the joystick of this S15 is Ryota’s boss. Takatoshi Imamaeda. This S15 is running an EFR BorgWarner turbo kit producing around 550hp. Regular to Meihan under the Team NAVIGATE with Pisky.
He was going hard all day. Great style.
This blue AE86 Levin was sporting an SR20DET. The only hatchi out on track this day and I was rather taken by the full usage style, and brilliant entries! Its always a treat to see one of these classic’s being used correctly round the circuit.
Iam sure most people will recognize this next car..
Kawabata’s missile car. Running fenders on fenders and super high suspension setup. We shook hands and when Pedey mentioned that his car was pretty high, he replied. “Yes its cool!”😀 The Japanese don’t care about your opinion internet. They are here to have fun! Kawabata took home 1st place this round. Congratulations!
We always have time for an RX7 in the FD flavor. Especially clean ones being abused round tracks.
Now this was something. A Supermade s14 Kouki with some little TE37V’s. Often attempted over sea’s it hardly works. In Japan though, Sugoi ne!
More RX7 badass’ness. Reminds me of a stealth fighter.
Auto-Tec JZX100 Chaser.
I have saved the pink till last. My drift team back home in Scotland has a thing for purple/pink drift cars. Seeing all these guys line up was truly an amazing sight to see in real life. All these videos online don’t do it justice. For what has been seen, cannot be unseen.
Team BURST. Leader Naoki Nakamura. We finally got to meet the man in the flesh. His driving was next level. You can tell this is his local circuit.
To sum the event up, It was the most relaxed comp I have ever been too. Seeing BURST trains in person was something that will stay with me forever. This could not have been possible if it wasn’t for the help of our new found friends, Taryn, Pedey and Ryota.
Domo arigato guys. Make sure and check out Taryn’s website (http://japancarculture.com/) if your coming to Japan. She can hook you up with EVERYTHING you could ever want to know car related wise, Oh and she also found me a real tasty ham/cheese burrito😉 Legend.
Till next time dudes.
Mata Ne.
Photos : Mint & Soph
Words : Mint & Ryota
