In all my years in Japan I’ve never seen an influx of tourists like I actually have within the last two years because the country opened up post-pandemic.
And rightly so, there’s a lot to see, visit, do and naturally eat, oh and if you happen to occur to be a automobile guy or gal, then you definitely’re in luck as there’s never been a greater time to truly see the automobile culture in all its glory.
With famed parking areas like Daikoku and Umihotaru having been became popular destinations for the countless corporations and individuals on the market offering “tours” there’s also the higher option to actually get the total Japanese automobile culture experience, and that’s rent a automobile.
JDM automobile rentals aren’t anything recent, there have been multiple corporations around for years allowing you to sample your dream Japanese automobile, or if you happen to want something more high end there’s all the time supercar rentals.
While it’s not something I’ve ever tried, I actually have often wondered the way it all worked, and today we discover out just that.
The blokes from Drivers Lounge hit me up and invited me along to one in all their first outings as they’ve just opened up their doors.
Seeing I get my justifiable share of messages on social platforms asking for recommendations of what to do while in Japan I assumed this is able to be the proper strategy to discover exactly how a day with a rental automobile company would actually be like.
Alec and I showed up nice and early to their HQ just outside Tokyo and met with the blokes behind the corporate. Unnecessary to say it was reassuring to search out out that the owners are as much automobile guys as we’re and we hit it off immediately while trying out their facility and array of cars.
So let’s start with the cars themselves. Drivers Lounge offers a choice of 8 cars (soon to be expanded) and these are all models that I feel do job at offering a pleasant and unique experience for anyone signing as much as one in all their outings. The list goes something like this:
Within the all-wheel-drive camp we’ve got the R35 GT-R, a Lancer Evo X and a Toyota GR Yaris.
For the rear-wheel-drive grouping we’ve got the A90 Toyota Supra and Spoon Sports complete Honda S660.
And to complete it off we’ve got the 2 front-wheel-drive cars, the DC5 Honda Civic Type-R and Monster Sports complete Suzuki Alto Works.
One among the essential reason I used to be greater than completely satisfied to participate on this outing, is that Drivers Lounge allows people to swap cars throughout the day, which makes them moderately unique in comparison with most other rental automobile corporations in Japan.
So that you get to not only experience driving in Japan with iconic JDM cars, but you even get to do it with multiple rides. But more on that in a while, first up let’s get an idea of how a day tours with these guys is structured.
So first things first. When you arrive you head as much as the second floor lounge on top of the primary garage and get the appliance and paperwork out of the way in which.
It is a nicely appointed space, comfortable sofas to take a seat on and luxuriate in your welcome drink while running through the structure of the day tour with the staff.
You’ll be able to expect to see episodes of Best Motoring and Hot Version to be playing on the TV and plenty of issues of Initial D manga to flick though, you already know, simply to get you within the mood for the day!
Clement, the owner, has even raced in a bunch of motorsport series in Asia so you already know he really understands what enthusiasts want on the subject of a driving experience.
Whilst you won’t be doing Wangan high speed runs, what you’ll have is a selection of six tours that range from a 10-hour Hakone to Daikoku PA tour, Chiba to Daikoku PA scenic drive in addition to the flexibility to request custom tailored outings. What Alec and I were going to experience that day was the Hakone 7 hour tour, which consider me packs in as much driving as you’d ever need to do in in the future! It’s just about the very same route I normally take when I want an escape from Tokyo and a few alone-time to only drive.
The last picture hints at one in all the long run cars that could be added to the road up very soon!
With the formalities taken care of it’s back downstairs and time to prepare for the day.
One thing that struck me immediately and that I do have to mention is that with the addition of the Spoon S660 and the Monster Sports Alto Works you realise that each one the cars within the line up are pretty special. Apart from these 2 complete ex-demo cars all cars are all barely modified, all running aftermarket suspension, high performance brake pads and tires on the very least, while others may sport another goodies like wheels, exhausts and within the case of the DC5 a roll cage.
Somewhat than a JDM experience I’d probably call it more of a real hashiriya experience!
With the placement of Drivers Lounge in Noborito, you might be only 16 min train ride away from Shinjuku which implies you would set out within the morning and be back in central Tokyo in supper time.
We set out in convoy from the HQ, myself behind the wheel of the GR Yaris and Alec within the Supra. Every automobile has a walkie talkie with an ear piece so that you just are all the time connected with the leading automobile and never must take into consideration where you might want to go. You set out with a full tank of gas and an ETC card within the reader so that you don’t have to worry about tolls or getting gas either.
The drive right down to Odawara town where the Hakone Turnpike sets out from take about an hour, so that you cruise down the Tomei Expressway and the Atsugi-Odawara toll road in convoy and conserve gas, saving it for the twisty interesting bits in a while!
It’s been 12 months since I’ve driven a GR Yaris and I actually have to say it still stays one in all my favorite modern-day Japanese performance cars, so capable, blisteringly quick and responsive yet perfectly relaxing for normal driving too.
First stop was to grab a fast lunch on the 7-11. A number of onigiri later we were all able to move right in front of the toll gates to heaven…
… i.e. the Hakone Turnpike!
We lined up the cars before entering for a fast few shots before the true driving began.
I drove the primary section within the GR Yaris but then swapped to the Spoon S660 which was hilarious up the Turnpike. Not exactly quick, in any case it’s powered by a 660 cc blown motor, but so funny the way you hardly use the brakes and just carry a lot speed into any of the fast third and fourth gear sweepers.
Then all of us met at the highest of the pass for that iconic Fuji-san picture.
With two cars down it was over to number 3.
And for that it was over to the Alto Works which was much more of vibe than the S660 as in stark contrast you sit a lot higher and provides a complete different feel though the corners, almost feeling more of a rally automobile, handling on rails and enough boost-assisted torque on tap to maintain the grins coming.
As we moved to our next leg of the tour towards the Ashinoko Skyline it was the DC5 that I selected and boy what a watch opener this was.
I hadn’t driven a DC5 Type-R since when the automobile was released back 20 years ago and I had forgotten what it was prefer to drive this stuff.
Such a special approach to the trubocharged cars I had driven before. The high revving NA motor has to be kept on the boil for it to develop enough pull out of corners and with the lowered stance because of the aftermarket suspension, the playful nature of the chassis really shined through. Lift off oversteer anyone?
Because the Ashinoko Skyline crests a complete different a part of the mountain chain, you get a really different view towards Mt. Fuji, so a second group shot was so as.
I took this chance to leap into automobile number 5 and 6 for the day, the two Lancer Evos! The Evolution 6 for me stays the most effective of the bunch, while the third generation that got here after (7,8 & 9) were much more capable and faster, the 6 is the last one to have that direct link to WRC and rowing gears to make that 4G63 sing away is all the time a special sensation.
I equally enjoyed the Evo X with the SST gearbox, surprised at how capable and straightforward to drive these last-gen Evos are. While the SST may not be as involving as a manual it does let you focus more in your steering and contours through the corners and you only surf on that mid-range torque to catapult you towards the following turn.
From the Ashinoko Skyline we drove down a decent stretch of touge that brought us to a parking area over on a quiet side of Lake Ashi. This was our final stop before we climbed all the way in which back as much as the highest of the Hakone Turnpike pass, heading towards what would grow to be the most effective a part of the day.
For this stretch of driving I jumped into automobile 7, the A90 Supra. The BMW connection is greater than evident on this automobile, and out of all of the cars that day it’s the one which felt essentially the most like a effortless GT cruiser moderately than a pin sharp sports automobile.
That took us to what’s one in all my favorite stretches of roads within the Hakone area, one I’ve been driving cars on for the last 25 years, the Tsubaki Line.
A few third of the way in which down there’s just a little parking spot, the proper place to stop for a rest, just a few shots…
… and a glance over into Pacific towards the small island of Hatsujima.
Pondering over the past 6 hours of driving and the 7 cars I had sampled so far, it hit me that this had been probably the most varied driving experiences ever.
And the variability is more concerning the layouts moderately than the cars themselves, from AWD to FF and FR, mid engine to front engine.
You actually do get to totally understand the differences between all of them, their respective positive and negative points, and ultimately selecting your favorite.
The drive back to the Drivers Lounge ended with automobile number 8 for me, the great old R35 GT-R, a automobile I’ve driven in all its guises, stock and modified, an especially familiar place for me to be in and 18 years on since its inception, still a real weapon on roads like these.
The day ended with a final sunset shot at 1000 m above sea level at the highest of Mt. Taikan overlooking Lake Ashi and Fuji before we returned al the cars to the HQ.
A day like this spent through a few of the most effective driving roads in Japan might be among the finest ways to experience Japan for a automobile guy and gal. Massive because of the blokes at Drivers Lounge for inviting me along and showing exactly why they do what they do!
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com
Additional photography by Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
