Yes, one of those special places for sure.



I love this one, your car? Have not been in summer, so interesting to see the cars parked orderly along the water line! There must be countless other special places too, we just need to find them... After 15 years, we are still discovering new stuff. Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Yeah, that was my S13, with the SR20DE. Jan 91, so one of the earliest SR20 cars. Had it for most of the year I was in Japan (03-04), it was totally reliable and awesome. That was early May, I guess it gets even busier when it's really summer.

Japan is like that, it rewards exploration and the distances on the map don't really seem to adequately convey how much 'stuff' there is to discover.

Ha! The pics I took there were in March 2003 I think too.
Indeed. Others should post similar too then, as I am sure there are 1000s of stories of interesting places. Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Buy the tickets, take the drive... A glorious Friday off with a couple of friends. Near empty roads, some of the best touge in Japan, momiji all over, Fuji-san in the distance, and a fantastic lunch.

















Tomei Expressway, Odawara - Atsugi Toll Road, Toyo Tires Turnpike, Ashinoko Skyline, Hakone Skyline, and home on the Chuo after a burger at Moose Hills on the slopes of Fuji-san.





My hands were tired from working that little steering wheel around the countless corners... A perfect day. Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Sweet....

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Michael - Collector of Toyotamobilia ~ www.toyotageek.com
Tomica Fan Club ~ www.tomicafanclub.com

Please, I don't ever want this thread to die - just fascinating stuff!!

Between your posts on bringatrailer and the amazing stories and photos you've shared here, you seem like one interesting dude, Neko - if you wouldn't mind, please tell us a little about yourself.

^ I hope I can keep the effort up to keep it going. Others can also add stuff! As to me, I am just the photographer... as they say, but a car loving one at that. Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

I also love this thread and hope it stays alive Happy new year!

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'71 S30 - '90 S13x2 - '01 Grocery Getter AKA IS300 - '02 954RR

Last day off before the new year's work starts. Quiet roads, nice day, drive out into the suburbs, and to Gotokuji Temple, the home of the legend of the beckoning cat, and a few other places along the way.









The legend has five or six samurai seeking sustenance from a poor monk, after the monk's cat beckoned them with his paw to the monk's abode. They were grateful, and rewarded the otherwise poor monk accordingly.



Giving thanks for good fortune, we too placed a beckoning cat at the temple.







Coming home, we passed a Carina 2000GT receiving some attention outside a local repair shop. Wearing the same Watanabe, blue tinted glass, five speed, in white making a particularly attractive combination.











A quick run home, we passed a very tasty 240Z, curiously (at least for me, a non-Nissan otaku) on Cromodora wheels, and LHD.







Slowly returning home, thinking of the next day's work, we came across the automobile equivalent of a massive downer... Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Given the apparent effort involved in keeping an old car alive in Japan, that K-car does seem to be a very unusual choice. There must be a very interesting story behind that one. Great pictures as always.

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-Cam
1988 Mazda RX7
1980 Toyota Celica
a bunch of cool other cars I'm not allowed to list

i will be honest... i would drive that K car in Japan.. so many wtf's..

Indeed! I see it regularly, so maybe I will be lucky to spot the driver one day and ask... Here I was thinking a twin-cam Carina or Cromodora were notable, and some Chrysler gets all the attention - so I guess you're right - what a ride! Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Location, location, location. That car wouldn't get a second look here, but calling it a bizarre curiosity in Japan would be quite the understatement.

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-Cam
1988 Mazda RX7
1980 Toyota Celica
a bunch of cool other cars I'm not allowed to list

Wow, LHD 240Z in Japan... truly weird.

A few years ago perhaps. But, with the strong yen and depressed prices of kyusha outside of Japan, it is more than worth the effort to re-import. Honda ur-S are particularly common in LHD. Though this was the first Z I've seen in LHD, there are many earlier Fairlady about in LHD.

Our last destination was the west side of Shizuoka-ken, and the Tenryu valley.



Taking the Shin-Tomei south, we enjoyed glorious views of Fuji-san.





Passing a disused driving school, the roads north got smaller.





Past single track local trains.





Past fields of tea.



Tunnels with intersections inside them.



Dam walls as part of the highway.



Spectacular pedestrian suspension bridges.



Deserted roads with spectacular views.







Local villages.



Still smaller roads.



Landslides.



Even less used roads.



To roads that disappear into the forests.



More spectacular mountain views.



To our destination, the Takane Castle. A reconstruction over the original high-mountain earthworks.



An untouched mountain hut.



Stopping for a late lunch, we admired a Vamos calendar.



Over a super fresh tenzaru-soba.



Car-wise, we enjoyed this boso-style drift kei.



The driver helpfully added his boso-pipe, and Kyokujitsu-ki...



... and you could hear the audible sighs from the Doctor Huxtable sweater wearing Z squadron parked next door.



And what are these called?



And a Mustang Celica GT, if it was Highland Green from this angle, pulling away from the lights like it had a black Challenger on its tail (instead of a black CR-V).



Coming back down the valley, as we were exploring the wide river bed, we were overflown by a glider.



This being Japan, we declined an offer for a free sailing from the family operating their radio base station, pull trolley-truck, recovery vehicle, and support team and instead enjoy the marvelous take-offs and silent passing on approach to the river bed.



With the sun going down, we made our way to our curious hotel on the shores of Hamanaka-ko.



The interior of which we were sure had not changed since it was opened in 1968.



See ya! Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

As always awesome pics! Loving the dori kei-chan

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'71 S30 - '90 S13x2 - '01 Grocery Getter AKA IS300 - '02 954RR

This is such an amazing thread! it's really got my urbex juices flowing. Can't wait to see more!

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'92 Mitsubishi Delica Super Exceed
'89 Mitsubishi Starion 2.6 Widebody
'87 Honda Civic Silver GT
'85 Honda Civic Gold DX with Brown Top
'79 Mitsubishi Celeste GSR
'78 Mitsubishi Sigma GE
'74 Datsun Laurel

Thanks!



Just south of Ranzan in Saitama, the flat valleys of Kanto start give way to the low hills of Gunma. Quiet roads with many roadside shrines wind around rivers, and little valleys, with local houses scattering the fields. Some houses look like they are in Ohio, others Japanese. A local castle ruins still shows its 600 year old stone walls in the forest.















Nearby though, a small collection of kyusha waits for better days.









Over dinner of fresh cut lumps of maguro, hand-ground wasabi, fresh vegetables & miso paste, and a steaming box of oysters we pondered what the big blue shed held... Neko.

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The Black Cat - S800M Coupe.

Love those photos. Hope the Ladybird (Subaru 360) gets resurrected someday!

No, I'd be pretty excited to see a well kept one around here too. My friend's '81 Aries wagon was pretty popular around these parts. But yes, I wonder what the story is behind it?

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