Today, July 21, marks two important days of commemoration in Japan. The first is Natural Parks Day, remembering the day in 1957 when the Natural Parks Act was passed in order to protect and promote Japan’s national parks. The second is Japan’s Three Scenic Views Day, which coincides with Hayashi Shunsai’s birthday in 1618. The Edo period writer noted the three most beautiful views of ancient Japan (Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture; Amanohashidate, Kyoto Prefecture; and Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture). Such destinations are the perfect locales to plan a summer road trip around, and will often take you off the beaten path to reveal the majestic wonder of Mother Earth.
What’s the most scenic place you’ve driven to?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite JNC for open air driving?“.
Not surprisingly, the Mazda Miata got a lot of love, from the likes of Ray, Steve , and Taylor C. Meanwhile, Alan cast a vote for the Miata’s chief rival, the MR2 Spyder. But the world of open air cars is much broader than 90s roadsters.
Pre-Miata contenders included Negishi no Keibajo‘s Datsun Fairlady 1600, Charlie‘s Toyota Sports 800, and Jim Klein‘s Toyota Celica GT-S. We liked the range of non-convertible answers as well, such as daniel‘s Isuzu Amigo, Fred Langille‘s Nissan S-Cargo with the optional canvas top, and Ian G.‘s T-top Toyota MR2 S/C. And because we’re talking about Japanese cars, let’s not forget the kei jidosha that offer open air motoring as well, and crank_case offered a Suzuki Cappuccino with a great descriptor of how it drives.
The winner this week was dankan and his Honda Beat, but what sealed the victory was the evocative picture painted around it:
A yellow Honda Beat heading down the coast line, with The Blue Hearts on the tape deck and a mini cooler full of Pocari Sweat chilling in the trunk.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
It was probably the longest trip ever taken by a Honda Z600 Sports Coupe … from Fort Jackson, SC to Phoenix, AZ after getting off active duty from the Army in June of ’83. I had traded my old Dodge Colt for it when I arrived and while, this wasn’t a pleasure trip, there were scenic tops along the way. The little two-banger, in bright orange with maroon racing stripes was not only easy to drive but, economical, 64mpg on regular. I drove through some of the prettiest country in the USA. South to Alabama and, west through Texas onto Arizona. It was the first of many trips, made on Army tours of active duty. San Francisco, St. Louis. SYNARA, which is also the plate of the S-Cargo now, in memoriam, motored thru the country … getting amazed looks and certifying my love and respe4ct for JDM and kei cars.
Only a few days after I arrived in Japan, still a nervous mess wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into, I found a twisty road a few minutes from my apartment and headed up it in my company-provided car. It led up to an observation deck at the top of Mt. Kinko in Tamano City, just south of Okayama. The view at the top was quite literally unlike anything I’d ever seen before- It overlooked the entire Seto Inland Sea with Shikoku in the far distance, the Seto Ohashi Bridge, and the hundreds of tiny islands. I’ve read that on a clear night with a good zoom lens, you can even see as far as the tallest building in Osaka. I never managed to, but I was able to see the supports of the Akashi Kaikyo bridge near Kobe one day.
I grew up in Ohio, and we’ve got Lake Erie, a milion miles of flat land, and not much else. To say this was the most scenic place I’d ever driven to would be a huge understatement. It became a really special place to me, and I’d go there probably once a month or so.
I also didn’t know at the time, but the road leading up there used to be popular with Hashiriya in the 90s, and is still a decently popular street drifting spot if you show up late at night. There are still some VHS-quality videos up on YOutube from back in the day-
Now I just have to turn that Honda Beat fantasy into my reality…
The most scenic place I’ve driven are probably the roads around Mount Tremblant, or the drive to Shirai-no-taki. The somen and soft cream by the waterfall is lovely. Climbing on the rocks is very scenic, but learn from my failure and don’t become the reason for a bilingual “Stay off the rocks for your safety” sign.