Japan Cars and Racing

Fans of action and car movies alike watched the third Fast and the Furious movie Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift with a level of scepticism. Not about the actors abilities or the plot (that’s for a different review) but for the realism. High speed car chases are shown all the time in America, but could drifting gangs actually happen in such a place as Tokyo?

Sadly, yes. This isn’t to put a black mark on Japan, many countries have issues with illegal street racing; Japan is merely one among many in this regard. There is nowhere you can go to look up when and where annual street races in Japan so racers have to be covert about where they can race.

Street racing takes place all over the country. Some take place spontaneously, with two drivers eyeing each other off at a stop light. These aren’t ‘official’ amongst the racing members; these are usually done for a bit of a laugh and hold no prize for the winner other than bragging rights.

There are people in Japan who are called the bozozuku, and they “run” the illegal street racing in Japan. Some people have stories about dangerous run ins with this gang, but mostly they are peaceful. Members appear threatening, and they are said to hold weapons like knives and base ball bats to keep pedestrians and motorist off of the roads on which they are racing. The Mid Night Club was an illegal street racing gang in the 80s and 90s. However, they disbanded after a crash killed one of their members.

In Tokyo, highway racing occurs at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, and they generally occur on the Shuto Expressway.  Some racing enthusiasts see it as the government’s fault that they are forced to race on the street. In Japan, a toll pass (a pass that allows you to drive on the highway) is around ¥1,000. A pass to drive on a circuit can cost at least ¥20,000, so legitimate racers feel that they have no choice but to race on the roads.

Image Source

Japan is a country that loves sports. With many game shows involving creative sportsmanship and sports emphasized in the school curriculum, the Land of the Rising Sun sure has their people fit and active. Here are some sports that originated in Japan and have gained popularity in other countries.

The martial art that is considered as the country’s national sport is sumo wrestling. In this sport, the sumo wrestlers will need to gain an incredible amount of weight while being able to maintain their balance as they battle with each other to force the other outside the ring or touch the ground. This sport originated from Edo period Japan, and is said to be a form of entertainment among samurai. The daily regimen of a sumo wrestler is extremely disciplined to maintain their fit condition and stamina despite the size of their bodies. Nowadays, there are even foreign participants in this popular sport.

Japan is also very popular for other martial arts, such as Judo, Karate, Kendo, and Ninjutsu, among many others. They originally came about as warrior traditions among samurai and as a form of caste differentiation. Eventually, martial arts became a philosophy where one would need to take it as a way of life, instilling their mind, body, and soul to focus on their life battles. Such martial arts have gained so much popularity around the world that some of these sports are also included in the Olympics and Commonwealth games.

Japan is also popular for the Japanese racing or drifting. The sport originated from racing on the sharp slopes of the mountains in Japan. This form of Japanese racing requires a lot of skill and control so that the vehicle does not fall off its tracks or even crash. However, the sport has been adopted into Western countries where tracks are made in stadiums for the purpose of drifting. Japanese sports have sure found their way into to the hearts of many across the globe!