"It's the rich history of the area steeped in legend it's the aesthetic and texture and smells and sounds of this world" these are the things that makes it so special."įor more on Japan, check out this insane spa-themed amusement park. "In my opinion, what makes the Japanese drifting scene different from other car cultures is the sense that they are the direct descendants of the progenitors of the original touge street racing scene," says Albo. There is a real sense of danger coupled with a satisfaction that everyone and everything makes it home in one piece.īut by the time we stop for a McDonalds drive-through back in suburbia, we could be anywhere, and this could be any other Friday night. While other countries have embraced drifting on tracks and bought the Fast and the Furious DVDs, here in the darkness, this is the real thing. While youths across the world sink tequila in search of their kicks on this Friday night, this is a whole different world of recklessness and fun. Whereas people I hang out with on a Friday night might pride themselves on their prowess in a game of darts or pool, these skills are preventing us from leaving the side of a mountain backwards. His judgement in lining the car up from drift to drift, and his sixth sense of pendulum swinging a ton and a half of metal from one side to the other, is otherworldly. The set of bespoke dials on the dashboard are dancing their own tune – the speedo and clock behind them have been rendered useless.ĭownhill is even more exhilarating. With this, Akira drops the clutch and the rear wheels break traction again. "My life is boring," he says, "I do this for excitement."
"This is my fourth drift car, although one I did drive into a parked truck." Why does he do it, week in, week out? He looks at me, hands going back to 10-and-2 on the steering wheel, and momentarily breaking his recce of the road ahead. "I've crashed over 30 times in 10 years of drifting," he says matter-of-fact, still smiling. Hands shaking and holding the camera, I ask him if he has crashed before. At the top of the run he pulls an oversized, custom acrylic handbrake lever, positioned next to his left hand as in a rally car, and spins a full 180 degrees to a stop. Momentarily, a fox runs out and the car lunges under braking, four-wheel sliding towards the barrier, before Akira expertly reigns it in, laughing. The car seamlessly swings left to right with surgical precision – fitting, because by day he makes medical instruments. "This is Japanese drifting," he shouts over the din of a fully stressed six cylinder, as the murdered-out Toyota's nose all but trades paint with the apex of the bend. As the car pendulums into a perfect drift, I look out of the side window up the road straight ahead. Akira swings out left for something resembling a Scandinavian flick to cause a weight transfer that will help the car oversteer. The rear tires are almost constantly searching for traction when in a straight line. I'm barely strapped in before the landscape is blurring in front of my eyes. When crude weight-saving measures like ditching the back seats are employed, and the old auto 'box is replaced with a stick shift, you have have a very quick, very responsive machine. With better breathing, this can easily touch 300hp.
Much like a lot of Japanese society, showing off in the drift scene is frowned upon – something that's hard to understand initially, considering this could be the most extravagant form of motorsport on the planet. A couple of middle-aged guys in flip flops – they drive in bare feet – have escaped from their families for the night in Toyota sedans they have hand-built for drifting. Young rich kids who have snuck out from their parents' houses rub shoulders with hard-up grease monkeys who have arrived with a borrowed set of part worn tires. They all come from different backgrounds. The drifters are friendly but understandably cautious of our presence – Albo is doing a good job of explaining in rapid fire Japanese who we are and handing out Kit Kats as a peace offering. You only know when you're peeling it off the barrier." "You put so much work into your car and you go and almost crash it every night.To find out the limit you have to go over the limit. "Drifting is like juggling glass," he says.
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