Japan, Evening sets in, Part 3

Tuesday evening came way to fast, and normally, I'd be trying to get some rest in the hotel because work at the racetrack normally starts on a Wednesday. Due to some shipping issues, the entire GP paddock's shipping containers weren't going to arrive until Thursday, which meant that Wednesday was totally open. I got clearance from my team to do my own thing, so I opted to stick with Hammer and take a mini-break from the three races in a row. Sunset came in, and it was gorgeous. We were back at the shop, which is next to a Dunlop tire dealership which handles industrial type stuff. Further, there's a custom car shop on the premises which installs stereos and preps racecars. Racecars? Yeah. Drifters. Turns out the local racetrack is Tsukuba (you may have seen it in many a video game).

Hammer's older brother has been racing for decades, and a bunch of little ricers would show up throughout the day and into the evening to check in, hang out, or just show off. Anyone recognize this?
It had that classic, old Japanese car smell, but it was anything but.

Hmmm, nothing stock under the hood, either. Anyone know what motor this is?

Could this be the infamous Initial D -mobile?

We dropped back to Hammer's place to knock back a beer and celebrate my first night in the Land of the Rising Sun, and then it was off to find a little restaurant that served up some of the best food I've ever had. How can you tell if a Japanese place is good? Is it because it's full of Japanese people? They're all full of Japanese people here! Nonetheless, this place was good, and for the huge amount of food and drinks we had, it was unbelievably affordable, too. If only I could remember the name.

Bring it! We had everything, from soups, to katsu's, to fish. It was perfect.

Does it get any better than this?!?

Posted by Liam on September 19, 2006 10:57 PM | Permalink