Real Life Initial D Locations — Gunma Road Trip
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Recently a friend and I visited Gunma, a few hours northwest of Tokyo, to explore iconic real life Initial D locations. Who could turn down an opportunity to drive Mount Akina (real name Mount Haruna), Akagi, Myogi, Usui and other mountain passes made famous by the hit series? Unlike Takumi Fujiwara however, four-wheel-drifting the tōuge wasn’t an option for us since we were in a hired Toyota GRMN Yaris. Instead we had to settle for only mildly spirited driving. Nevertheless, the car was mostly a blast to drive—apart from a totally cooked clutch (thanks Omoren…) but that’s another story.
I’ve been to Japan many times now, but this was only my second proper visit to Gunma prefecture. A few years ago I had a chance to visit Mt Haruna, as well as Shibukawa (Takumi’s home town), and Akina’s hot-spring town Ikaho—including its quirky yet excellent Ikaho Toy, Doll and Car Museum. We also got to drive Irohazaka, home to Initial D’s Lancer-Evolution-driving Emperor team. Time was short on that first trip however, so a second Gunma adventure was always on the cards. This latest trip was a chance to revisit some highlights, while exploring some new Initial D locations that we missed last time.
If you ever make your own Initial D pilgrimage, I highly recommend this amazingly detailed map by Reddit user Global_Dark8006. It highlights a bunch of real life Initial D locations in Gunma and beyond, and was a great planning resource.
Waking up in Ōta City
The day before the Gunma trip was long and tiring. We had travelled to Motegi in Tochigi prefecture to watch a fantastic afternoon Super GT race. That evening we returned to Tokyo to pick up the GRMN Yaris, only to drive straight back to Gunma.
We decided to stay overnight in Ōta, home to the Subaru plant where the GR86/BRZ and WRX models are built. The plant also holds historical significance as it was previously home to the Nakajima Aircraft Company which produced fighter planes during WW2 before it was bombed in 1945 and repurposed for car manufacturing. As a couple of Toyota 86 owners ourselves, we couldn’t resist waking up to this view before embarking on our driving adventure.
Day trip to Nikko, Irohazaka & Lake Chūzenji
After breakfast in our charmingly old-school Shōwa-era hotel, it was time to hit the road towards Irohazaka and Nikko. Irohazaka is pair of twisting one-way roads connecting Nikko and the picturesque Lake Chūzenji. Unfortunately it was not only a long-weekend, but peak autumn-leaf-viewing season, so the roads were far too crowded for any shenanigans. Fortunately it is an exceptionally beautiful part of the world to drive through—even at a snail’s pace.
Shibukawa
After spending most of the day exploring Nikko and Irohazaka, it was time to head to Shibukawa to check into our hotel and grab a bite to eat. When it came to picking a restaurant, the only choice was Café Gusto—another famous Initial D location. Café Gusto is a fairly common chain of family restaurants in Japan, but this specific one is special, being the inspiration for the ‘FamilyS’ restaurant in Initial D. The Akina Speed Stars and other teams would often come here for a late night coffee or snack to discuss upcoming races and strategies.
The meal was decent enough (and cheap!)—just like you’ll find at most Japanese family restaurants. The vibe of the interior and exterior however is fantastic, and feels straight out of Initial D. It’s fun to sip coffee and pretend you are a 1990’s street racer—at least until a robot waiter breaks the illusion and brings you back to the present day.
The Ghost of Mount Akina
The next morning we woke up in Shibukawa and set out for an early morning drive up Mount Akina (Haruna). Not ‘4am-tofu-delivery-early’ but early enough to beat most of the weekend traffic. We drove up past Ikaho and parked at the Takane Observatory Deck to get a view of the town below and the surrounding mountains.
Satisfied with the view, we returned to the car ready to continue up the mountain. To our absolute shock, we pulled back onto the road behind none other than the fabled Ghost of Mount Akina!
Neither of us could quite believe our eyes. We were actually on Mount Akina, chasing a black and white panda Trueno AE86, complete with big ‘藤原とうふ店’ (Fujiwara Tofu Store) sticker on the door! At first we were crawling along behind a truck, but the driver soon signalled for us to overtake on to the perfectly clear road ahead. It was the kind of Mount Akina run that dreams are made of—chasing the AE86 to the peak, when it eventually peeled off in another direction. If I hadn’t taken these photos, I myself might think it was all just a dream. An absolute life-long memory in the making if ever there was one!
Meeting a couple of Legends at Lake Akina
At the top of Mount Akina we drove around the caldera lake, enjoying many scenic sights made famous by Initial D—including the iconic swan boats, the hotel where Takumi delivered tofu each morning, and the cable-cars heading to the peak. Even for someone with zero interest in Initial D, it’s a beautiful drive.
We pulled up at a small carpark by the lake, across from a new Nissan Z and a nicely-modified BRZ. The two owners took great interest in our GRMN Yaris, so we started chatting despite their limited English, and our much-more-limited Japanese. It turned out that they were a couple of Gunma locals—a father and son who love driving Gunma’s mountain roads on weekends. I hope to do the same with my kids one day!
Exploring Ikaho and Hunting for Manhole Covers!
We returned back down the mountain and stopped in at Ikaho for a drink and some Manhole Cover Hunting. Wait, let me explain…
Unlike the unremarkable manhole covers found in most countries, Japan has elevated the humble manhole cover to an artform. In many cities, Japanese Manhole covers (マンホール蓋 – Manhōru futa) are decorated in elaborate ways with enthusiasts even travelling from far and wide to see them. In 2020 for the 25th Anniversary of Initial D, the city of Shibukawa commissioned a set of seven Initial D themed manhole covers. Now that is a tourism campaign I can get behind!
On the previous Gunma trip a few years ago we only spotted a few manhole covers—this time we were determined to find them all. I won’t spoil the exact locations, but they can all be found around Shibukawa and Ikaho. There is also a map at the top of Mount Akina if you need any help.
To celebrate finding all seven, I treated myself to some Manhole merch (not as gross as it sounds) at a souvenir shop in Ikaho. I can’t wait to decorate the garage with them!
D’z Racing Café Garage
After Ikaho, we headed to D’z Racing Café Garage in Shibukawa. The term ‘Café’ is used loosely here. It’s more of a crazy Initial D fan’s memorabilia collection and passion-project at the foot of Mt Akina / Haruna—that happens to also serve coffee.
The café offers some simple food and drink options, but mostly it’s a love-letter to Initial D and car culture. There are countless cool items on display—some for sale, most not. I couldn’t resist the chance to grab some new stickers for the 86, and some other various Initial D merch.
While the café itself is worth a visit, there is plenty of action in the carpark too. Behind the café sits a garage containing not one, but three (!) modified FD RX-7s! There are other cool JDM sightings to be discovered too, including a Z32 Fairlady Z, FC RX-7, RX-8 and a Nissan Elgrand that is equal parts hilarious and awesome. As a previous Z32 owner and current Elgrand owner, I enjoyed seeing these very much.
Not to be outdone by the café owner, there were some nice customer cars on display too. We spotted a nice BRZ, Suzuki Cappuccino, 180SX, and a familiar panda AE86 seen earlier that morning on Akina. Perhaps it belongs to the café owner (very feasible), or maybe just another Initial D fan out for a drive.
The Return of the Legends on Mount Myogi
Next on the itinerary was Mount Myogi, home of the Night Kids. But not before stopping in to yell “fill ‘er up, high octane” at Initial D’s famous gas station. Unfortunately Iketani and Itsuki didn’t run out and welcome us.
After the 50-minute-or-so drive to Mount Myogi, we arrived and headed up the mountain pass. We parked at a small rest area to take some photos. Just then, who should come flying past, but the father and son duo we met earlier on Akina! You know… in case one awesome tōuge random encounter wasn’t enough for the day. They pulled up for another chat about cars, before heading on their way again. Sayonara, Legends—hope to see you on the next Gunma adventure!
The Myogi drive was amazing, with stunning mountain scenery, autumn leaves, and very little traffic. But things were about to get even better.
Meeting a blue SilEighty on Usui Pass
Our final stop on the Gunma Initial D pilgrimage was Usui Pass. In the series the road is home to Impact Blue‘s Mako and Sayuki in their blue Nissan SilEighty. In real life it is also the home course of ‘Drift King’ Keiichi Tsuchiya who learned to hone his driving skills there.
As we approached Usui, I recognised the famous ‘Ogino-ya‘ Kamemeshi sign—another real life Initial D location where Mako and Iketani first met. But as we pulled in to get a photo, we noticed something else much more interesting than the sign…
Unbelievably, a blue Nissan SilEighty and yet another Fujiwara Tofu Store AE86 (with a different number plate) were parked under the sign looking absolutely glorious. After some involuntary drooling and about 1,000 photos later, it was time to finish the day with a drive up Usui Pass.
The car gods must have been feeling particularly kind, because we had a perfectly clear run without traffic. As fun as Akina/Haruna, Akagi and Myogi are to drive, Usui might be the very best of all. With its smooth tarmac, tight twisting turns, and stunning Autumn backdrop, it is absolutely one of the most memorable drives of my life. So engaging in fact that I forgot to take a photo! Maybe some things are so perfect that they are better to live purely as memory. Something to remember fondly, when I’m at home dreaming of the next Gunma trip.
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