Visiting Japan as a motorsports photographer is on the bucket list for a lot of the PistonClick team. In this report, Visiting Japan Part 1 by Andrew Harbey, he ticks off a significant number of the to-do list. This is his first report of three. 

Tokyo.

October 2024, I finally embarked on a bucket list trip to Japan. Three weeks of travel, culture, food, and plenty of cars and motorsport. I had my Nikon D780 and a 24-120mm Nikkor lens for the whole trip. My phone came in handy for quicker snaps on the move.

Arriving after an overnight flight and with no sleep, I was spending my first day and night in Asakusa. This is a popular area of Tokyo with a focus on the traditional. The main feature is the Sensoji temple. Rebuilt in the 1950s it is the centrepiece of the area.

Nakamise-dori Street leads to the temple. There are shops and food stalls all the way along the street. People often decorate the shopfront shutters, making them stand out when they close.

The nearby Tokyo Skytree is the tallest building in Japan and features shops, entertainment, and an aquarium. The Skytree building looks great lit up at night, as long as there is no low cloud. The Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Centre provides a great view of the Skytree and surrounding area. 

Hiroshima the home of Mazda.

My next stop was further south on the main island. Just four hours on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and 500 miles later, I was in Hiroshima. The home of Mazda. 

Hiroshima, most famously known for the Atomic Bomb Dome, has transformed into a modern city rebuilt from the ground up. The Dome remains for viewing, preserved as it was on the day of the bombing, though it now has supporting beams to strengthen its structure. At night, it lights up, creating a real atmosphere.

Just across the river lies the Peace Park and Peace Museum. I believe the museum is essential to experience when visiting the city. Orizuru Tower stands opposite, an old office building repurposed by the great-grandson of Mazda’s founder to promote the city and focus on the future. It provides an excellent view of the city.

Visiting Japan Miyajima Island.

The nearby Miyajima Island is also famous for Itsukushima Shrine. This is a large torii gate in the sea which is one of Japan’s three great views. There has been a gate on the site since 1168, with the current one dating to 1875.

Miyajima Island is famous for its deer, which are subject to strict no-feeding rules. The deer are generally tame, and if you bow, they will bow back. 

Visiting Japan Mazda Museum.

I visited Hiroshima primarily for the Mazda Museum. They offer a free tour twice daily, with the afternoon tour available in English, requiring a reservation. The museum tour explores Mazda’s history, starting with their three-wheeled utility vehicles, moving through notable road cars, and concluding with current models. 

The museum’s centrepiece is the 1991 Le Mans-winning 787B. This race car is rarely demonstrated, but it remains in pristine condition in its own special section. I found it to be a highlight of the tour. 

During your tour, you pass through a small section of the factory where photography is understandably prohibited. The final section explores the concept of design and future models. Kodo, symbolised as a cheetah and representing the ‘soul of motion,’ forms the basis of Mazda styling.

I found the tour is very informative. You will have free time at each section of their history tour. However, the lighting was dark in some places and required a high ISO and regular adjustments. 

Visiting Japan Hamamatsu Suzuki and Yamaha.

My next stop was Hamamatsu, where Suzuki and Yamaha are based. A car, bike and piano meet you at the station.

I was disappointed to find that the Suzuki Museum was fully booked, so I couldn’t visit it on this trip. As an alternative, I planned to visit a Yamaha museum that features some bikes and their extensive range of musical instruments. 

I arrived on a day the Yamaha museum was closed. However, I did spot a themed manhole cover near the station, a common feature in Japan by local authorities.

Hamamatsu, a city renowned for music, lies near Lake Hamana, famous for its unagi (freshwater eel). Unlike the jellied eels in the UK, Hamamatsu’s unagi is cooked as a piece of fish over high-quality charcoal and coated in a delicious sauce. 

It was well worth the stop and the hotel view from the 43^rd floor in the highest building in the city added a nice touch. The hotel was next to the city’s main concert hall which sees some of Japan’s biggest acts perform. 

That concludes Visiting Japan Part 1. In part 2 we’ll look at the Fuji area, the Speedway museum, Maglev Centre and a bit more of Tokyo.