S2000 or Honda attractions in Japan?
03-25-2018, 07:26 AM
#11
That's good to know for next time
03-26-2018, 02:25 PM
#12
Registered User
Second vote for the Honda Collection Hall.
Mugen, MPF and Spoon have offices that you maybe could arrange a visit to, I think. (I have no idea if MPF is still around, actually.)
If you know somebody there who is in to the scene, have them take you to a late-night meetup.
IIRC the Honda dealers there have some neat lifestyle accessories that are not available in the US.
Mugen, MPF and Spoon have offices that you maybe could arrange a visit to, I think. (I have no idea if MPF is still around, actually.)
If you know somebody there who is in to the scene, have them take you to a late-night meetup.
IIRC the Honda dealers there have some neat lifestyle accessories that are not available in the US.
03-28-2018, 05:16 AM
#15
Registered User
ASM if you have time to make a trek to Yokohama, it's probably about an hour away from the Shinjuku area by train.
Spoon / Type One / Feel's / Seeker are all in the same-ish area as well, about 20 minutes west of Shinjuku by train.
Spoon / Type One / Feel's / Seeker are all in the same-ish area as well, about 20 minutes west of Shinjuku by train.
03-29-2018, 03:50 PM
#16
Honda Collection Hall (full day trip since it's far north of Tokyo)
Visit various Autobacs (Tokyo Bay is supposed to be the best one. I went there and it didn't have much)
Various Up Garage locations bordering Tokyo for used parts
Spoon/Type One/Mugen are 30-40 min away via taxi. Longer with bus. No subways go direct.
Another 45-60 minutes on the subway South of Spoon et al is Yokohama where ASM is.
If you visit various tuners, i highly recommend using Google maps ahead of time to see how long the commutes are. Before i went on my trip i created and saved a google map with all of the tuners, HOWEVER i failed to actually see how long it took to get to each one. The trek to ASM is quite far from Tokyo, for example, so you'd better really want to go there (or surrounding areas) and plan your day accordingly, otherwise you might miss out on other things because you've spent so much time sitting on the subway. Also, look up shop hours because you have to consider these tuners don't have "shopping mall" hours, they have normal business hours, so 10am-5/6pm is the norm.
Something else you might consider is looking up Super GT races around the time that you're in Japan. Obviously there aren't any tracks directly in Tokyo, but if you have time to venture out of the city to a Super GT race, they will usually have a lot of tuner booths and stuff for sale that you probably wouldn't be able to buy at autobacs or even at their HQ. **FYI Spoon HQ wouldn't sell me anything because they wanted me to purchase through Gotuning in the USA and Mugen HQ didn't have much in stock.
Visit various Autobacs (Tokyo Bay is supposed to be the best one. I went there and it didn't have much)
Various Up Garage locations bordering Tokyo for used parts
Spoon/Type One/Mugen are 30-40 min away via taxi. Longer with bus. No subways go direct.
Another 45-60 minutes on the subway South of Spoon et al is Yokohama where ASM is.
If you visit various tuners, i highly recommend using Google maps ahead of time to see how long the commutes are. Before i went on my trip i created and saved a google map with all of the tuners, HOWEVER i failed to actually see how long it took to get to each one. The trek to ASM is quite far from Tokyo, for example, so you'd better really want to go there (or surrounding areas) and plan your day accordingly, otherwise you might miss out on other things because you've spent so much time sitting on the subway. Also, look up shop hours because you have to consider these tuners don't have "shopping mall" hours, they have normal business hours, so 10am-5/6pm is the norm.
Something else you might consider is looking up Super GT races around the time that you're in Japan. Obviously there aren't any tracks directly in Tokyo, but if you have time to venture out of the city to a Super GT race, they will usually have a lot of tuner booths and stuff for sale that you probably wouldn't be able to buy at autobacs or even at their HQ. **FYI Spoon HQ wouldn't sell me anything because they wanted me to purchase through Gotuning in the USA and Mugen HQ didn't have much in stock.
03-30-2018, 01:32 AM
#17
Don't think anyone mentioned Honda welcome plaza right in the center of Tokyo.
It's not a very big showroom but they got the top selection of Honda cars and bikes and when I was there they also had the current F1 and MotoGP bike.
Oh and a few times per day Asimo performs there and you can take a picture with him
In the bay area you got the Autobacs store which kind of sucks if you expect to buy any S2000 parts, but might be nice to check it out anyways.
If you do go there you should definitely check out the huge Toyota showroom which is very close by.
It's not a very big showroom but they got the top selection of Honda cars and bikes and when I was there they also had the current F1 and MotoGP bike.
Oh and a few times per day Asimo performs there and you can take a picture with him
In the bay area you got the Autobacs store which kind of sucks if you expect to buy any S2000 parts, but might be nice to check it out anyways.
If you do go there you should definitely check out the huge Toyota showroom which is very close by.
03-30-2018, 09:43 AM
#18
When I went in 2015 we only made it to Type One and some of the Upgarages. Had an R34 GTR to rent but ended up at a karaoke bar until 6am the night before.
We took trains out to Nerima, walked south to Type One (long walk but cool to see a real neighborhood) and then back, there's an Upgarage on the same road as Type One to the north. Found a couple Autobacs and never saw the point, seemed just like a Japanese Autozone. Upgarage on the other hand was amazing, Rays wheels for miles, random J's Racing exhausts and even cool OEM stuff. Most we went to didn't have tons of S2000 parts, but found enough to make it worthwhile.
If I had to do it again I'd do ASM in Yokohama and the Honda Collection Museum for sure.
We took trains out to Nerima, walked south to Type One (long walk but cool to see a real neighborhood) and then back, there's an Upgarage on the same road as Type One to the north. Found a couple Autobacs and never saw the point, seemed just like a Japanese Autozone. Upgarage on the other hand was amazing, Rays wheels for miles, random J's Racing exhausts and even cool OEM stuff. Most we went to didn't have tons of S2000 parts, but found enough to make it worthwhile.
If I had to do it again I'd do ASM in Yokohama and the Honda Collection Museum for sure.
04-20-2018, 08:12 PM
#19
I got back from Japan earlier today, I managed to put about 200mi on a Honda S660 and 300mi on a Nissan R33 GTR during my trip.
The S660 is ****ing awesome and I'd buy the shit out of one if you could bring them into the US. RHD was easy to get used to other than dealing with very tight neighborhood roads and not knowing the exact boundaries of the cars. Honda Collection Hall was definitely worth the drive, especially since you basically have free reign to poke around Twin Ring Motegi, which is a pretty insane track IRL. Also ended up going to the Japan Motorsports Festival in Odiba, which was filled with pretty ****ing rare rally cars (Subaru, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Lancia, etc), formula cars, endurance racers, and other little things.
For next time I will definitely make sure to do Hakone in the dry (it was ****ing pouring and I definitely slid the damn GTR on the Mazda Hakone Turnpike while being easy on it) and I would probably stick to the turbo kei cars rather than the newer, bigger stuff. You definitely do not need the power, the size is a pain in the dick, and the gas/tolls are a fair amount more expensive.
The S660 is ****ing awesome and I'd buy the shit out of one if you could bring them into the US. RHD was easy to get used to other than dealing with very tight neighborhood roads and not knowing the exact boundaries of the cars. Honda Collection Hall was definitely worth the drive, especially since you basically have free reign to poke around Twin Ring Motegi, which is a pretty insane track IRL. Also ended up going to the Japan Motorsports Festival in Odiba, which was filled with pretty ****ing rare rally cars (Subaru, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Lancia, etc), formula cars, endurance racers, and other little things.
For next time I will definitely make sure to do Hakone in the dry (it was ****ing pouring and I definitely slid the damn GTR on the Mazda Hakone Turnpike while being easy on it) and I would probably stick to the turbo kei cars rather than the newer, bigger stuff. You definitely do not need the power, the size is a pain in the dick, and the gas/tolls are a fair amount more expensive.
05-22-2018, 06:50 PM
#20
Thread Starter
Thanks guys, will be arriving in Japan this Sunday. 6 nights in Tokyo and 6 nights in Kyoto. Not really interested in the tuner shops since time is limited and the lady is gonna freak out haha.
The Honda Collection Hall and the Honda Welcome Plaza are possibilities though. Honda Welcome Plaza for sure since it's inside Tokyo. Is this like a sales showroom where it would be awkward to walk in and look around, or is the place meant for visiting? Is the Honda Collection Hall the most popular tourist site in Japan for Honda fans? 3+ hours one way via train means this would be a full day trip, so not sure this will be likely, but will try. Are taxis readily available after getting off at Motegi?
Any other must see sites for Honda freaks? Other Honda museums? Thanks!
The Honda Collection Hall and the Honda Welcome Plaza are possibilities though. Honda Welcome Plaza for sure since it's inside Tokyo. Is this like a sales showroom where it would be awkward to walk in and look around, or is the place meant for visiting? Is the Honda Collection Hall the most popular tourist site in Japan for Honda fans? 3+ hours one way via train means this would be a full day trip, so not sure this will be likely, but will try. Are taxis readily available after getting off at Motegi?
Any other must see sites for Honda freaks? Other Honda museums? Thanks!