Countless sessions of racing in virtual Hakone and I’m now here, physically!
This would very well be one of the only times I’m happy to get up early, hah.
Why we shifted over from Hirai to Odawara was primarily to come up to Hakone – which needs a car. We pre-booked a rental from trip.com, what was supposed to be a Toyota Corolla Touring. For a single day of use was around S$134.40. I’ve yet to try local rentals in Singapore, so I don’t have much of a yardstick to compare prices with. Its… fine?
It was until we were told by the folks at the rental place that due to snow buildup was the Corolla not available because it wasn’t equipped with winter tyres. Look, I’m not in the position to argue, so I accepted a different car for our party of five (with winter tyres, S$20 surcharge, haiz).
So instead of a Toyota Corolla Touring, our lives now rest on the duty of a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. And after driving it a bit… its actually not that bad at all.
Hakone Turnpike was only about ten minutes away from the rental place in Odawara. The familiarity hit me at the stretch underneath the entrance to the Turnpike. I’ve driven it countless times in Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune – as I can imagine you would have too.
Seeing the view and tolls not from a screen is surreal. From Initial D, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune to MF Ghost, Hakone Turnpike was a good part of my teenage years. I never conceived the idea of a bucket list, but it may as well be one I can strike off.
Its very quiet here like Odawara – any noise will come from cars entering the tolls – which which tend to be as exciting as the location itself.
As one can expect, driving up the mountain is extremely different that WMMT couldn’t prepare me for. The elevations are substantial and is a high-level road – no wonder its been used in motoring media! It is a long and fast road, with much elevation that should be best experienced in person. Games cannot match the verticality of some of the straights.
We did stop at the legendary right bend (for uphill) at the adjacent rest stop that overlooks this fast right hander. Then and now, it has been an iconic location for panning shots or pulls. You and I likely differ on what we remember the stretch for, but I remember it most from exhaust “sound checks”. The videos are still on YouTube and still is a good repository for exhaust systems on some popular platforms.
There were two gentlemen parked at the same place as we were – with a Nissan GT-R and Lexus LC500.
The GT-R in the newer T-Spec facelift looks pretty – the Ultimate Metal Silver paintwork very reminiscent of the Vogue Silver Metallic shade on the EK9-generation Civic Type R which is a fan-favorite of mine. Actually, this exact GT-R T-Spec was the review unit for Top Gear before, am I missing something?
Very beautiful cars.
I will filter most of the car-spots in an adjacent piece. Towards the top, a V36 or V37-generation Nissan Skyline was pushing us – not so much the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross could do, really.
The observatory deck is located at the end of the Turnpike road which most Wangan Midnight players would know about. I think in the game, the loop is created by driving through the carpark? This loop does not exist anymore and that carpark segment has since been demolished. Only after writing and verifying did it click in my head that this road segment did not align the way I remembered it in games.
The Observatory Deck is large with an unlimited view and still is a hotspot for spirited drivers to come and meet for photos and food if necessary. There are two vendors within the building for meals alongside a booth for modern BMW aftermarket parts.
I like it – its a very enthusiast-y place, though whether it was been “touristed” too much is not something I can comment and verify.
Amongst the many cars that were present and passed along (which there was MANY), it seems just-our-luck to have spotted what I think is a guided tour around Hakone.
This guided tour had cars for the job, included not but limited to the many iconic models of the 1990s including some Wangan Midnight and Initial D replica cars parked together for a briefing.
We would meet half of the convoy again at another part of Hakone, but I’ll save it for a separate entry given how intensive it is.
Back to the observation, there is much to look there for the scenery, which we weren’t so lucky with cloudy skies.
Alongside the view, some maps and what-you-see-what-you-get is also a swing facing the mountains.
Its a nice photo op for cars and people alike and probably very Instagram-y, though I think what we ended up doing was “disturbing the peace” with some complaints about the clouds obscuring the view of Mount Fuji…
And one of us falling from the swing.
The clouds never left on this day – we stayed another twenty or so minutes waiting for the clouds to disperse, but they ended up being more persistent than us. We gave up and left in the end.
Hakone Turnpike was a super pretty place to be. I really liked my time here… and its also time to leave this mystical place to continue exploring. Next time… but in the meantime, filter through all of the car extravaganza in the adjacent piece!
~Efini
Read more: Tourist in Japan: Tokyo to Odawara
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