It’s simple to grow to be desensitised to loads of the occasions I get to go to right here in Japan, however now and again I catch myself being fully blown away. That is a type of uncommon instances.
First let’s set the scene. Dori Dore occurs simply few instances a 12 months, however solely as soon as on the iconic Okuibuki Motor Park. This 12 months it occurred to be the day after Wekfest Japan, which is just some hours’ drive away. I all the time see post-event protection and need I went, so whereas I used to be in Nagoya for Wekfest, I didn’t hesitate to splash out on an costly mid-Golden Week resort room for the night time so I may try Dori Dore the next day.
I simply so occurred to verify into the identical resort as a one of many automobiles coming into the occasion, which gave me style of what to anticipate. The next morning, I ran into one other entrant on the native petrol station. Anticipation was at an all-time excessive as I made my means out to the venue.
Arriving at Okuibuki proper because the gates opened at 8:00am allowed me to catch a number of the automobiles unloading and coming in. It was onerous to consider a few of these automobiles can be drifting, as many had a show-like high quality to them. I may already inform it was going to be a day of aero package destruction.
Okuibuki is tucked into the picturesque mountains of Shiga Prefecture. This can be a dual-purpose facility – within the winter it’s the Okuibuki Ski Resort; in the summertime the parking space transforms into the Okuibuki Motor Park. For the latter, the primary space is an open multipurpose course, however there’s additionally a touge part.
Being dropped on a mountainside creates a steep elevation change, making Okuibuki good for spectators and drawing greater crowds 12 months on 12 months.
Images like this are why I like to spend a lot time within the pits.
While I really like the drifting, my favorite a part of these occasions to shoot is the pits within the early morning. The atmosphere of the venue because the automobiles arrive and prepare for the day, while the solar nonetheless sits low sufficient to create that vibrant Japan glow, units the scene for a few of my favorite pictures. I typically discover myself hanging across the pits even all through the occasion, capturing the organised chaos.
With round 10 minutes till the drifting began, most automobiles made their means over to the doorway of the monitor. That is the place the occasion began to vary from a typical drift day. Tons of of spectators started to flock to the monitor’s edge, cheering on the automobiles as made a symphony of largely SR, RB and JZ goodness. This half was rather more paying homage to bosozoku tradition, and I used to be all for it.
As it’s with many occasions, the foundations round media entry on monitor will be fairly lenient in Japan in comparison with different international locations. This was nothing in need of that, permitting us to arrange proper within the thick of it, within the centre of the monitor.
You realize you’ve acquired a great spot to shoot when your 35mm lens has sufficient attain to get shut motion photographs of the automobiles.
I’ve shot Negi-san and Leina-san’s twin 180SXs previously at Nikko Circuit. It was nice to see them again out once more at Okuibuki.
Dori Dore is rather more about placing on a present than the driving itself. Being in Nagoya, most of the entrants will make their means from Tokyo or Osaka to affix and drive the occasion with pals. The gang across the monitor didn’t subside in any respect all through the day, and I attempted to seize pictures that spotlight the ambiance of the occasion as a lot because the driving.
After a morning of drifting on the multipurpose course, it was time for the extremely anticipated touge run on the backside of the mountain. This course has virtually no room for error, so I wasn’t positive what to anticipate from the drivers.
After all, I used to be not dissatisfied; there was no hesitation to throw the automobiles in at ten tenths. This did nonetheless finish in a couple of 4×4 adventures, reducing touge time quick. I’m glad I managed to get down there for the primary of the runs to seize these pictures.
For the rest of my time at Okuibuki, I planted myself again in the midst of the multipurpose course. The gang solely continued to develop in the direction of the top of the day, and there was even an announcement that the venue had reached capability.
Dori Dore Okuibuki 2023 was by far the very best occasion I’ve been to in Japan but. The mix of surroundings, the group and the automobiles make it a must-do for anybody that ever finds themselves in Nagoya round Wekfest time.
Alex Pender
Instagram: noplansco
