Category: LotusTours

24th-27th August 2020

Drive to Kobuchisawa (with a quick stop for breakfast at Futaba) and to the Yatsugatake Natural Country Park with the bike on the back of the car. Then one day of cycling, before completing the journey to Hakuba valley.

On Tuesday, a full day of driving, taking as much as possible local roads from Hakuba to Lavendar Bearch on the Japan Sea coast, Itoigawa (where I stopped for lunch).

Then took the Hokuriku Expressway, along the coast to Toyama city (I started taking local roads but was constantly following slow moving trucks so got onto the expressway in order to get back to the mountains as quickly as possible). From Toyama, headed back into the mountains and to Takayama. From Takayama, took the Cosmos Kaido back towards Matsumoto. Then back along the Azumino Art Line, via the “Nihon Alps Salad Road” (through delightful orchards) and then eventually back to Hakuba.

September 8th, Fuji Speedway Circuit

I joined the Japan Lotus Day on September 8th at Fuji Speedway, which also happened to be the event at which the press launch of the Evija took place. So not only did I get to spend a day with similarly fanatical Lotus owners, walk unrestricted through the pits (full of classic cars) and have a race around the track, I also had a chance to get close up to Lotus’s new hyper car!

The track experience was excellent, albeit a little tame – as I don’t have a track license and so had stay behind the pace car. But even then I could test the incredible cornering ability of the Elise.

And to top it all off, we get a chance to be the first people in Japan to see the Evija.

25th~29th August 2019

Drive to Oarai to catch the night ferry to Tomakomai on Hokkaido island (boarding at 6pm and arriving around noon the next day).

From Tomokomai, drive towards Otaru and up to the Sheraton hotel at the Kiroro resort.

Then, a few days driving around the southern end of the island. Some spectacular scenery and views but also some extremely bumpy roads (cracked by the extremes of the weather).

On the last day, I took the south western coast road back to Tomokomai. The weather was changeable but the view from the coast road was breathtaking.