As far as Japanese car bucket lists go, it would be a safe bet that Daikoku Parking Area (PA) would feature quite highly. It certainly did for me and late on a Sunday afternoon it was time to tick it off the list!
We had already had a full day after visiting Hakone earlier (you can check that out here) but we started making the trek to the industrial area of Yokohama. Once on the legendary Wangan (highway to Daikoku) it is key to make sure you get the right turn off…. if you miss it you are up for a big loop before you have to try again!
So a few quick points, Daikoku is on a man made island in Tokyo Bay, there is really not a lot else there! The parking area is split into car and truck/bus parking but you will often find people utilising both. This is where the police can step in and ask people to move along – there is actually a police station located within the confines of Daikoku! Speaking of, unfortunately, it seems the local police come through and move everyone on at 10pm most days – a real shame but a reflection of the times I guess… A lot of people get onto the Wangan and blast across the bay to Umihotaru PA – another meeting spot.
We parked up just as the last light was fading so the pics you see are a combination of phone shots and me trying to balance my camera on my bag (that tripod I brought was very handy left back in the hotel room…).
From what I have seen depending on the time of week/day that you attend you will see totally different genres of cars. Being a Sunday evening there seemed to be a bit of a mix – Rs Meeting was the previous day (which you can read about here) but despite that there wasn’t a huge bias of GT-Rs.
Speaking of lights, you may have seen the large structure that is in the middle of Daikoku and it is just that, a light tower. In fact, the whole architecture of the place is quite impressive, with the roads wrapping around you and the parks down in the centre. Of course, being Japan, there was various vending machines and food eateries if you fancied a snack or something more!
I am always mindful of trying not to be behind my camera or phone when at places like this (easier said than done for me sometimes it seems haha!) but we were constantly doing laps. That is the great thing about Daikoku as you have finished walking around doing a lap there is a fair chance something else has arrived in that time so off you go and the cycle repeats.
Overall Daikoku was a great experience and I think that you could go 10 different times and find it exciting every time! In fact, I hope to head back on a Sunday morning some time!
More Japanese content to come!