Before I get started, no, of course you aren’t only getting seven pictures for this year’s 7’s Day (7/7) coverage. This is just a quick post to whet your appetite for what’s to come.

I spent a total of eight hours split between Daikoku PA and Umihotaru PA on Friday afternoon and evening, and once again came away amazed. Every year without fail, this group of enthusiasts manages to top the previous year’s event.

I arrived at Daikoku Parking Area just after 3:00pm because I knew that it wouldn’t stay open for a long time. With July 7th falling at the end of the week, RX-7 owners were going to be making the most of it.

And I was not wrong. Even by mid-afternoon there were a good 50+ cars present, and the numbers were steadily increasing by the minute.

RX-7 owners are a colorful bunch; they love variety like no other car group I’ve come across in Japan. It’s all about standing out, and it makes things so entertaining even just walking past the line-up of cars – something I also saw you guys enjoying via the live videos I did on Speedhunters’ official Facebook and Instagram. Check them out if you haven’t already.

I’d also like to thank everyone that stopped me in my tracks to say hello or grab a picture. I have to say, I was blown away by the amount of love Speedhunters received, and I’m sorry I ran out of stickers!

My call to spend most of the afternoon at Daikoku turned out to be a good move because by 6:00pm the whole place was completely grid-locked. Every parking spot was spoken for and a line began forming at the entrance with those not wanting to just leave taking up truck parking spots and stopping along the access roads. Of course, it didn’t take long for the police to come out and start blearing announcements through the public address system, telling people to leave the PA.

As the sun set it was time to move. The scramble to come in became the scramble to leave, as owners jumped in their cars ready to head over to Umihotaru PA on the Aqua Line. That’s where the mayhem continued.

I came away with memory cards brimmed full of images, so I’ll spend the next few days selecting the best and then prepare a few worthy posts to chronicle this unique Japanese celebration we’ve religiously covered over the years. Happy 7’s Day!

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com