You may have noticed that we really love Daikokufuto, aka Daikoku PA. Located less than an hour away from central Tokyo, the famous Yokohama parking area is known for its planned meets and late-night shenanigans which regularly see it closed down completely by the police.
Events and nighttime meets are great and all, but you might be wondering what the place looks like on any given Sunday morning. With that question in mind, a weekend ago I decided to grab some of my camera gear and take a drive down the Wangan to Daikoku to see what automotive treats I could uncover.
The reason why I said ‘some camera gear’ was for the simple fact that I left the all lenses I’d normally bring to a location like Daikoku PA at home, opting only to use my 70-200mm zoom which gets the least use in my kit.
The idea behind this was twofold. One was the notion that there is always a correct lens for the job. If you have plenty of space to work with it allows you the flexibility to use an assortment of lenses, both primes and zooms, but if the area you are working in is restricted by physical space your options become limited.
The second notion really goes against the first one in the fact that using the ‘incorrect’ lens for the job can enhance your creativity, thus there really is no such thing as the incorrect lens. It was this notion that I wanted to explore.
Yes, I know that if we dig into the notion of correct and incorrect lens and start to factor in light conditions that this lens with this f-stop will be better than that lens with that f-stop, but for this experiment I wanted to look at the general case of area restrictions and creativity.
Camera in hand I got right to work, immediately discovering that I needed to go to a lot more effort to get similar shots to the ones I’d normally take with a wider lens.
And that’s when it clicked – I wasn’t using the lens correctly. With the flexibility to reach out, I could create more dramatic shots working with the obstacles in the way to create unique framing.
If something interesting was going on halfway across the parking lot, I could spend more time creating an interesting frame and taking a picture compared to running all the way there and hoping the car hadn’t left yet.
Basically, you are witnessing a man falling in love with his 70-200mm lens again.
So what was the final verdict of the experiment? I’ll let you scroll through the pictures and decide for yourself.
These are the reasons why we love Daikoku PA so much.
Ron Celestine
Instagram: celestinephotography
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
I'm a sucker for narrow body 964's setup right
It's the stand-out car tbh.
The overfender shenanigans have gone so far that a vanilla 964 now looks special.
Also, that's a pretty saucy looking Alfa Romeo 75.
Great use of that lens and that place never ceases to amaze me with what can turn up, at any time. Thank you Ron.
My pleasure ^__^ And Thanks!
Daikoku PA never disappoints. True heaven for car lovers.
BTW, I'm interested in that blue MA70(with EVO 7 rear spoiler?)...
That red Diablo and the black Cobra!! So cool
is that a 75 turbo evoluzione?
Wow!!!!
Megane ST in Japan? What version?
Seems like I'm not the only one with a soft spot for proper french machinery! Yes, a GT220 indeed, which would make a lovely daily! I'm yet to see a proper Megane RS at Daikoku PA though (in pictures, haven't been there....YET!) Do we need a hot hatch week on Speedhunters perhaps? Or french car week? Hmm.....
It whould be the GT220, the detuned RS motor.
Pretty amazing sight in Japan !
Hi Anon i wanted to ask you if it is any information of this meets in tokyo i am travelling in 12-17, if you can help me i will appreciate it
Ron Celestine*
Depends on when your coming (as in which month) lol
Thank you so much for your reply, im travelling in april, you know if it is a calendar of car events anywhere? Sorry for my bad english
you know if there is a calendar of car events anywhere?*
There really isn't a calendar dedicated towards events. If you look at race tracks such as Fuji Speedway, they have a calendar of events. Be warned, their English site is usually rubbish so I use the Japanese site to check them out!
I like that japan has gone back to making normal OEM+ cars and toned things down and really respecting the manufacturers lines and building upon what they are given while having self expression rather then trying to create a giant flashy eyesore and yes people will bemon and comment about shakotan and itasha and etc but I really like Daikoku for their toned down approach to things. its on my bucketlist.
I also like that your using a general lense and going with the creative aspect of it rather then looking for a perfect shot, photographys about having fun and being creative. Art is subjective, is there magazine studio shots, absoutely. Will one person like your shots as a fellow photographer and where as one will criticise it, yes. Should you grow upon criticism and take some courses in editing and photography, absolutely. Do i like the more toned down to earth shoots that you guy do sometimes, yeah. DO I also like those done up professional magazine quality studios shoots of single cars yes. I like speedhunters for their varied mixed media, you wont see that on other sites like wagan, superstreet, stanceworks, their all usually trying to emulate magazine quality or a certain look, where at SH everyone has their own distinctive styles and you can tell whos shooting, basically its a refreshing pyramid of different levels of shooting skills and styles. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! Daikoku honestly has both the toned down and flashy 'eyesores'. It really just depends on..well.. the day haha. It can be so random at times - er all the time - that my trip down that time was pretty tame. Just one of the joys of Daikoku. In regards to being creative, that's what keeps things interesting and FUN! People forget you have to have fun or why do it at all right?
I love how you lingered on the '67 GTX, photographed moreso than any single car* in the lot. They do have presence in person. I hope the Japanese are half as crazy for American iron, as we are for the surgical-steel precision of their performance cars.
My favorite shot has to be the sportbike next to the dropped and bewinged Infiniti G37. The colors, the angle, the look - very dynamic. Sure looks like a top-end run was being arranged.
*It would appear the most-captured vehicle on the lot would be that golden-stickered-trike-thing that was once a Harley UltraClassic, lol.
Hahah what can I say. The 'Merican in me tends to gravitate towards American iron (mostly vintage tho of course lol) That Harley Ultra Classic was... well... one of the things you would ONLY find in Daikoku so you could imagine my reaction upon finding it lol. Hints the extra image time with it ^^
Yeah, that experiment worked. I felt like I was there and now understand the excitement.
^___^ Thank you!
Great Shooting, Ron! Looks like a great turnout of all sorts of interesting cars, not surprising at Daikoku though I guess.
Appreciate it David and I guess that's kinda true haha. It IS Daikoku after all but it was interesting to see it on a random Sunday. Normally when I go, It's for a planned event / meet / shoot. Tolls to get there are $$$ -___-
Wow a 22B, thought they'd all be locked up by now. Great turnout as always.
... but is it real or a fender kit? Awesome regardless!
Real deal ^^
Daikokufuto is pretty much one of the coolest places for a car lover in Japan. I has been there a couple times but it never ceases to amazes me, look at that Plymouth and the yellow FD!
Seeing what people bring to the car meets in Japan is awesome. Really great in-depth look, don't even need words in the post. I clearly see a tendency to globalization.
I don't post often. But that Europa is a rather special thing.
It really is! My friend here owns one (not this one) and he offered to let me drive it but I don't fit...like at all -__-
I travelled to Japan with a love for cars but a novice when it comes to the details. I walked to Daikoku PA from Namamugi station only to get stuck on the outside peering into the place in love with what I am seeing. Oh well, always next time.
Ahh man! Yeah, Daikoku is only accessible by car unless you hop the fence. Not that I would recommend that but I've heard its been done
Great pics. It’s pretty wild that this is a normal Sunday morning. What time was this? Super early?
I now need to add extra days to my imaginary future Japan trip to include a few sundays at Daikoku instead of just one.
What’s the story on those motorcycles? I’ve never ever seen bikes done up like that before. Those guys look badass.
Thank you Dave! Honestly.. I have NO idea on the bikes (assuming the crazy Harleys) I have never seen them roaming around before. It actually wasn't that early if I remember correctly. Closer to 11am or 12pm? Then I just hung around for a few hrs before leaving.
Hahah it would def be worth the stop! Just make sure you have a car to get inside Daikoku!
Where do they get those heart lights like the one on that FD?? I don't know what they are called or where to buy them but I want some
Anyone know???
That white r32 tho...wow, literally the best looking car i have ever seen
2nd image in the article:
What's that truck up to, next to the Skyline? Cat-catcher? The logo's great...
Haha, its a moving company here in Japan called Kuroneko ( the Black Cat ) Yamato Transportation. We just call it kuro neko tho. The logo is a mom cat holding it's baby cat
Having borrowed a Canon 7D with also a 70-200 mm lens I know exactly what you mean. It's different, but there a lot of good photographs waiting to be taken. It takes effort but it's worth it. Just like the pictures above ('which are better than mine of course' he said sadly). Ron, you rocked it!
I'd love to see more mk3 supra content, is it possible?