Roadway>> The Wangan

It might only be a very long stretch of highway but the Wangan, or Bayshore, is probably the most well known road in Japan. This is where back in the day the hashiriya used to battle each other in the famous high-speed races, and where the Mitto Natto or Midnight club was born. Today things have somewhat relaxed a bit, more police patrols and speed cameras have driven the night racers away but on the right night and at the right time you may still be able to see the odd GT-R and Supra blasting past you at 200 mph! Our journey begins in the main island of Odaiba…

…the area of Tokyo built on reclaimed land.

After paying up 700 Yen ($7.66) you merge right onto the wide triple lane highway. You immediately enter a tunnel that goes right under the water, connecting the main island to the next section of reclaimed land.

Out on the other side you pass the Oii exit which also has a small Parking Area, a place where a lot of cars used to meet during those adrenalin fueled nights not so long ago.

From here you can choose to join Route 1 of the Shuto Expressway, which runs pretty much parallel to the Wangan ("B" for Bayshore) all the way down to the center of Yokohama city.

We stay on the Wangan and keep going straight.

You can kind of get an idea why this road was so popular with those seeking high-speed thrills as some of the straight parts can go on for miles…

…with only a few gradual curves to add to the excitement. 

There are quite a few tunnels along the way, and with no cameras in any of them they are always the place where you can step on it a bit.

About ten minutes after joining the Wangan at Odaiba you reach Haneda Airport, which sits on its own massive peninsula, extended outwards into the bay. They are currently adding a new terminal, which will probably allow it to share more international flights with Narita Airport, which is a good hour outside the city in the Chiba-ken countryside.

After passing under countless runways at Haneda the Wangan continues on…

…under the longest tunnel so far…

…which connects on to Ukishima island in Kawasaki where you can take a left turn onto the Aqua Line, the massive underwater tunnel that connect Tokyo to the Chiba peninsula. 

After the tunnel you pop back out and pay up another 600 Yen ($6.50) as you enter the Kanagawa-ken Expressway system.

It's then back into yet another long tunnel…

…and back out onto Higashiogishima Island, a very industrial section of Kawasaki with everything from docks, warehouses and oil refineries. At this point I got overtaken by that black Porsche Panamera you see in front of me here.

From here you can see the first glimpses of the Yokohama Bay Bridge, illuminated in purple on the left side there.

Before getting there however you pass over another bridge.

As the road dips down from the center of the bridge you get a nice view of Yokohama city bay with the Landmark tower and Minato Mirai area in full view.

It's then onto the Daikoku Docks, or Futo, the same place where the Daikoku Parking Area is located. Since it was Friday night it would have been a pity to drive by without taking a look at what had gathered that night…

…so I took the left exit and spiraled downwards to the bottom, entering the world's most famous truck stop!

The turnout was pretty good with the usual assortment of cars from your VIP rides…

…to your more exotic machinery…

…without forgetting those beautiful classics.

The bosozoku were out in full force with their bikes, revving their engines in an attempt to annoy everyone present.

As I took a quick walk through the massive parking lot I bumped into this ridiculously widebody JZA80 Supra. I have seen my fair share of wider than wide body kits but this thing was simply in its own class!

The Abflug kit has been customized to add a good 10 cm of extra girth on each side. Not sure what to say. 

It must have been wide-body-night as I also spotted this Veilside kitted BNR32 sporting massive blistered fenders.

The bosozoku continued to roll in taking over most sections, including this area directly in front of the Police station that is located within the PA.

More VIP style, with a modern twist and packing some nice performance mods too judging from the front mount intercooler.

A lonely BNR34 and FD3S away from the chaos of the meet.

Ferrari 348 on BBS, not my favorite Ferrari but it still looks the part.

From the Daikoku PA it was back up the spiraling access road…

…onto the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

The Wangan continues a little further through Honmoku Futo and past Yokohama city, but this is where my journey would end making a left turn towards Yokohama Park…

…where I grabbed the exit down onto the "low roads" and made my way back home.

Hope you enjoyed taking a ride along this legendary stretch of highway!

-Dino Dalle Carbonare

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1

awesome! :)



would love to take a drive down these roads someday. :P

2

eye-gasm

3

Awesome post! Makes me want to visit soo bad.

4

my favorite post in the history of speedhunters... more of this like MOREEEEE

5

Excellent! :D

6

Never thought a stretch of highway could be so cool.

7

Great article! Would read again.

8

That Supra sure is ridiculous

9

The best site !!!!!!!



10

omygod. id love to drive on that wangan someday!!

11

Love it. I hope to drive on the road someday.

12

Thanks for the Tokyo entry!



This needs 2 followups:



1= east end of Wangan from Ichikawa to Oi, popular in the '80s, before the Yokohama side was completed.



2= C1

13

The "road to nowhere" stimulus during Japan's lost decade after their real estate bubble popped really payed off for us car guys!

14

best article ever, big fan of the wangan! now when people have no clue what im talking about and drooling over i can refer them to this master piece!!

15

This post makes me want 2 play Import Tuner and watch wangan midnight till my eyes pop out, one day i WILL drive this and the C1 in a nsx, its a must

16

It's crazy to believe that there is such a perfectly well maintained road like this, I would love to drive on it not just because its "Japan" and all that but because its soooo smoooth.

17

best.. really expose me the night life.. the hiways and byways.. nice, feel like going there.

18

that was awesome

19

Whats the elapsed time around the wangan?

20

that supra looks retarded.

21

Hi Dino, remeber this?



We had such a good time over our Wangan-run...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VckU7NXM-Cw&feature=player_embedded

Allen's Tomei Powered AE86 & Andy's JZX100 Mark II on Wangan.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S34V75KW4ro&feature=player_embedded

Wangan - Tokyo bay bridge pass on the JZX100 Mark II, Emily behind the wheel.



Read the story here: http://www.alien2nrs.com/blogi/?p=115



cheers, Domo-kun

22

damn very good post.. gives me flashbacks of all those video games of tokyo xtreme racer. just goes to show that they are actually real

23

damn very good post.. gives me flashbacks of all those video games of tokyo xtreme racer. just goes to show that they are actually real

24

Long live the Wangan and the monsters that used to roam there. That stretch of highway is one of the reasons I fell into being obsessed with JDM cars a little over a decade ago. I owe that road everything lol.

25

Very nice post. Love to drive the wangan one day.

Dino, I hope you have some nice japanese touge roads for a upcoming post.

26

top 10 best roads!

27

Man, those pictures made me feel like i was there. Its been a dream of mine to drive down the "Wangan" since i was 8 years old playing Tokyo Extreme Racer 0. But seeing those pictures, it gave me a little bit of a sensation like i was going down the endless miles of straight with rare curves. Then down to the parking areas seeing the wonderful world of JDM

28

Wow, Japan is probably the only place in the world where you can take a friday night spin and find a few exotic supercars parked alongside so many other performance cars in one place

29

"Mito Natto" is the joke sticker given out by Manabu Orido.



The real one is written "Mid Night".

30

LOVE the article! Thanks for taking to time to let those not residing in Japan see what a loop around the Wangan is like

31

I really wonder how wide that supra's tires were. He could seriously run like 3 ft wide tires.

32

Are you Chiba kun?

33

great post! arghh..when i can hanging out at jap!!!....

34

Thanks Dino! I have always wanted to visit IRL and these sexy pics are perfect.

35

that supra needs to go on a diet. get a little skinnier and it would be amazing

36

Dino, you're killin' me, man...

37

love this dino, such a good feel for the audience!

38

The purple limo is nice, what car is it?

39

Dammit Dino, when're you going to do a feature on yer own BNR34? I know yer rockin something fancy under that hood!



Yeah, not gonna lie, I love yer R34; it's simple as far as I know, with just the Z-Tune frot bumper and some bronze Volks, along with the Nismo rear LEDs. Yeah, thats pretty much perfect for an R34 in my book.

40

Excellent coverages, really explained and described in detail the WANGAN and the pics looks so clear and vivid..GREAT job.. can I asked, what camera did you used..?

41

Who has the fastest car on the Wangan these days? BTW I love this post. I will be on the Wangan next month with my BNR-32 GT-R!

42

Prettiest road when lit up at night

43

Crazy how expensive the toll price is in Japan..love this post, I remember many of these intersections and roads from the old Tokyo Exterme Racer Games on the PS2 back in the day..haha..

Love that Hako!

44

really thanks!

45

great article r32 gtr looks great to a post on it woud be great!!!!!!!!!!!

46

That same :D I'm killing Tokyo Extreme Racer: 0 again because my cousin deleted my save :( Awwww 1041hp R32 went away...

Vote for C1 article too!



and what is "New Belt Line"? It's name of some part of Expressway? I saw it several times but still don't know which part it is...

47

wow, insane post, really love these ones DINO , ur the coolest

48

C1 next then? Aqua Line? Izu Skyline? ;)

49

This brings it all back .

Feb 28th 1998 ,1am

Pasanger Seat of a Triple Rotor 911 .

275kph/171mph . Shitting myself .

Arhh memorys .

50

One of my favourite posts ever!

51

Haha, I still own a ps2 just to play Tokyo extreme racer zero. Used to stay up all night in high school playing that game.. Such a cool writeup, seeing some places I recognize, and now to see them in reality.

52

Dino you're Japan coverage is so dope man. I almost feel like I'm there. Keep up the awesome work!

53

Great this just made me dust off the old PS2 and play Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero.

54

A W E S O M E !

Just ruined by the fat's king Supra and the ugly 32 :(

55

This is an awesome post, instead of watching WanganMidnight it was great to see the real thing,

56

I just had to put some Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero music in the background to read this. Dino, I really appreciate you did a "tour" of this road, for many of us car fans that can't go there.



I want to drive on this road before I die... preferably in a silver R32 GT-R. Japan is such a magical place!

57

Wallpaper gimmie gimmie gimmie!

58

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

59

You guys need to do a story on that extra wide body supra

60

Anyone who doesn't like that Abflug Supra is just plain crazy. Its awesomeness cannot be questioned!

61

Definetely one of the best post I've have seen on the Internet! Always loved Japan, but taking this photo-tour is just jawdroping. Specially because I was able to see all the lights, signs, cars and stare at them for minutes, just imagining being there.



Watching these pics at night and everything turned out would be something else! Thanks Dino for this fantastic post!

62

Looks just like the PS2 game Tokyo Racer Xtreme 3



lol

63

@p1ke . It looks like the asre end of a Nissan Cima or Cedric .

64

Tokyo is like a fantasy world taken from manga... and then you remember "damn, it really exists and you can go there one day and live in that fantasy world!"

65

love all of this..thank you.

66

Great coverage!



Love the Widebody GTR and Supra!



Japan's Freeways are long as!

67

The Toyota Supra is off the hook!

68

Great article and pics!

More Shutoku articles in the future please!

69



A small post I made a few months back.

The good 'ol days.



http://rextreme.blogspot.com/2008/11/20034-memories.html



It's funny everyone mentions tokyo extreme racer. I played Zero a lot, But my first time on the C1... Very Very LOST! Nothing prepares you for elevation changes and the similarity of unknown kanji with no navigation system.



Be prepared if it's your first time and someone says... "Just follow me." It aint that easy.





70

Nothing would give me more joy than being on the Wangan on a cold night in the mid 90s in a R32 GT-R or NA1. When I die, I hope thats my heaven.

71

Awesome article. Now I'm going to have to go home and play Tokyo Xtreme Racer tonight!

72

sickkkk hope to go there one day

73

Dino, thank you for this wonderful post))

I like many others, played and play Tokyo Xtreme Racer, it was very interesting to see these places in the photo, many thanks!!))

I join the request to the post of C1, it would be great)))

74

Dino fit a video camera next time!!! looks awesome.

75

Russ....yeah tell me about it. I miss the good old days too. Ah well, at least we have a nice selection of race tracks close to the city! We shouldn't complain.

76

2B on a -JDM-

77

Russ....yeah tell me about it. I miss the good old days too. Ah well, at least we have a nice selection of race tracks close to the city! We shouldn't complain.

78

Please can we get a desktop of that beautiful old school GTR.... PLEASE!!!

79

Needing desktops of just about every pic! haha

80

great post! excellent story-telling and pics....

81

"Wow, Japan is probably the only place in the world where you can take a friday night spin and find a few exotic supercars parked alongside so many other performance cars in one place"



I dunno, North Virginia and Maryland isn't too bad.

82

Wangan is a mystery to most of you... there are people who's lives in Japan revolves around Wangan...

83

the high way looks soooo smooth!

84

badass stretch of road!!! i need to hit that!!!

and mand that supra is ugly!!!! its not like the abflug kit isn't already wide enough!!

sweet post!!!ahhhh the days of tokyo extreme racer!!



def DINO YOU MUST DO THE ANOTHER POST ON THE OTHER SECTIONS!!!!

85
NicoAndresFariasRojas

my soy fans Midnight ! yes!

86

~/ TOP END NSX.~ Thats it!

87

Maybe FD3S and R34 drivers are doing something... private.

88

340 here in a Supra!

89

Reached 342kmh in my R33

90

The 2+1X maybe?

91

Hey mann I like your photos I want to work with you and make some tracks for brand. Get a hold on my @dn_oux instagram. Please Thanks You.

92

I wish the Mid Night Club were still here! If I happen to see one member zooming past me, THAT would be cool!

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