Suzuka: City with a Racing Circuit

"Journeys in Japan"

Suzuka, one of the most famous motor racing circuits in all Japan.

A place where racers put their lives on the line for speed.

The city of Suzuka has become famous as the "City of motorsports."

(Suzuka Circuit)

Jennifer Julien is from France.

She's been living in Japan for 25 years.

Bonjour.

Today, I am in Suzuka, a town that is a sister city of Le Mans in France.

I'm very excited because a few years ago, I actually enjoyed the races in Le Mans,

so I wonder how it's going to be here.

Let's go and find out.

Oh, look at this!

On this edition of "Journeys in Japan,"

Jennifer explores this city that is synonymous with motor racing

and discovers its long tradition of craftsmanship.

Suzuka, city with a racing circuit

Located some 300 kilometers west of Tokyo,

Suzuka lies in the north of Mie Prefecture, facing out onto Ise Bay.

It's a manufacturing city with a population of about 200,000.

Suzuka Circuit is on the outskirts of the city.

Wow. So that's a very big amusement park.

It looks like a lot of fun.

Besides its race track,

Suzuka Circuit also includes an amusement park and a hotel.

It's a fun place for young and old alike.

Go, go, go!

Seriously, that looks so much fun to be able to ride by yourself.

Yeah!

Wow, that is amazing.

I bet these are some of the best bikes we can find.

Suzuka Circuit first opened in 1962.

Over the past 60 years, numerous racing legends have appeared here.

This is the home straight.

Oh, wow!

So that's where the cars come and people...

Oh, wow. Wow! That is a lot of seats.

I see.

The total length of the course is 5.8 kilometers.

It's laid out in a figure 8 configuration,

which is quite unusual for a motorsport circuit.

What are those cars?

Members of the Suzuka Circuit Racing Club come here to drive their own cars on the track.

That is like normal cars that you would see in the city.

These are the pits, where the race cars come for refueling and maintenance.

On days when there are no events, the track is used for test driving

or by people who want to experience the thrill of driving this circuit.

How does it feel to drive on a real circuit?

I've always been into cars, and I have watched professional car racing here.

It's been my dream to drive on this track. Now I've done it and I'm feeling so excited.

Now, it's my turn to become a professional racer.

Let's do this.

It's not just the adults who can go out for a spin here.

Even children can try their hand, driving these electric vehicles.

Yeah! Let's go.

Curve, curve.

Wow. We are already... Yes! Who is the winner?

Yes! Winner! Wooh!

That was awesome.

It was just so incredible to run

the same circuit as a professional.

Great experience.

Suzuka is a city with a long history of manufacturing.

Even before the circuit was built, it was a hub for engineering.

Naturally, though, many of the businesses here are connected to motorsports.

Wow. I think that only in Suzuka

you would see racing cars on display like this.

Please come this way.

This company produces racing cars.

Apart from the engines, it produces just about everything,

from the smallest components to the actual car bodies.

This is the cutting area. We machine the components from steel or other materials.

Each race car has about 300-400 parts, so we have to cut many different items.

It can be hard to tell what the parts are for,

but each plays an important role in a race car.

Each part is machined by hand.

Our workers are all experienced, and their skills are essential for producing our cars.

This is where we put together the components and build the cars.

To date, the company has hand-built about 1,400 racing cars.

It's not only about how fast they go.

We also try to keep our costs down, and place top priority on safety.

These factors are of utmost importance.

- Here is one of our race cars.
- Oh, wow! It's beautiful.

This is what it looks like when it's finished.

- How much does it cost?
- This sells for 3,750,000 yen ($28,000).

I thought it would be three times that much.

Yes, it looks like it could cost 20-30 million yen.

We offer a fun experience at an affordable price.

All right!

I have to put my feet at the back.

OK, wow.

This is very large.

Very large.

I want to become a professional car racer.

Wow!

Let's go!

Awesome, guys.

I'm shaking. This is just incredible.

That feeling, the vibe, the sound.

It's amazing. Fantastic experience.

Thank you so much.

I'm here to check out another factory.

Let's go.

This company mainly produces motorcycle parts.

It's a brand that has many fans, both inside Japan and abroad.

Moriwaki Mamoru is the founder and president.

He used to be a racer himself.

In the 1960s and 70s, he was a champion on two wheels.

What's the relationship between racing and manufacturing?

If a machine is no good, even the best rider won't be able to make it go any faster.

We wanted to tackle this issue for ourselves.

Our dream is to produce bikes that perform well in races.

Moriwaki went on to realize his dream of producing race-winning bikes.

- That's a race bike over there.
- The real thing?

It was ridden by a world champion in a race held in Britain.

What are its special features?

We didn't modify the basic frame, but all the other parts were upgraded.

- The other bike looks different.
- That one is newer.

It looks cool. Could you ride it on the street?

Yes, if it's registered and has a number plate.

It's pretty high.

Are you ready? Let's go!

Do I look like a real racer?

Moriwaki's wife, Namiko, has worked alongside him from the start.

In 2017, she launched a program called RideAid,

organizing motorcycle riders in Suzuka

to help with rescue operations in a disaster.

The key point is that, in the event of a disaster,

a motorbike can get to places that cars can't.

I realized there may be occasions when motorbikes can come in really useful.

- I'd like to introduce you to someone.
- Of course.

- Ogawa Tomoyuki is a pro motorcycle trials rider.
- Nice to meet you.

Ogawa is one of the top riders in motorcycle trials,

racing over off-road obstacle courses.

He is also a member of RideAid.

Ogawa takes Jennifer for a ride across town.

(Suzuka Fire Department Headquarters)

- These are all members of RideAid.
- Nice to meet you.

RideAid has about 20 members, who all live in the Suzuka area.

When a disaster strikes, such as an earthquake,

they're ready to ride out to affected areas to collect information

and help in any way possible.

We all have these whistles.

Are motorbikes useful at a disaster site?

Because we're mobile and can go off-trail,

we can reach the scene before anyone else.

As a pro racer,

I'd like to contribute and do what I can if there's a major disaster.

(Suzuka City Hall)

Inside Suzuka City Hall,

an area has been set aside devoted to motorsports.

I think that only in Suzuka City Hall you would find

a racing car simulator.

You place your hands here. And this is where you change gears.

Wow!

This is good.

You really feel like you're racing on the actual...

uh, racing circuit.

A special display spotlights a historic motorcycle.

This was the very first Super Cub

that came off the Honda production line in Suzuka in 1960.

This Super Cub was built at Honda's Suzuka factory.

It was hugely popular and led to the opening of the Suzuka Circuit in 1962.

This Super Cub was the starting point

for Suzuka becoming the "City of motorsports."

So I heard that there is a unique cafe in Suzuka and I think this is the building.

Oh!

- Hello, are you the owner?
- Yes, my name is Aihara.

- I'm Jennifer. Nice to meet you.
- Please come in.

- This way, please.
- Thank you.

Oh, wow!

This is nice.

There are so many things related to bikes.

Aihara Satoshi is a car dealer.

He opened this Super Cub cafe in 2021.

- It's lovely. Really different.
- Isn't it interesting?

This is a windshield from a bike. I use them as coronavirus face shields.

I see. This is good.

So you can have coffee.

This one, let's check out the taste.

Tastes like gasoline.

Just kidding. It's very good.

Nice chocolaty taste.

Oh, it looks like a house.

- Japanese tatami.
- Very cute.

And then lots of, like,

Cub-related objects.

Vintage Cubs.

These are Sports Cubs, Race Cubs.

Ah! Cub for races, wow!

Did you ride in races?

- Did you also race?
- For a short time.

Racer!

This is a black 1964 Tokyo Olympics model.

It's been my lifetime companion, and will always be a good friend.

(Shiroko District, Suzuka City)

(Suzuka Traditional Arts and Crafts Museum)

Long before modern industries were introduced,

Suzuka was a center for traditional crafts.

This facility was set up to keep that craftsmanship alive.

Suzuka is known as the birthplace of "Ise katagami,"

a kind of stencil used to create patterns and motifs for dyeing kimono textiles.

We use paper like this, called "shibugami."

It's toughened with persimmon tannin. And then it has holes punched into it.

This is what it looks like after making the holes. The white bits are the holes.

Those are all holes?

And this is what the dyed fabric looks like.

Craftsmen come to this center every Sunday to demonstrate their skills.

This process is a technique called "dogubori."

The craftsman has prepared his blade in the shape of the hole he wants to punch.

To create the holes in the stencil, he presses his blade down firmly from above.

The blades are all made according to the pattern

that he's aiming to carve out.

I'm surprised that you also make your own tools. Why do you have to do that?

When an order comes in, it may be a new pattern.

So I may not have the right shape of tool to make it.

That's why I have to make it myself.

If you don't have the skill to make your own tools,

you're not considered a full-fledged craftsman.

I think this is really interesting to see how

Suzuka has combined this new,

modern craftsmanship.

And also, it still has the traditional old,

very Japanese craftsmanship.

It's really interesting for me to see that.

These techniques of Ise katagami

can be used to make a wide range of designs.

In recent years, they have also been applied to other products, besides kimono.

- Come on in.
- Thank you.

Tanaka Kenji has developed his own approach to Ise katagami.

He draws on the traditional techniques to produce his own original works.

- This is my work.
- This?

This F1 race car is made entirely from Ise katagami.

Wait a moment. Which bit is Ise katagami?

The whole machine.

Because Ise katagami is resilient and strong,

I thought it might make a good material for 3D objects.

To create the small marks, logos and letters, I cut out the stencils and pasted them on.

The tires and joints are also made from Ise katagami cut out,

curved into shape and pasted into place.

Tanaka is a great racing fan, and often visits the Suzuka Circuit.

It was his love of the sport that led him to create these pieces.

I wanted to blend our traditional culture

together with modern motorsports technology.

I hope people around the world will feel the same excitement.

- That's wonderful.
- I'm planning to make many more like this.

(Suzuka Circuit)

Wow!

That's pretty impressive, huh?

So many people.

There's a major race today at the circuit.

It's the first event there since 2019

without restrictions on the number of people allowed in.

During the pandemic, we saw very few people.

But now racing is back, and so are the customers. It's a lovely day and this is great.

- I hope we'll see some exciting racing.
- I'm looking forward to it.

It's a Super GT race, the top sports car series in Japan.

The race cars are all based on production road vehicles.

However, they have all been heavily modified, according to set regulations.

It's about to start.

This time, there are 41 cars competing over 52 laps

to see which one can get the checkered flag.

We can't follow them. They're too quick.

After two hours of excitement and fierce racing,

the contest reaches its climax.

And for Jennifer, that means her visit to Suzuka is drawing to an end.

I had a fantastic time in Suzuka.

I knew it was famous because of its circuit,

but I had never imagined it had such an old history,

nor how passionate its people were about it.

I think that racing is really part of the daily life of Suzuka people.

Also, I think that maybe the circuit might not have become so famous

if not for their dedication and passion.

And I really hope I can come back again to enjoy those amazing races here.

To reach Suzuka from Tokyo, you take the Shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya,

then change to a local line.

In all, the trip takes about three hours.