<img src="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/gallery2/d/5501-2/Audi_Japan_Driving_Vacation_Shibuya_IMG_0008.JPG">

Driving around Tokyo on the elevated ring roads reminded me of one of my favorite cartoon shows, the Jetsons. At about a twenty story building high, I was cruising at 70 km/h in a very comfortable and confidence 2009 Audi A5. To my right, the view of the urban jungle landscape was whizzing by. When the traffic slowed down enough and I was in the thick of the urban jungle, my eyes wandered to the skyscrapers and caught glimpses of the people living in their penthouses.

<img src="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/gallery2/d/6025-2/Audi_Japan_Driving_Vacation_Fuji_Go-Ko_IMG_0139.JPG">

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Toyo Turnpike is a very swift wide twisty road with mild elevation change. Looking up I saw the fast large radius bend followed by a few tight zigzags. The drive up was very leisurely in this A5 3.2 Quattro. The precise steering, the sport-tuned suspension, and the 265 hp V6 made the climb up effortless. We devoured the S turns and zigzags at almost double the suggested speed and the 19 inch 255/35 tires didn't even squeal. It felt like we were on a roller coaster track. We were even able to chat about rice fields while I was maintaining the angle of the steering wheel and adjusting the throttle to get the fastest speed through the S turns.

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Black tire marks forming all kind of shapes on the parking lot on the connecting road between Toyo Turnpike and Hakone Skyline entrance gave me enough proof that the scenes I saw in The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift are common occurrences here and they are not just a Hollywood imagination.

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The Nürburgring, known as simply "The Ring" by car enthusiasts, is the famous motorsport race track in Nürburg, Germany. All German car makers and international car makers who are continuously attempting to match and outdo the Germans in driving dynamics come to the Ring to prove their prototypes. The Ring has unprecedented level of technicality and challenges that are respected and feared by race car drivers, car designers and engineers. Not only it features hairpins, zigzags, switchbacks, straights, and elevation changes, but also a carousel turn.

<img src="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/gallery2/d/5840-2/Audi_Japan_Driving_Vacation_Nikko_IMG_0540.JPG">

Now, imagine the following. Ihora highway is like The Ring slapped on the steep brow of Mt. Natai. Additionally it has a lot more hairpins and several carousel turns! This public highway connects the town Nikko and lake Chuzenji, the highest elevated lake in Japan at 1269 meters above sea level. The highway is two lane one way up, ascending about 400 meter, and two-lane one way down on the another side of the mountain. Slow drivers and riders stay on the left lane and this makes the climb up and down extremely invigorating, especially during the off-peak hours.

<img src="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/gallery2/d/5320-2/Audi_Japan_Driving_Vacation_Magome_IMG_0357.JPG">

<a href="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/gallery2/v/andreas/audi_japan_driving_vacation">Picture Gallery</a><ul><li><a href="http://www.driving-vacation.com/contents/finding_zen_through_audi_a5_driving_vacation_japan ">Read more about Audi Driving Vacation in Japan</a></li></ul>

 

Japan's countryside is so beautiful. I've only been there once when I was a kid visiting family but I do remember the greenery!!

 

other a5/s5s on the roads?

 

On japanese highways, I saw more Audi's (A4 mostly) than I expected. In Tokyo, many A8L's.

 

Great Pics. Just curious, what did you pay for a right side drive A5 in Japan

 

Wow. Most impressive. Nice pics.

 

So you were the one posted that trip. I saw it a long time ago on that site.

 

I read this article in the last Quattro Quarterly and really enjoyed it.

 

Yen is too strong nowadays