Why Mobara?
From a photographer’s perspective, Mobara was my favorite track to shoot as a spectator. You generally have good access to view drift cars initiating into and out of the famous wall section Mobara is known for. The track itself is also very compact, meaning you can walk from paddock to the viewing areas within 2-3 mins. Like everywhere else in Japan, drink vending machines are in abundance on the premises, so now is a good time to use that loose change you accumulate!
PS: For any of my ClubLoose driver friends who are viewing this blog–think of Mobara as a back track on steroids and you add a wall into the equation. There are lots of elevation changes, and like every other track in Japan, the track itself is tight and technical, meaning you will learn a ton just by getting seat time.
Mobara’s Famous Wall Section.
The Paddock Area. A good portion of the drivers were well past their 50s, which is in stark contrast to what you see at most drift events in the US.
When to Go?
This entirely depends on what events are happening at Mobara when you are in Japan. There are plenty that happen–whether its D1 Lights, or Drift Practice days. In my case, I went to a drift lesson day, in which an ex D1GP driver was instructing about 10-12 drivers for the day. If you want to be extra sure, you can go on Mobara TC’s website or J2B3.co to see when events are happening.
Getting There
- By Mass Transit
- Rail (From Tokyo): Pick up the Chūō-Sōbu Line and take the train all the way to Chiba Station. From there, transfer to the Sotobō line, which takes you to Mobara Station.
- From Mobara Station, you can either take a Taxi, a bus or a rental car, with a rental car being the easiest option of the three.
- On the way back to Tokyo (If that is your final destination): In the afternoon, you can catch an express train called the Wakashio, which takes you into Tōkyō Station in about 45 mins.
- Since it is a limited express service (Tokkyu), you will need to reserve a seat on this train, and to pay for a base fare and express fare.
- Make sure you pay for both, whether you do this online or at a kiosk in the station. You will be printed two tickets, and make sure to put both into the ticket machines before boarding this train
- Since it is a limited express service (Tokkyu), you will need to reserve a seat on this train, and to pay for a base fare and express fare.
- Rail (From Tokyo): Pick up the Chūō-Sōbu Line and take the train all the way to Chiba Station. From there, transfer to the Sotobō line, which takes you to Mobara Station.
- By Rental Car:
- If you choose to drive out from Tokyo or Yokohama, expect to drive an hour plus (depending on traffic) and the drive to be somewhere between 80-100km (49.7 – 62 miles). You will also need ETC card to pay for tolls to use the expressways, so keep this in mind.
- From Mobara Station (which is what I did): 6.9km or ~4.29 miles. This is one of the easier tracks to drive to from a city center.
Japan For Idiots 
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