Can You Drift at Sportsland Yamanashi? Rules, Fees and Access (2026)
The Rundown
- Sportsland Yamanashi (Yamanashi) says drifting is basically prohibited during sports running, its open sessions, and allowed only on the 850 m short course during a half-day or full-day course hire, as of 28 September 2026.
- Open sessions cost ¥2,100 per 20 minutes on weekdays and ¥2,500 at weekends and holidays for cars, plus a ¥500 daily mutual-aid fee and a membership of ¥3,000 for one month or ¥7,500 for one year. They are grip only.
- The only hire rate table on the official hire page is labelled 2022: a weekday morning half day in low season is ¥137,500 and a top-season Sunday full day is ¥616,000. A full day of drifting adds a ¥33,000 cleaning fee.
- Hire requests go by fax or email in Japanese and close on the 15th of the month before your date. The cheaper ¥49,500 trial hire bans drifting.
- From Tokyo it is about 90 minutes from Chofu IC to Nirasaki IC, then 7 km (about 15 minutes) uphill. The limited express from Shinjuku to Nirasaki Station takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the circuit is about 15 minutes from the station by car.
Contents
Sportsland Yamanashi at a glance
Yes, but only if you hire the circuit. Sportsland Yamanashi (Yamanashi), the 1 km mini circuit in Nirasaki, bans drifting during its open sessions and allows it only on the 850 m short course during a half-day or full-day course hire. The only hire table on its site starts at ¥137,500 for a half day, and it is labelled 2022. We checked this on the official pages on 28 September 2026.
So “Sportsland Yamanashi drift experience” is not something you can turn up and buy. Here is what you can buy, what it costs, and what to do instead if you just want to drift once on your trip.
Is there a public drift session or drift practice day?
No. The circuit sells two things. The first is スポーツ走行 (supōtsu sōkō, sports running): pay-per-session laps in your own car or bike, no reservation, 20 minutes per ticket. The second is 専有 (sen’yū, course hire), where you or a club book the whole track.
Both the running guide and the running rules say the same thing: drifting in sports running is basically prohibited, and drifting is possible only on the short course during a hire. The sports running rules PDF is blunter. It bans acrobatic and drift running, spins and anything aimed at crashing. Passengers are not allowed in sports running either, so there is no ride-along option on a normal day.
The circuit’s event page, where organisers’ 走行会 (sōkōkai, club track days) would be advertised, was empty when we checked. We found no drift day open to individuals on the official site.
How much does it cost?
There are three realistic price levels. Only the first two come from the circuit.
| Option | Drift allowed? | Price (tax incl.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports running, cars | No | ¥2,100 weekday / ¥2,500 weekend per 20 min | Plus ¥500 per day mutual-aid fee and membership |
| Trial hire (お試し専有) | No | ¥49,500 | Mon–Wed only, up to 10 cars, 2 × 30 min |
| Half-day hire | Yes | From ¥137,500 (low season, weekday morning) | 2022 table; ¥33,000 cleaning fee for a full drift day |
| Full-day hire | Yes | ¥275,000–616,000 | 2022 table; depends on season and weekday or Sunday |
| A drift day near Tokyo arranged with us | Yes, at a circuit that sells drift days | Actual cost + our fee | We quote the total first |
The hire rates come from the only table on the hire page. That page also links to a newer season table, but the link returned an error on 28 September 2026. Treat the hire prices as the latest published figures, not a quote. Membership is ¥3,000 for one month or ¥7,500 for one year. A timing transponder is ¥1,300 a day.
Don't pay for the wrong hire
The ¥49,500 trial hire looks like a cheap private session, but the hire page says drifting is banned on it. Hourly hire is not listed for drifting either: the page names half-day and full-day hires only, and asks the organiser to say in advance that the day is a drift day.
Do you need a licence to drive there?
No racing licence is listed. For sports running, the circuit asks for three things at the desk:
What the desk asks for
- A membership card, made at the desk on your first visit
- A driving licence, or another official photo ID
- A signed 誓約書 (seiyakusho, pledge and waiver form), one per day
- A JIS-standard helmet, long sleeves and trousers, and gloves with leather palms (no helmet rental)
- Headlights fully taped, floor mats out, and a roll bar if the car is a convertible
The catch is getting a car there. Cars on temporary plates are not allowed in, and the circuit does not lend cars. You also need a licence that is valid in Japan to drive on the road. Our driving licence and IDP guide covers which document your country needs, and the circuit licence guide explains how other circuits handle their own licences.
How do you book a drift hire?
This is where most overseas plans stop. The hire page lays out the steps:
- Check the free dates on the hire calendar.
- Fax (0551-22-9999) or email the circuit in Japanese with your date, name, a postal address and daytime phone number for the contract, and the type of use (for example 4-wheel drift).
- Sign and seal the contract they post to you, and send it back.
- Pay a 20% deposit within about two weeks, and the rest by the 15th of the month before your hire.
Requests close on the 15th of the previous month, so a hire in November must be booked by 15 October.
The step that stops a Sportsland Yamanashi drift day
A drift day here means a Japanese contract by fax or email, a postal address for the contract, a daytime phone number, a bank transfer by the 15th of the month before, and a car of your own on proper plates. Most visitors cannot do all of that from abroad, and that is the part we take on. Send us your dates and where you are staying: plan a drift day from Tokyo with us, at a circuit that runs drift days for visitors, with the Japanese booking and the trip to the gate handled.
How do you get there from Tokyo without a car?
By train and taxi. The Nirasaki tourism association gives about 1 hour 30 minutes on the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa from Shinjuku to Nirasaki Station. The Yamanashi prefectural tourism site puts the circuit about 15 minutes from the station by car. Neither that page nor the circuit’s access page names a bus to the gate, so plan on a taxi. The tourism association lists three taxi firms and a car rental office near the station.
| Leg | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chofu IC to Nirasaki IC (Chuo Expressway, 116.7 km) | About 90 min | Circuit access page |
| Nirasaki IC to the circuit (7 km on Prefectural Road 27, then a small road through a tunnel) | About 15 min | Circuit access page |
| Shinjuku to Nirasaki Station (limited express Azusa) | About 1 hr 30 min | Nirasaki tourism association |
| Nirasaki Station to the circuit | About 15 min by car | Yamanashi tourism site |
The circuit sits in forest north of Nirasaki with no landmark on the last 7 km, so watch for its yellow sign. The schedule for each month goes up around the 20th of the month before, and weather cancellations are posted on Instagram or given by phone.
Where can you drift instead?
If you want to drift once and have no car in Japan, a private hire in Yamanashi is the hardest way to do it. Circuits near Tokyo sell drift running to individuals on set days, and some lend cars. Our Kanto drift guide compares them, Fuji Speedway Drift Park in Shizuoka is a big-name option west of Tokyo, and dated drift days are on the calendar. Every circuit on this page, including the ones that ban drifting, is in the track directory.
Sportsland Yamanashi is still worth knowing if your club has cars in Japan. A hilly 1 km course with a 230 m straight, 15 covered pits and room for 70 cars in the paddock makes a good private drift day for a group that plans a month ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drift at Sportsland Yamanashi?
Only on a private course hire. As of 28 September 2026, Sportsland Yamanashi in Nirasaki, Yamanashi states on its running guide and in its running rules that drifting is basically prohibited during sports running, its open pay-per-session laps, and that drifting is possible only on the short course during a course hire. Its hire page narrows that to half-day and full-day hires, and says drifting is banned on the cheaper trial hire. No public drift session or drift practice day was listed on the circuit's official event page when we checked.
How much does it cost to hire Sportsland Yamanashi for drifting?
The only rate table on Sportsland Yamanashi's official hire page, checked on 28 September 2026, is labelled 2022. It lists a low-season weekday morning half day at ¥137,500 and a low-season weekday full day at ¥275,000, rising to ¥616,000 for a top-season Sunday full day, tax included. The same sheet adds a ¥33,000 cleaning fee for a full day of drifting, with partial drift days priced on request, and each driver pays a ¥500 daily mutual-aid fee. The link to a newer season table on that page returned an error, so current rates are not officially stated.
How much is a normal session at Sportsland Yamanashi?
As of 28 September 2026, Sportsland Yamanashi's official fee table prices four-wheel sports running at ¥2,100 per 20-minute session on weekdays and ¥2,500 at weekends and on holidays, with a ¥1,300 timing transponder, a ¥500 daily mutual-aid fee, and membership at ¥3,000 for one month or ¥7,500 for one year. No reservation is needed. These sessions are grip only: drifting is basically prohibited and passengers are not allowed.
Do I need a racing licence to drive at Sportsland Yamanashi?
No racing licence is listed. As of 28 September 2026, Sportsland Yamanashi asks for a membership card, a driving licence and a signed pledge form for each day. Its guide says another official photo ID can stand in for the driving licence at the desk. You still need a valid licence and permit for Japan to drive your car there on public roads, and cars on temporary plates are not allowed into the circuit.
How do I get to Sportsland Yamanashi from Tokyo without a car?
Take the JR Chuo Line limited express Azusa from Shinjuku to Nirasaki Station, about 1 hour 30 minutes according to the Nirasaki tourism association. The Yamanashi prefectural tourism site puts the circuit about 15 minutes from Nirasaki Station by car, and neither it nor the circuit's access page names a bus to the gate, as of 28 September 2026. In practice that means a taxi from the station. Drifting there also needs your own car on a hired day.
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