Scene & Culture

Drifting started in Japan in the 1970s as a racing technique and became a sport at Ebisu in October 2000. Every dated step to D1's 25th season in 2026, sourced.

Masashi Yokoi's verified record: D1GP titles in 2018, 2019 and 2022, the D-MAX S15 years, a Formula Drift win in Texas, MCR Factory and his 2026 S14 title run.

ORIGIN Labo. lists 29 support drivers (30 Sep 2026). Naoki Nakamura is P3 in D1GP by our count, Kazumi Takahashi leads FDJ, Riki Nakamura leads FDJ2. Cars.

Circuit drifting in Japan is legal, street drifting is not: Road Traffic Act art. 68 carries 2 years and 25 points. Checked 9 September 2026.

Minami Chiba refuses cars at 97 dB, Nikko and Suzuka Twin at 105, Fuji at 120. Helmet, roll-bar and hanko rules from 13 circuits, checked 4 Sep 2026.

The ¥500 insurance line on a Japanese drift entry covers your body, not your car. What 9 circuits, insurers and rental firms publish, read September 2026.

Nikko bans you over 105 dB and counts after-fire. Suzuka Twin refuses a phone photo of your licence. The rules that end your day, read off official pages.

Japanese drift vocabulary you hear at every circuit, tsuiso, dorisha, matsuri, touge and more, explained by people who use it weekly, plus a 104-term A to Z.

Your first tandem battle ends and one car advances. What Japanese judges actually score — line, angle, style — and how D1 and Formula Drift Japan differ.

A verified July 2026 guide to Japan's drift media — Option and Drift Tengoku in print, D1GP and Formula Drift Japan streams, and Noriyaro in English.

The real history of touge — how 1970s–80s mountain pass racing, Keiichi Tsuchiya and Option magazine turned a street technique into D1 Grand Prix.

Drift Masters adds Line 60 + Angle 20 + Style 20 by eye; D1 multiplies speed by angle and measures it. Plus the one-way driver traffic, verified for 2026.

In 2026 he is team director of the #16 ARTA MUGEN Super GT car. Before that: six straight Fuji wins in 1984, a 1995 Le Mans GT2 class win and D1 chief judge.

Naoki Nakamura's verified record — D1GP champion 2021 (206 pts) and 2024, three D1SL titles, the pink S15, the V8 Silvia, and his 2026 double-series campaign.

No pedestrian access, closures from about 20:30 and not 19:00, and a designated zone where cheering on a drift carries a ¥50,000 fine. Checked September 2026.

Daigo Saito's verified record — D1GP champion 2008 and 2016, Formula Drift USA champion 2012 as a rookie — his cars, Fat Five Racing, and his 2026 season.