Japan Drift Track Directory
Where you can actually drift in Japan — not just Ebisu. Fees and rules are checked against each circuit's official site; the verified date is shown per entry.
Tohoku
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Ebisu Circuit
Drift day pass ¥8,500 (Course 4: Kita/School/Touge/Kuru Kuru) or ¥10,000 (Course 5: + Nishi); half day ¥5,000/¥6,500; Kuru Kuru only ¥3,000. Closed Wednesdays
Foreigners ✓ · Rental ✓ · English ✓
The drift mecca: 3 matsuri a year, the EDS series, and official English entry documents. Rental drift cars and tuition come from independent operators here — The Sideways Experience (¥125,000–225,000 per car/day), JDM Drift School 翔, Japan Drift Rentals — while Fukushima Prefecture’s own tourism site sells a 45-minute drift-taxi ride at ¥50,000 per car for up to three people, the cheapest legitimate way to feel it. Note Powervehicles does NOT rent or loan cars despite what older English blogs say.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
Kanto
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Nikko Circuit
Own licence required for sport runs (new ¥10,000 incl. ¥4,000 insurance / renewal ¥5,000; 30-min briefing at 9:00 or 13:00, bring a photo, your licence and a hanko stamp). Most drift days are run by outside organisers (FLUKE, Drift Kingdom, Drift Muscle…)
Foreigners ✓ · Rental TBC · English ✗
No nationality restriction in the rules, and overseas crews have run here (GKTECH, Final Bout Special Stage Japan). But everything is in Japanese — site, briefing and paperwork — and the licence needs a hanko stamp, so bring a Japanese speaker or go through an English-speaking organiser. 105 dB noise limit. General spectating is restricted on normal days; go on event days.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Mobara Twin Circuit
Circuit-run drift days ¥15,000 full / ¥8,500 half. Gate ¥500 on weekends (weekdays free). Has a dedicated "Mobara Drift Land" area on the East course
Foreigners ✓ · Rental TBC · English TBC
The easiest proper drift venue to reach from Tokyo without a car — a city bus from Mobara Stn stops almost at the gate. Entry rules ask only for “a driving licence holder” with no nationality clause, and riders without one are judged on track record. Overseas drifters have run here (Vertex event, 2026) and Uber ran an official inbound drift ride-along here in June 2026. Ride-along seats are a published menu item at ¥1,500 — the cheapest way in if you don’t drive. Booking and the whole site are Japanese-only.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Minami Chiba Circuit
Circuit runs a beginner rental programme (Mazda Roadster NA); most visitors arrive through an English-speaking operator’s package rather than booking direct
Foreigners ✓ · Rental ✓ · English ✗
The venue most English-language drift experiences near Tokyo actually use, even when the listing says “Tokyo”. The circuit itself is Japanese-only and runs a watch → ride → drive-a-rental ladder for beginners; the English layer comes from the operators selling on GetYourGuide, Klook and Rakuten. Worth knowing if you booked a “Tokyo drift experience” and wondered where you were going.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Honjo Circuit
Grip free-run only (15-min tickets ¥2,000–3,500)
Foreigners TBC · Rental ✗ · English TBC
NOT a drift venue: official event categories are grip/2-wheel/gymkhana/kart only — no drift slots listed. Listed here so you don’t waste a trip.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
Kansai
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Meihan Sportsland
No general drift free-run — you join an organiser’s track day (C/D/E courses) or hire the track. Gate ¥500 on Sun/holidays. Closed Thursdays
Foreigners ✓ · Rental ✓ · English TBC
Kansai’s drift home; the legendary C-course wall. Note what the official page actually says: general walk-up running covers karts and bikes only — there is no four-wheel session at all, so every car on track is there via an organiser’s day (SEIMI STYLE, HitomiGO, Link-so…) or a private hire. Overseas crews run here regularly (Hoonigan/Animal Style; Australian tour operators book the E course), and rental drift cars are available through those operators. Private hire is accepted by post, FAX or at the counter only — no online booking. Old domain meihanc.com is dead; official info lives at web1.kcn.jp/meihansl/
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Gransnow Okuibuki / Okuibuki Motorpark
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
Formula Drift Japan venue (Rd.5 2026 + FDJ2/FDJ3 rounds).
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
Chubu
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YZ Circuit East
Free-run 50-min slot ¥4,000 booked / ¥4,500 same-day (even-numbered slots allow drift); half day ¥11,000, full ¥15,000. Gate ¥500. Email-only booking. Closed Tuesdays
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English ✗
Regular beginner-friendly drift days (Chibikko Gang, MJ Style, CDA). The least foreigner-ready of the six: the track’s own private-hire terms state the renter must be “a person who understands Japanese”, booking is a Japanese email template, and the paperwork wants a hanko stamp. Nothing bans overseas drivers, but we have not confirmed anyone doing it unaided, and no rental cars serve this track. Private hire (road course): ¥300,000 weekday / ¥550,000 Sat & holidays / ¥650,000 Sunday, +tax.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Owara Circuit
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
D1 NEXT Middle West venue.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
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Sportsland Yamanashi (SLy)
Foreigners TBC · Rental ✗ · English TBC
Drifting is banned during normal sport-run sessions; only possible on private track hire (short course). No public drift slots.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
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Mihama Circuit
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
Grip/kart-focused; no drift track days found on the official 2026 calendar, and at least one official event page states drifting is prohibited. Verify before planning.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
Chugoku
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Bihoku Highland Circuit
Drift free-run: A course ¥5,000 / B course ¥6,500 (winter ¥4,000/¥5,500), 2nd driver ¥2,000. Gate ¥500. Open every day except New Year’s Day
Foreigners ✓ · Rental ✓ · English TBC
The most accessible circuit in Japan for a visitor, and almost nobody outside Japan knows it. The official FAQ states no licence of any kind is required to run — just be 18+ for a car (16+ for bikes). Two English-speaking operators (k-dori in Kobe, an Australian tour company) rent prepared drift cars here. Trade-off: the circuit itself takes bookings by phone and FAX only — no web, no email — and the site is Japanese-only, so the practical route is through one of those operators. 100 dB limit measured 2 m behind the exhaust at 5,000 rpm, enforced with no second warning. West Japan’s competition staple (JDC, D1 NEXT West).
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Okayama International Circuit
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
Formula Drift Japan Rd.6 2026 venue (spectator event).
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
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Hadashi Tengoku Circuit
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
D1 NEXT West venue.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
Other
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Motorland Kijo
From ¥10,000 per person for a 1-hour “anyway drift” session in a kei car on low-grip tyres (ages 13–90)
Foreigners ✓ · Rental ✓ · English ✓
By a wide margin the cheapest way to actually drive a drifting car in Japan — two orders of magnitude below a rental at Ebisu, because you use the venue’s kei cars on special low-grip tyres. Bookable in English through Activity Japan. Not a serious circuit day, but if your trip lands in Kyushu it is the only option and it is genuinely cheap.
Official site · verified 2026-07-24
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Autopolis
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
D1 Grand Prix Rd.7 & 8 2026 venue (spectator event).
Official site · verified 2026-07-21
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Venue TBA
Foreigners TBC · Rental TBC · English TBC
Placeholder for events whose venue is not yet announced.
Official site · verified 2026-07-21