Nissan R-34 GTR NISMO Experience in Hakone

 Up in the birthplace of Initial D and MF Ghost, lies a car rental company. Not any car rental company, but a JDM car rental company. At the end of my friend's Japan visit, we rented out a Nissan R-34 GTR Nismo. A good "Last Hurrah!" moment to round out the trip. We had a JDM trip of a lifetime and it only felt right to drive the car that got us into this car passion others would call an addiction. This dream wouldn't have come true if it wasn't for Fun2Drive Japan. Fun2Drive Japan is a JDM car rental service based on Mount Hokone. Easily accessible by car or bus, we got there at 10 am sharp ready to drive and already smiling. "Is this really happening?", I kept asking myself. Before I knew it, we were inside signing all the final documents. This is where the fear kicks in. The "Oh god what if-" scenarios flooding your mind. Insurance is required sure, so there's nothing to be afraid of other than me not being able to forgive myself if I crash one of my idol cars. So yeah no pressure... 

They walked us through the car so we weren't going in blind and got us set with a walkie-talkie and off we went. Unfortunately for us, it was brutally foggy outside. At some points, we were limited to extremely low speeds due to the horrible visibility. This was a bummer as it took away from Mt. Hokone's beautiful scenery however, our minds were so occupied with driving, we didn't care. Looking back, I wish it was a more clear day however, we booked so far out that there was no way of guessing the weather. We drove down quiet and technical mountain roads making the drive pleasurable. Fun2Drive was easygoing with us giving it some beans within a certain limit. Not the place or weather to test out the gymkhana skills. Before we knew it the drive was over. Now, they have packages and different tours that you can take. We were on a strict time limit so we unfortunately did not book the longer tours. That is my biggest regret. Not driving more.

Overall, Fun2Drive was an amazing experience with amazing service. They were super kind and joyful. Each other car had a heart and was extremely clean. The next time I go back (I will be going back) I think I will go with the Mazda RX7. If you plan on taking a JDM trip throughout Japan, Fun2Drive is a must.