Drift Culture in Japan
Daniel Ditto is 24 years old currently living in Japan and has a passion for drifting cars, he hopes to one day compete at the professional level.
He never owned anything that could drift until he purchased the $30,000 Toyota Chaser TRD two years ago. At first he was hesitant to take the expensive car onto the track and drift it, fearing he would total the car.
“I started seeing more really, really, nice cars on the track. So I kind of just said, fuck it. I’m gonna go try it out, and I had a blast. And from then on, I couldn’t stop drifting,” Daniel said.
He describes drifting as, “controlling a car that is out of control. Technically, when the tires are spinning, you’re out of control.”
The drifting culture started in Japan in the 1980’s and is now a world-wide phenomenon, it is often seen as an expensive and dangerous sport or hobby, according to topspeed.com
Daniel describes the car group he hangs out with as responsible and fun, “during our group drives we might accelerate at times but won’t do anything stupid or anything dangerous that would put innocent people at risk.”
There are other car groups in Japan that will make a scene and cause trouble while driving.
“I call them kids, because they go out and do dumb stuff in town and on the roads around a lot of people, in my opinion,” he said.
The drift cars with the modified engines, body kits and aftermarket exhaust make them hard to not notice while driving down the road.
“We get noticed sometimes it’s annoying, because sometimes I just want to go cruise,” he said.
Daniel Ditto does a burnout in his Toyota Chaser TRD during a drift competition event at Hadashi Tengoku Circuit in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Daniel was hesitant to take his $30,000 car on the drift track when he first bought it, but after seeing others drifting their expensive cars he decided to try it.
Daniel Ditto returns from the track with a blown tire on his Toyota Chaser TRD at Hadashi Tengoku Circuit in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, March 4, 2023. “Tires last me about nine laps on the track when I’m drifting.”
Daniel Ditto leans against his Toyota Chaser TRD while competitors are lined up on the track during a drift competition event at Hadashi Tengoku Circuit in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, March 4, 2023. “Sometimes I don’t drift for two or three months because it does get pricey.”
Daniel Ditto buffs and cleans his Toyota Chaser TRD car to prepare for a car meet up tomorrow in Iwakuni City, Japan on Friday, April 7, 2023. Many service members stationed in Japan will buy a collectable car that is 25 years or older so the car is allowed to be imported into the United States.
Several car enthusiasts from the Marine base wait for others to join their group drive while shoppers look at the cars in Iwakuni City, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023. It is easy to identify cars owned by Americans stationed in Japan by the “Y” on the license plate.
Peter Doyle, back, talks about cars with Daniel Ditto, center, and Nick Smith, front, while hanging out at the Yasaka Dam in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023. “During our group drives we might accelerate at times but won't do anything stupid or anything dangerous that would put innocent people at risk,” Daniel said.
Peter Doyle, front, talks with Daniel Ditto, back, while hanging out at the Yasaka Dam in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023. The Japanese kanji characters on the back of Peter’s car reads, “Bad Foreigner.”
A local Japanese women stops her car and looks at the group of Americans hanging out by their cars at the Yasaka Dam in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
Daniel Ditto drives his car in Iwakuni City, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023. The car front tires are angled outward to increase traction making the car easier to handle while going through sharp turns.
A local resident walks by several American and Japanese drift car owners who are talking about cars during a meetup outside of a mall in Iwakuni City, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
Daniel Ditto shows off his Toyota Chaser TRD engine while parked outside a Lawson convenience store in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, April 8, 2023. “When you pop a hood you will find 20 guys around it, you won't find a single woman,” Daniel said. “So it's more of a guy magnet than a chick magnet.”