Inside Japan's Illegal Drifting Underworld - TOKYO DRIFT

We've gotten access to peek through a very secretive door,

the underground Tokyo drifting scene.

And yes, it does still exist.

>> >> This hidden subculture has now almost reached mythological status around the world through films,

anime, and video games.

But as the years go by,

the drifters are growing smaller and smaller in numbers.

Police cracking down is forcing them further into the shadows,

almost so far as to make us believe they no longer exist.

But if you look far enough, they are still here.

And somehow after weeks of back and forth and a near last second cancellation,

we've been given the very rare permission to join

and capture an evening of drifting in the mountains.

And so, welcome to the real life hidden world of Tokyo Drift.

>> >> The sun is setting in Tokyo.

We've gotten unbelievable access to a world

that very few have ever seen up close.

Yeah, we've had to work our way through some contacts

and some hoops to get to get access to the world

that we are currently about to enter.

Let's do it.

Is this us?

>> Oh, maybe.

>> No, this can't be us.

Hello.

Hi.

>> Nice car.

>> Thank you.

>> Are you going to the car meet?

>> Yeah, we're going.

You with us?

>> Oh, wait.

This is our car.

Oh, sick.

What's up, man?

I'm Thomas.

>> My car.

>> Oh, this is your car.

>> Nice, bro.

Okay, cool.

>> Nice to meet you.

We are starting our adventure at this car meet called Dauuku,

which is where many of the drivers in Tokyo who have the the flashier,

more interesting, more unique cars go

and have a gathering in this open parking lot

and just get to see some epic cars.

These are not the drifters that we're going to be drifting with tomorrow,

but uh we'll get to see a little bit of the scene here.

We're going in the most legit way possible.

>> You can trust me on this.

I love my car more than myself.

So, >> okay, >> let it begin.

>> Holy Oh, >> that's fast.

Samir, we're safe, right?

>> Yeah, of course we are.

>> Samir, how often do you go out like this?

>> I'm going like this every night.

>> Every night.

>> Every night.

Yeah.

>> The highways of Tokyo are the birthplace of a car culture

that has spread across the world.

It all begins in the late60s.

The country was experiencing an economic boom

and suddenly car manufacturers like Nissan

and Toyota weren't just building sensible commuter cars anymore.

They were showing off.

That's the era when Samir's car, the Nissan Skyline GTR, first shows up.

Light, aggressive, and fast enough to make the rest of the world actually take

notice.

And for the first time,

everyday drivers had access to cars

that felt built for more than the daily commute.

By the time the 70s and 80s rolled around,

that ambition spilled onto the streets.

Tokyo's Shuto Expressway became the unofficial testing track for local street racers.

The highway circles central Tokyo, and at 2:30 in the morning,

traffic nearly vanishes, leaving a huge continuous loop where you could run laps without

ever hitting a stoplight.

This is where underground racing clubs would reach speeds up to 300 km an

hour,

long before most countries even imagined that was possible.

This road is famous.

It's called the one line.

Back in the '90s,

there was a club called the Midnight Club

and they used to test all kind of paths like turos,

everything imaginable to obtain the highest speed.

It was on this road because as you can see,

it's just straight lines and you know,

so you can enjoy the sound of your engine and everything.

>> What does this community mean for you?

It's like a big family, you know,

people that share the same passion and I'm glad to be part of it.

>> Does the police ever bother you?

Do you break any laws?

>> Are you an undercover cop

or like what do you >> kind of what kind of questions are these

tan?

>> I don't know.

This place like is the maker of the comets in the world.

Everybody knows about this place.

We have arrived at the car meet.

Here we are in the celebrity car.

People are pretty fascinated by our arrival here.

Says a lot about how mythical your car is almost filming your face.

>> We're like hanging out with Cristiano Ronaldo right now.

I wish I more famous car meetat areas.

It's basically this big open parking lot where some of the owners of the

more epic cars around Tokyo come to show off their cars,

meet other car owners,

give I guess car fans an opportunity to like check it out.

Typically, we can stay here for a bit

and then cops usually show up probably in about an hour

or so to shut it down.

There's a lot of people taking a picture of I'm still calling it the

orange car,

but it the name is >> Skylander 34.

>> Skylliner 34.

>> Yeah, the Skylander 34.

After getting our first close-up look at some of these supercars,

it was time to see what they could do.

So, Samir invited us to join him

and some of his friends from the car meet to head out onto the

iconic highway to get our first real taste of the Tokyo driving scene.

>> We are hitting the iconic Tokyo highways.

Many people come here from around the world to experience.

They come to Japan just for this.

Heat.

HEAT.

YEAH.

HEAT.

Now that we've been introduced to Japan's car culture,

it was time to head out of the city

and into the mountains where the drifting was born.

Drifting has become popular all over the world.

But how did it start in Japan?

Well, its origins lie with one rebellious teenager flying down the mountain passes outside

of Tokyo in a banged up economy car.

While other racers would slow down on these mountain bends to avoid their car

spitting out,

this driver did the opposite, sending his car into a controlled slide.

A move that would have been disastrous for most,

but when mastered allowed him to maintain speed as he glided around every corner.

His name was Ki Tsushia, today known as the Drift King.

Sushia managed to make it into the professional racing scene in 1977

and soon became a racing legend,

not only for taking podiums,

but for outmaneuvering his opponents around corners with his unique driving style.

Despite going pro, he was still drifting customtuned cars down mountain passes

and filming them.

Videos of his runs quickly spread,

inspiring a generation of drifters and tuners to go out and do it themselves.

>> It was Tushia's marriage of street

and track racing that brought drifting into the zeitgeist with force.

His driving inspired manga, anime, video games, and movies.

Here he is acting as a fisherman in Tokyo Drift.

Good night.

>> And this is him driving as a stunt double.

>> By the 2000s, drifting even got its own professional series in Japan.

But now we were going to experience the sport the way it began,

done in secret deep in the mountains of Tokyo.

So, we are meeting up with our local contact here.

It's going to be taking us to the mountain location where tonight's activity will

take place.

We've almost had like a last minute cancellation

because some hesitations with letting us in.

So, we're going to have to manage our access here carefully

and respectfully and then see how much we can actually do.

>> I was hesitant.

Full on hesitant in the beginning like can we tell a story like this?

Is it possible?

Is it too extreme?

>> Hi guys.

Okay.

All right.

How are we feeling?

Good.

>> It's going to be fun.

>> Okay.

All right.

I'm a little bit more nervous, I think.

But if there's something you shouldn't do,

it's like to jump into like a nice drive to the mountain.

>> Yeah.

Definitely do not did this at home if you're watching this.

>> Yeah.

>> As we headed out of the city,

we didn't know what to expect. only that Louisie, our local fixer,

had found a way into this underground drifting community.

Louie was introduced to us by my friend Simon Fresh,

who is a great French YouTube creator

and journalist who has done his own incredible story here,

but now he was bringing us with him.

>> How did you

as a French man end up having like the deepest contacts in this underground

world?

I met few of those guys on a like track event first.

I just like asked them to do like a video project first.

They wanted to show to the world what they were doing and stuff.

That's how it all started.

Uh still feel like Unreal again.

And I feel so glad that they, you know,

trust us and trust me on cuz it's a really really close world.

They also want to show their skills

and what you what they can do behind the wheel.

As you can hear, Tokyo's drift scene isn't something just anyone stumble into.

These guys, they meet at secret spots.

They drive on the mountains roads

when nobody's watching and they keep their entire culture hidden.

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Now, let's go back to the video

and see what happens in the mountains of Tokyo at night.

>> How you doing?

>> Hey, you good?

>> Yeah, I am.

He's got to check first

and see like if there's some guys

that just really don't even want to be filmed even

if we blur their faces.

>> Okay, I think we got a green light.

>> I missed having nervous laughs, but keep it together soon.

>> Hey, nice to meet you.

>> Thomas, >> nice to meet you.

>> Thank you so much for having us.

>> So, maybe today around four or five cars coming.

>> Okay, perfect.

Man, we're so grateful that we're allowed to take a peek through your world.

>> I know.

It's >> It's first time like watching drifting.

>> Yes.

First time.

Yeah.

>> He's our boss.

>> Okay.

>> He almost courage.

>> I see him.

Nice to meet you.

>> How did you even start drifting?

>> I was riding the motor bike.

>> Yeah.

>> And went to the drift spot.

But that time I didn't know it was a drift spot

and a few cars was drifting in the street

and then like oh I have to do this like

that.

>> Oh wow.

Because Japan is >> maybe a bit strict usually.

>> Yes.

Yeah.

So it's irregular.

So we need to find a place that there is no houses around there.

>> Yeah.

>> And there's the police don't call.

>> How worried are you about the police?

>> Not much.

Almost. >> 90 90% the police don't come.

>> Okay.

>> Yeah.

But if you want to drift in that like Tokyo police in 15 minutes.

>> Oh, really?

>> Yeah.

We need to escape from them.

>> Have you had to do that many times?

>> Yeah.

Many times.

So one time like eight police car chase me.

So I need to like 240 kilo and like go away.

>> Oh, >> okay.

>> But now I got child.

I have a like main job.

>> Okay.

>> I work for the office.

So like I almost stop drifting in the dark area.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

That's too risky for me.

>> Too risky.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

>> We painted this stuff by ourself.

>> Everything is custom.

>> Yes.

Yes.

>> Like every little piece.

Huh.

>> Yeah. engine, the computer, the suspension, the wheel.

Like most of the people, the drifters,

they just put it to the shop like our shop.

>> Yeah.

>> So they pay money and shop do this stuff.

>> Yeah.

>> But we don't have money, so we need to >> do it yourself.

>> Yeah.

>> We're in our one.

>> Yeah.

This is so far from anything I've ever experienced in my life.

>> >> What happened here?

>> He just crashed.

>> Oh, just crashed.

>> Just crashed in the as usual.

>> Okay.

This is normal.

>> Well, >> I mean, everybody tried crashed.

>> Everyone has crashed.

>> Yeah.

>> Is it common?

Is it normal?

>> It is common.

It is >> really.

>> Yeah.

>> The more we got to learn about these drivers,

the clearer it became how legally risky

and how physically dangerous this hobby actually was.

But as the guys finished tuning up their cars,

we knew we had to get our nerves in check

as the night was only just beginning.

>> From here to the mountain,

we've decided that you're going to go in one of the cars.

So, and what about you?

>> I will be right behind you.

It's it's happening.

>> Okay.

>> Okay.

Arato.

>> Okay.

>> Nice man.

>> Nice.

Thank you.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let the show begin.

>> >> There is someone who like stopped the cars Yeah.

I don't know if it's like the police or who it is.

Heat.

Heat.

>> >> We are essentially on like an abandoned mountain road here.

I just lost phone service

and we have not seen a car in a long time

and there are no street lights on this street. spot.

>> We are inside a very hidden world up here in the mountains.

We're basically on an abandoned mountain road.

We've already had to pivot locations once

and at any moment like the police can come

and end the party.

Feels like being inside like the Tokyo Drift Fast and Furious movie.

All these guys are inspired by those original drifters that inspired that movie,

you know, and this is now like the younger generation of guys who are

out doing it.

Every drifter here is between 25 and 35.

Like that's an age range, but they've all been doing it for 10,

15 years.

It's not a hobby.

It's like their life.

Yeah.

>> Like they see it as like this is what they do.

And if like they can't do it, they're like,

I don't know what else I would do.

Like this is this is more than a passion for them.

What's cooking?

>> Cooking?

>> Yeah.

What's what what's uh what's happening?

>> Steering shaft is something wrong.

>> Oh, something wrong.

>> Yeah.

>> This is normal that something breaks and then you fix it.

>> That's normal.

So even we crashed, we fixed at the moment.

We need to go back home, right?

>> So, we did everything here.

>> I see.

I see.

>> Ah, it's his car.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

>> His owners.

>> That's the one I was sitting in.

It was our our car.

>> Okay.

It's my car is broken.

>> I hope it was not my big bum.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Here.

We recover all this trouble of his technique.

>> He will he will he will solve the problem by doing a specific technique.

>> Yeah, that's right.

Um, >> yeah, the drifting has begun.

They're going to take a few warm-up runs without us in the cars.

And then if they trust us, they'll take us in the cars with them.

And out of nowhere, having heard that there was some drifting going on,

another drifting team nobody knew rolled in.

What was meant to be a standard practice night turned into a standoff.

And I think it might have set everyone off.

>> >> This is insane.

This guy's trying to kill me.

He was like, "No, you can stay on the side."

No, it's totally fine.

>> Never felt this kind of adrenaline like in real life before.

After half an hour of drifting, we were finally invited to join them.

Even though our adrenaline was already through the roof just watching the action,

we knew that there was no turning back now.

>> Okay, it's our turn now.

This ising insane.

>> Yeah.

I don't know how we were allowed to be here.

>> Here we go, bro.

Ready?

>> Do you think you're crazy?

>> Yeah.

No.

No.

>> No.

Ladies and gentlemen, please present reminder to always wear your >> >> Fire.

>> Fire.

>> Fire.

No tire.

>> Oh, up on the floor in the front.

He's completely ripped through his tire his his tire left straight up on the

on the red line.

>> >> Wow, that was insane.

That was insane.

Well, I am ready to get out of this car.

I actually need to sit down.

I'm actually feeling a little a little unwell after that.

Wow.

We sat with our ears still ringing and our hearts racing,

trying to take in everything we had just experienced.

We had stepped into a world where passion borders on obsession.

And these drivers spent every free hour

and every spare dollar chasing a feeling they can't describe,

only live.

What we found in Tokyo's drifting scene wasn't just danger for the sake of

danger.

It was a strong community bond.

A group of people who came together over a shared passion

that they could never get enough of.

And sitting in that passenger seat holding on to our seat belts for our

dear life,

we were reminded why we travel in the first place.

To meet people who care about something

so deeply forces us to question what we care about,

to say yes to moments

that scare us a little

because those are the ones

that make us feel most alive.

Naturally, this was done with highly experienced professionals

and you should not try to replicate anything

that you have seen in this video

as risks are not to be underestimated.

But if there's something that you've been holding off on, a passion, a curiosity,

a ridiculous dream you've been procrastinating,

take this as your sign to go find your version of that mountain pass.

Go chase the thing that makes you feel alive.