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The idea is to pick a suitable weekday evening to meet up at the Beachy Head pub, and from there to enjoy the stunning views and twisty local road, and perhaps a bite to eat or refreshing drink at the Pub.To achieve this, and to make the trip worthwhile, we need the assistance of the weather. Beachy Head is very exposed and a windy inclement evening will render a gathering, particularly for photos, rather pointless. We will not stay at the pub for these, but attempt to find space in one of the various viewpoint car parks in the area. We need fairly clear sky and a gorgeous sunset to get the best photos. A recent sunset session. This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. Report this image Some of the views (taken early afternoon), but you get the idea. This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. Report this image This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. Report this image This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. Report this image If you are interested in such an event, please note that it will be at short notice, as a reliable break in the weather will only allow for a few days notice to arrange this. I will therefore need your contact details via PM so I can message you individually when a likely evening presents itself. The reason for picking a weekday evening is because the area can get really busy, even on weekdays, so finding that photo opportunity may require some luck. If all goes to pot, then a meet in the pub will be the fall back position. We are dealing with mother nature here, and she doesn't always co-operate. We will do our best to predict the best window of opportunity.

If you want to rent a GT86 you can do it via Toyota Japan, but you have to phone them to reserve it. You will need an international driving licence available from your post office. I'd say check what car events are on when you're going to see if you can tie it in. You'll most likely need a car to get to them. If you have any famous tuners you want to visit try and get in touch with them beforehand or if you have any Japanese friends try and get them to arrange it for you. If you want to go to the Subaru factory in Maebashi you will need a Japanese speaking friend to call them and arrange it for you. Note though you don't actually go in the GT86/BRZ factory they do a tour around the factory next door where the Forester is made. It's pretty cool though. You can do all the temples and stuff if you're Buddhist but if it doesn't mean that much to you apart from the very nice wood in there it's not really worth it. Just my thoughts. Kyoto is nice and historic and quite different to places like Yokohoma MM which were flattened in WWII. I would consider staying in Yokohama as well as it's like a vision of the future. As with Tokyo there is a lot to do, but it depends what you're interested in really. I went all the way to Hiroshima on bullet train to see all the atomic bomb stuff, well worth seeing. The trains are cheap with a weeks pass and you can go first class pretty cheaply, it's a great way to cover distance and get around, they are highly efficient and always on time. If you like the Initial D stuff, the Yokota museum is worth a look in Ikaho at the foot of Mt Haruna. Also make sure you stay in a Ryokan hotel for the experience. When I do get to go back I'm just going to do car stuff as that's the best bit for me anyway. What's on your list?

Do fun2drive Rent a JDM legend from Omoren Driving is stupidly easy over there, nobody does the speed limit, just watch out for speed cameras Motorway is expensive as you have tolls Do touges and mountain passes If you are going for 2 weeks take around £2k spending money Jetlag will hit hard If you are going through dubai check laws and customs as they are super strict

Must see’s that haven’t already been mentioned - Toyota Megaweb - https://www.megaweb.gr.jp/ Sega Joypolis - http://tokyo-joypolis.com/language/english/ King Buyer - http://www.king-buyer.co.jp/sp/ (Japanese car Exporters. They have some awesome stuff for sale and they’re quite happy for you to have a nosey) Tokyu Hands (Famous huge department store) - There is one next to pretty much every Tokyo Station - https://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/list/kanto.html A temple (loads everywhere) Tokyo Dome - Always baseball on. They are mad for it! Super Autobacs - Japan’s version of Halfords but with real JDM TRD, Nismo and Mazdaspeed stuff. Tokyo Tower Royal Palace all worth seeing if you have the time.

I Went there a couple of years ago for 2 weeks but didn't get a chance to do much car-related. I must admit even if i were to go again I might not rent a car as it's really just not needed in my opinion although that might be a bit different for a whole family. During my 2 weeks I spent 4 days in Tokyo, 4 days in Osaka/Kyoto/Nara and 4 days in Hiroshima all of which I did via Shinkansen (bullet train) which doesn't take very long at all. Even the longest leg of the Journey from Hiroshima back to Tokyo on the last day was just 5 hours (and it's a fair old distance!) While in Tokyo definitely spend atleast 1 day in Akihabara (a.k.a Electric City or Akiba locally) as your kids will love it, I know I did as I'm also big in to my anime 😎 and infact went back there for a second day. Everything within Tokyo is easy to travel around via the subway, all the ticket machines have an english option, fares are fairly cheap and even the maps are easy to read. I found it easier to navigate Tokyo my first time than I do to get around London even now. If you want to something car related it's worth taking a trek out to Fuji Speedway as they often have big events going on there like the Skyline Festival, etc so its worth checking what events are on. If you Rent a car you can also take a drive over the Hakone Skyline or other similar twisty tole roads. I wouldn't try and book a day to see Fuji itself, 90% of the time it's difficult to see due to cloud and very rare to get a day where's the skies around it are clear so if you set a day aside specifically to see if you'll probably end up disappointed. Definitely make Osaka one of your destinations, it's another big city like Tokyo but has many things Tokyo doesn't for starters its considered one of the best destinations in the world for street food if you're in to that, it also has alot of it's own landmarks like the Dotonbori streets/canal, which really comes alive at night. As well as this from Osaka cultural hotspots like Kyoto and Nara are very easy Day trips with a short 1 or 2 stop journey on the Shinkansen. I went to both and don't regret it at all there's something truly amazing about the big bustling cities in Japan but the same goes for the more peaceful cultural areas. Kyoto is a big tourist trap which might put some people off but I feel its worth it and still a very nice place to visit. Going to Japan for the culture for the first time and missing Kyoto would be like going to London for the first time and ignoring big ben If you do have a few days left its worth spending them over in Hiroshima. There isn't loads to do there but after my 2 weeks I found myself quite tired (we walked something like 100miles in our 2 week holiday) and the quietness of a city like Hiroshima is quite nice although I wouldn't spend a whole 4 days there again next time, 2 or 3 would be just fine. Its good to see Hiroshima Castle as well as the peace memorial museum and if you find yourself with 1 last day and want to squeeze a bit more of the culture in to it Miyajima island just off the coast of Hiroshima which can be reached by a cheap ferry trip is a beautiful little shrine town/island. As I mentioned above I didn't rent a car and instead went with the Tokyo Rail pass. It covers all the Shinkensen, some bus and tram routes across Japan and even the Ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima island. It wasn't cheap at around £250-300 but considering the price of a single Shinkensen trip it pretty much paid for itself and took the hastle out of buying tickets. Another couple of parting thoughts/tips would be about general things there. The locals are incredibly helpful but very very shy so if you need help you can try and ask but don't be put off if they shy away on the flip side if you look lost you may find someone just approaching you to try and help you even if they struggle with the language barrier, I had that a few times! Learning a few simple phrases like Hello (Konichiwa), Thank you (Arigatou), I don't understand (Wakaranai) and especially Excuse me (Sumimasen) can go a very long way especially the last one as alot of cities and stations like Tokyo are packed so you'll be using it alot to get around, when trying to politely make people aware of your presence or even if you bump in to someone. As mentioned above it was a life saver for me to buy a Pocket-Wifi device as I was using mine non-stop for google maps directions, train information, Translations, etc! and they're fairly cheap so order it soon and you can get it delivered to your first hotel or wherever you're staying. Japan is also very cash based or it was a couple of years ago, things may have changed but you can always withdraw cash for free from the ATM at any 7-11 using an international card. Feel free to drop me a PM if you want any more info, I could talk about Japan for hours haha I loved my trip and will be planning my next one back there this year!

A visit to Akihabara is a must for giant electronic stores. For superb scenery, take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Mount Fuji, which is gobsmacking. Japanese culture is different. Get used to sitting cross legged under low ceilings in traditional restaurants and eating unidentifiable food. The subway system in Tokyo is brilliant and fun getting around. Driving in Tokyo? Don't! Sent from my LG-Q6 using Tapatalk

You’ll need and international drivers permit if you want to hire a car which I’d very much recommend. The stations are easy enough to navigate and always have English translations but most Japanese don’t speak English. You can buy SIM cards with data (some photography chain is where I got mine last time) the. Google maps is brilliant, esp when using pedestrian directions. Having data and a smartphone is all you need really. There is lots of car stuff to do in Tokyo - Toyota, Nismo and others have museums. There’s a cruise type event at Daiko futo (sp?) which is quite famous but you can only enter this in a car bit by foot. The city’s are fine but you should try to get out to see how beautiful the countryside is. A visit to Fuji race track is well recommended but beware, if you don’t have a car you’ll have to walk 6 plus miles up a mountain to get there. There aren’t any fatal spiders but there are poisonous ones and they’re quite common. I nearly walked into a web last time at Ebisu, the webs are cleverly positioned at head height! Google maps is brilliant but will direct you through forests and woods that get very overgrown and are ideal for spiders etc. Also Japanese giant hornets need care esp if you have young children. It’s horribly hot and humid in the summer months, if you’re thinking of travelling around much try to avoid these times as you’ll be drenched in sweat in no time. Enjoy!!

If only he knew, Louise!!

Welcome The orange revolution is on

Now there's a stunning array of colours.

Hopefully taking grand daughter, possibly hubby. Need more printer ink 😬👍. Will see you at Japfest hopefully. Have already booked Hilton 😊

I also lost 2 front centrecaps for my OZ wheels, have come to the conclusion that my front wheels heated up and expanded causing the caps to pop out. Stephen

Try Rich at RRG Macclesfield.... ... or nick one off a showroom forecourt... ( I use Bluetack - when the brake and rim gets hot the centre expands and the cap pops off... I've lost five 'Rota' caps...) Spec K