Quick picks
Lowest price, shared JDM car
C1 Experience Tokyo night run
¥21,500 to ¥22,000 per person for a seat in a random JDM car, 3 hours from Harajuku. 235 reviews, 4.99 stars.
Ride in a GT-R or a Chaser
Tokyo JDM Night Tour, VIP class
Pick a GT-R R35, Skyline R34 or Chaser JZX100: ¥40,000 to ¥45,000 per person with 2 or more. Shared class ¥22,500. Meets at Tokyo Station.
Pickup at your hotel
ETA Tokyo night drive
Hotel pickup in central Tokyo, 3 to 4 hours. ¥25,000 per person with 2 or more, ¥35,000 alone. May switch to Umihotaru if Daikoku is closed.
Prices and reviews from Viator's partner data on 27 October 2026. Viator links may earn me a commission. None of these tours drift.
On this page
The short version
Daikoku Parking Area is a rest stop on the Shuto Expressway in Yokohama. At night it often fills with tuned and imported cars, and it has become one of the best-known car meets in the world. It is not an event: nobody runs it, there is no schedule, and the lot can be closed on the night you go.
What I saw on two nights
I live in Japan and drive a JZX100 Chaser. These are my own visits, so treat them as two data points, not a pattern.
- 13 July 2025, a Sunday, around 11 pm, in my own car. The parking area was closed. Many of the cars seemed to head on to Umihotaru, another expressway rest area, instead. That is my impression from the road, not something I confirmed.
- 16 to 17 July 2026, a Thursday, around midnight, in a rental car. The lot was open, and a fair number of modified cars were there. It was worth the trip.
Why it closes
Japanese car news reports say the expressway operator closes Daikoku PA for set periods because cars gather and stay for hours, and ordinary drivers cannot use it as a rest stop (Kuruma News). During the 2021 Golden Week holidays, for example, it was closed every evening from 8:30 pm, with the end time depending on the situation (Livedoor News). The same reporting says that during a closure you can still use the toilets by telling the staff at the entrance (Kuruma News).
Tour operators plan around this. Wangun OG says its tours arrive before 8 pm to beat possible closures (Wangun OG). More recently, the Kanagawa Shimbun described police and Shutoko patrol cars announcing a closure and asking cars to leave at about 9 pm on a Friday in late December 2023 (Kanagawa Shimbun, in Japanese). I found no official timetable for these closures.
My rule of thumb as a local: on weekend nights, from about 9 pm, the lot is quite likely to be closed. That comes from living here, not from an official rule, and it fits the reports above: a closure announced at about 9 pm on a Friday, and tours that aim to arrive before 8 pm. If you can only go on a weekend, go early in the evening, or plan a weekday night instead. Planned closures for roadworks are announced on the Shuto Expressway website (in Japanese).
Drifting on public roads is illegal
Japanese police treat street drifting as a crime. In November 2025, Aichi police announced the arrest of two people for drifting on public roads in Nagoya (Kuruma News). Since 21 July 2026, a revised law on dangerous driving also lists deliberately sliding the tires, meaning drifting, among the acts that count as dangerous driving when someone is killed or injured (Shiga Prefectural Police, Kanagawa Prefectural Police, both in Japanese). If you want to feel a car drift, book a ride on a closed circuit: see which Tokyo drift tours actually drift.
How to get there
- Tokyo StationMost tours pick you up in central Tokyo or meet you there.
- Daikoku PA, 26 kmA rest area on the Shuto Expressway in Yokohama. You can only get in by car, from the expressway.
- Umihotaru, 26 kmA rest area on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, on the Aqua-Line expressway. Some tours list it as their stop when Daikoku is closed or late at night.
Distances are in a straight line from Tokyo Station, calculated from OpenStreetMap locations. Roads are longer.
Drive yourself
This is how locals get there. You need a car and, as a visitor, a driving permit that is valid in Japan. The rental car, the taxi and a driver by the hour are compared in Daikoku without a tour. Japan accepts only International Driving Permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, plus official translations of licenses from a few countries (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, PDF). Expressway tolls apply. Plan where you will go if the PA is closed, and do not stop on the shoulder of the expressway to wait.
Join a tour
A tour solves the car problem: a local drives you there, usually in a tuned or well-known JDM car, and brings you back to the start point or your hotel. The trade-off is that a tour cannot open the lot if it is closed. Ask what happens in that case before you book.
- Meet upAt a station or your hotel. Start times run from late afternoon to late night
- Expressway driveIn the guide's car. Several listings pass Rainbow Bridge
- About 45 min to 1 h at DaikokuWalk around the lot and look at the cars
- Back in TokyoAbout 3 to 4 hours in all
A typical evening, from the tour listings compared below. Each tour differs; check the one you book.
What does not work
- Walking in. Pedestrians are not allowed on the expressway, and the lot is fenced off (Japan Travel, Wikipedia). Recent reports describe tourists trying to get in on foot and police responding (The Drive). Do not try it.
- A taxi drop-off. A taxi has to enter and leave through the expressway. One tour operator says a taxi costs about ¥7,000 to ¥11,000 each way from central Tokyo and that most drivers do not want to wait at a rest area at midnight (Daikoku Tour). That is a tour seller's claim, but it matches the problem: you need a way back. Agree on this with the driver before you set off.
Daikoku tours compared
None of these tours drift. They drive you to the car meet in a Japanese car and bring you back. Several listings say plainly that drifting and racing are not part of the tour.
On Viator (affiliate links)
| Tour (seller on Viator) | What you ride in | Price per person | Length and start | If the PA is closed | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tokyo JDM Night Run (C1 Experience Tokyo) | Shared: a random JDM car. Private: Nissan GT-R R34 or R35 | Shared ¥21,500 (Fri to Sun) to ¥22,000 (Mon to Thu). Private GT-R ¥35,000 to ¥68,000, cheaper per person with 2 or 3 guests | 3 hours. Meet near Harajuku Station; the GT-R options include hotel pickup in central Tokyo | Not stated | 235, 4.99 |
Tokyo JDM Night Tour (Tokyo JDM experience) | Shared class: a random JDM car, no GT-R, no choice. VIP class: GT-R R35, Skyline R34 or Chaser JZX100 | Shared ¥22,500 (Mon to Thu) or ¥23,000 (Fri to Sun). VIP ¥40,000 to ¥45,000 with 2 or more guests, ¥62,500 alone | 3 hours. Meet at Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side). Up to 15 guests | Departures after about 8:30 pm go to Umihotaru instead. If police close Daikoku during the visit, the group may leave early | 207, 4.98 |
Daikoku PA and night drive (Japan Magic Tours) | Shared JDM car (the listing says it is not private). Skyline R34 GT-T option. Private GT-R R34 option | Shared ¥25,000. R34 GT-T ¥35,000. Private GT-R R34 ¥40,000 (3 guests) to ¥120,000 (1 guest) | 4 hours. Meet near Shibuya Station. Also a Sunday 9 am option | Not stated | 315, 4.93 |
Daikoku nights in a small group (MisiuJDMX) | You pick a class: a Nissan Elgrand van (up to 6), a luxury sedan, or a Mazda RX-8. Up to 3 guests per car | Van ¥17,000. Sedan ¥25,000. RX-8 ¥30,000 to ¥35,000 | About 4 hours. Meet in Shibuya; Tokyo and Yokohama stations on request. Morning and afternoon start times too | The seller says it does not go to Daikoku on Friday and Saturday evenings and visits other car spots instead (seller's claim) | 287, 4.86 |
Daikoku night tour (Matenro Drift Racing) | A JDM car, which you may share with another booking | ¥19,800 | 3 to 5 hours. Tokyo Station (Marunouchi North Exit), or pickup within about 5 km of Tokyo Station | Not stated | 87, 4.95 |
Night drive to Daikoku with hotel pickup (ETA Tokyo) | A random JDM car. Upgrades to named models, or a GT-R / Silvia "VIP" option | ¥25,000 with 2 or more guests, ¥35,000 alone. VIP ¥50,000 to ¥90,000 | 3 to 4 hours. Hotel pickup in central Tokyo | May switch to Umihotaru | 131, 4.96 |
Daytime Daikoku and Nissan HQ (Takuya Nagashima, a guide) | Not stated as a JDM car | ¥7,700 (Mon to Thu) or ¥8,800 (Fri to Sun). With the NISMO showroom ¥12,800 (weekends) | 2 to 3 hours. Meet in Yokohama. 9 am start, or late afternoon | Not stated | 117, 4.84 |
Checked through Viator's partner data on 27 October 2026. Prices are the yen amounts in that data. Viator shows the price in your own currency, so the figure you see can differ a little. Review counts combine Viator and Tripadvisor reviews. All seven give a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start.
Booking direct (no commission)
| Tour | What you ride in | Listed price | Length and start | If the PA is closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wangun OG, shared Daikoku night tour | A shared JDM car | ¥22,000 per person, tax included | About 3 hours, about 45 minutes at the meet. Meet at Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit), no hotel pickup. Up to 15 guests | The operator says it always has an alternative spot |
Matenro Drift Racing, night cruise with a Daikoku stop | A JDM car; you may share it with other guests | ¥19,800 for 1 person, ¥38,800 for 2, up to ¥79,800 for 6 (tax included) | About 4 hours with a car-parts store visit and about 1 hour at Daikoku. Pickup within about 5 km of central Tokyo or at Tokyo Station | Not stated on Matenro's page. Ask before you book |
Daikoku Tour | Random car, or a named car on the VIP tour | Priced per group (1 to 3 guests) or per car, shown only in the booking calendar | Hotel pickup in Tokyo; return usually after midnight | The operator says the guide takes you to other car-meet spots around Yokohama and the tour goes ahead |
Checked on the operators' own sites on 27 October 2026. I have no affiliate link with them and earn nothing if you book there. Cancellation: Wangun OG is free up to 24 hours before; Matenro gives a full refund only up to 1 week before.
Two of these also sell on Viator. Matenro's Viator listing is sold under its own name. The "Tokyo JDM Night Tour" above has the same meeting point, group size and classes as Wangun OG's own tour, so it looks like the same tour, but Viator shows a different seller name. Booking on Viator costs a little more for Wangun OG (¥22,500 to ¥23,000 against ¥22,000) and gives a longer free-cancellation window for Matenro (24 hours against 1 week).
Which one fits
- Lowest price at night: C1 Experience Tokyo's shared car, MisiuJDMX's van, or Matenro.
- A specific car: the GT-R options from C1 Experience Tokyo or Japan Magic Tours, or the VIP class on the Tokyo JDM Night Tour. All the car-choice options are compared in Daikoku in a JDM car.
- Hotel pickup: ETA Tokyo, or Matenro (within about 5 km of Tokyo Station).
- Not at night: the daytime Nissan tour, Japan Magic Tours' Sunday morning option, or MisiuJDMX's morning start.
- Driving yourself: none of the Viator Daikoku tours I found had enough reviews to list. See "Drive yourself" above, and the self-drive JDM rentals in Daikoku in a JDM car.
Before you book a Daikoku tour, check
- What happens if the PA is closed. Is there a backup stop, a partial refund, or nothing?
- Which car you ride in. Is a specific model promised, or "subject to availability"?
- How many guests share the car. Two seats and four seats are a different night.
- Pickup area and end time. Late-night tours can end after the last train.
- The one- and three-star reviews. Look for closed-lot nights and how the guide handled them.
More checks that apply to any car experience are in the booking checklist.
Be a good guest
- Ask before photographing people, and blur number plates if you post photos.
- Do not ask drivers to rev, burn out or drift. It is illegal and is part of why the lot closes.
- Keep to the walkways inside the PA and leave when staff ask.
FAQ
Can I walk in or take a train to Daikoku PA?
No. It is a rest area on the expressway: pedestrians are not allowed and the lot is fenced off (Japan Travel, Wikipedia). You need a car, a tour, or a taxi that will also take you back.
Do any Daikoku tours drift?
No. Drifting on public roads is illegal in Japan, and several tour listings say plainly that drifting and racing are not part of the tour. For real drifting, see which Tokyo drift tours actually drift.
What happens if the PA is closed?
It depends on the tour. Some listings say they go to Umihotaru or other car spots instead, one says the group may leave early, and others do not say. The "If the PA is closed" column in the table above shows what each listing states. Ask before you book.
Can I drive there myself as a visitor?
Yes, with a car and a permit that is valid in Japan: an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or an official translation for licences from a few countries (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, PDF). Expressway tolls apply.
Which night is best?
There is no published timetable. My rule of thumb as a local is that weekend nights from about 9 pm are quite likely to be closed, so a weekday evening is the safer bet. On my two visits, the lot was open on a Thursday around midnight and closed on a Sunday around 11 pm. Plan for a closure either way.
Is there a daytime option?
Yes. One tour visits Daikoku in the morning or the evening together with Nissan's headquarters (¥7,700 to ¥8,800 per person), and Japan Magic Tours has a Sunday-morning option. Both are in the table above.
Book
These links go to Viator. I may earn a commission if you book.
- C1 Experience Tokyo: shared JDM car or private GT-R
- Tokyo JDM Night Tour: shared or VIP class, Tokyo Station
- Japan Magic Tours: Daikoku and night drive, Shibuya
- MisiuJDMX: small group, pick your car class
- Matenro Drift Racing: Daikoku night tour
- ETA Tokyo: night drive with hotel pickup
- Daytime Daikoku and Nissan HQ, Yokohama
Sources: my own visits (July 2025 and July 2026), and the pages linked above: Kuruma News, Livedoor News, Japan Travel, Wikipedia, The Drive, Shuto Expressway, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Shiga and Kanagawa Prefectural Police, Wangun OG, Matenro, Daikoku Tour, and Viator's partner data (27 October 2026). If you want real drifting instead, see which Tokyo drift tours actually drift.
More guides
Keep reading
- Daikoku PA Without a Tour: Rental Car, Taxi or a Private DriverHow to reach the Daikoku car meet on your own: what a rental car needs (permit, ETC, tolls), why a one-way taxi strands people, and hiring a driver by the hour.
- Daikoku in a JDM Car: Pick the Car, or Drive It YourselfWhich Daikoku tours let you choose a GT-R, R34, Chaser or Silvia, what that costs, and the few ways a visitor can drive a JDM car there themselves.
- Tokyo Drift Tours: Which Ones Actually Drift? (And Which Don't)Four real drift experiences near Tokyo, numbered and compared: ride or drive, pickup, group size, price and refunds, on Viator or booked direct.
- Self-Drive Drift Lessons near Tokyo, ComparedWhere you hold the wheel yourself: prices, cars, age limits, pickup and cancellation terms for drift lessons near Tokyo, booked direct or through Viator.