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r/formula1•
ColdHardMetal

Some questions about Suzuka

A buddy and I are in the preliminary stages of organizing a trip to the Japanese Grand Prix this year. A 1st GP for both of us. As a result I have a few questions for anyone who has been there before.

*1. We're thinking of getting tickets for Grandstand I, which puts us at the hairpin/turn 11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuka_Circuit

That seems pretty good to me as there should be the potential for some overtakes and what not at that spot, and the price isn't too out of control. Anyone ever sit there? If you were going where would you sit?

*2. How accessible is the track? I'll be flying into Osaka Saturday morning I expect, and have about 5 hours to get to the track before Quali starts, which should be pretty achievable. Osaka to Suzuka itself seems easy enough, what about getting to the actual track? What are the options?

*3. What about hotels? Is is a huge pain to get from a place to stay to the track? My buddy lives in Japan, so can presumably work out the logistics of arranging something, but some recommendations/advice are always welcome. We don't need to be right by the gate or anything. Some reasonable travel is no big deal.

Posted Jul 21, 2015, 8:45 AM UTC

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liquidrainJenson Button•
  1. Here is the view from those seats.
  2. You want the Kintetsu line, and Google Maps will tell you the route. Use the Nankai Airport Express from Kansai International, head to Namba, transfer from Nankai to Kintetsu at Namba. Have your friend book Limited Express reserved seats on Kintetsu for the times you want to go - the trains will pre-book filled with F1 fans, so book ASAP! (you can change your departure time for reserved seats at the train station if you're early) Arrive 10m early for your train, leave 50 minutes for yourself to get from Shiroko station to Suzuka. On race day there's a special limited express from Nagoya straight to the nearest train station, but again, that train sells out quick. From the Kintetsu Shiroko station there are dedicated shuttle buses every 5-10 minutes that's only a few hundred yen. (couple a bucks) There's a smaller station run by Ise Railway (Suzuka Inou) that's a bit of a hike to the track, but you don't need the buses. The trains are small and infrequent however. I recommend Shiroko.
  3. Book early early early early EARLY for hotels. As in now. If you run out of options in Nagoya do Osaka. Nagoya is 1h 20m-ish from the track, Osaka is ~2h. A bit long but not terrible. :) (I should mention the Kintetsu line running between Nagoya and Osaka runs to Shiroko Station/Suzuka, so... either choice will get you there in 1 line as long as you get a hotel close enough to the Kintetsu station!)

With 5 hours you'll get there in time for quali.

Here was my field trip report, including suggestions on visiting Suzuka.

My #1 tip: If you at all possibly can, take extra days off and go Thursday and Friday. The open part of the track is the start line straight, the esses, and Degner for the Thursday track walk. After the race ends, the open part of the track is the hairpin, 130R, and Spoon, and doesn't last very long since the race ends near sundown and light fades fast. It's also extremely nice to just sit where you want and walk around leisurely, without any big crowds and watch the cars go by during Free Practice instead of being confined to your seats during quali/race.

Here are my photo albums from Suzuka to get you primed for your awesome trip:

It really is a beautiful track, and I encourage you to soak it all in with some extra days. :)

Bonus post: Here's my tips for photographing cars that I learned at Suzuka.

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ColdHardMetalOPMcLaren•

Awesome. I think i read your trip report before but I couldn't find it again.

Thanks for the tips. Sadly my job doesn't really allow me to take extra days when I want them. I get tons of paid vacation each year, but when it's on, it's on. I just got lucky with one of the few holidays falling on the Monday this year so I have time to get back after the race.

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modeslips•

  1. Don't know that much about the track but the seats seem good.

  2. You can take an airport bus to Shinosaka station and take the train from there to Suzuka circuit (there is one change of trains), takes around 3 hours in total, go look it up on Google Maps.

  3. If you can't find anything for a reasonable price in Suzuka you can always look in Nagoya (search on Hotels.com).

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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frnaSebastian Vettel•

I stayed in Nagoya myself last year. I booked super late and it ended up being more expensive because of that. So book now.

Train ride to Suzuka from Nagoya is about an hour if I remember correctly but if you have a friend with you, you should be able to enjoy it. The train is packed with F1 fans. Also sometimes TV personalities and Drivers (saw Kai Able and Perez take the train like us normals).

If you end up coming to Tokyo, message me. Let's grab some drinks.

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liquidrainJenson Button•

Should we do a r/formula1 Tokyo meet? Or are there only 2 of us? :)

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frnaSebastian Vettel•

I thought I'm alone here. Where are you living?

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liquidrainJenson Button•

Waseda, right next to Takadanobaba, a stone's throw from Shinjuku and/or Nakano.

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frnaSebastian Vettel•

I work in Roppongi-Itchome and live around Tamagawa. Maybe do a Shinjuku or Shibuya night?

Edit: Do you have Line?

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SnicksneeHonda R & D Company•

I just found out I will be in japan during this time. I really want to make this happen, but I will be kind of far away(?) (Kumagaya). Also, I have no Idea where to stay yet, Nagoya seems the obvious choice, but I wouldn't know where in Nagoya. Also, I'm not familiar with the rail system yet, guess I better study.

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liquidrainJenson Button•

I just helped to flesh out this page:

http://f1destinations.com/category/japanese-f1-travel-guide/

Can vouch for its accuracy! And yeah, you'll have to head to Tokyo and then hop on a Shinkansen to get to Nagoya. (or if you're on a tight budget, use an overnight bus or see what you can get with JetStar)

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ColdHardMetalOPMcLaren•

I'll be talking to my buddy tonight, so should be able to get hotel stuff sorted soon enough.

Won't be making it to Tokyo this time around unfortunately. Barely have enough time to get to the race and back for my next day of work as it is. Thanks for the offer though.

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Gullible_GoosePastor Maldonado•

Those seats look like they could be very good. You may be able to grab a peak at 130R depending on how high up the hill you are sitting.

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liquidrainJenson Button•

You can see the straight from the hairpin seats, but there's a hill that blocks most of 130R. You can't see it at all. Reference

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Gullible_GoosePastor Maldonado•

Oh, okay.

Still great seats though IMO.

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ColdHardMetalOPMcLaren•

I think they maybe aren't as "prestigious" as other sets of seats go, but I think in terms of seeing some actual racing moves they are the way to go fo sure.

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