Posted Jan 15 2009, 06:36 PM by Rod Chong with 88 comment(s)

You know, I've been going to race tracks all my life, but I've never, ever seen anything like Ebisu Circuit. Set into the hills of the Fukushima District in Japan, it's a series of 8 tracks, each specifically designed for drifting. What a thought!

What is even more amazing to me, is the automotive culture that surrounds the track complex. On any given weekend you'll find scores of street drift cars on the various circuits; people travel from all over the country to practice their drifting skills, sometimes several times per month.

It's a pure participatory automotive scene; Japan's equivalent to European track days or American Thursday night drags.

Thanks to fellow Speedhunter Antonio Alvendia's friendship with Ebisu Circuit's owner Kumakubo-san we were able to attend the Summer Drift Festival..... During this 36 hours of straight drifting, literally hundreds of street drift from across Japan cars converged on to the circuit in a celebration of the Soul of Drifting....

Thanks to Ekstrak for yet another great song and to my video editor Riley Vigier for his continued service to the Speedhunting cause!.... let us know what you think of the video!

:Rod


Comments

drft89 said:

this is on a whole nother level of awesome that ive never seen. im you guys. you need to come out with some dvds! i like the end with the graveyard of cars.

January 15, 2009 7:15 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

JamelToe said:

whats the name of this song. one of the best videos ive seen in a while. great job!!

January 15, 2009 7:21 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ジョー said:

すごいね!!!

January 15, 2009 9:01 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Brian Harte said:

That was simply amazing.

I'd easily say that was the coolest drift video I have seen EVER.

January 15, 2009 10:17 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Eric said:

FANTASTIC VIDEO! I CAN NOT EXPLAIN HOW WELL THAT WHOLE VIDEO WAS SHOT. KEEP IT UP GUYS!

January 15, 2009 11:49 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Dolanmin said:

Jap's Spa Francorchamps....... what a beauty....

January 15, 2009 12:47 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

4dori said:

you guys are amazing nothing comes close! thanks very much for bringing this to us from new zealand

January 15, 2009 2:18 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

joe said:

This is by far, the best vid that has been shown. Period

January 15, 2009 4:24 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

JohnP said:

Wow, just wow

January 15, 2009 6:41 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

SaNTi said:

Sick, sick, sick, sick.

Great video, guys.

January 15, 2009 6:54 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Caleb said:

are all those beat up cars at the end just old dead drift cars?

January 15, 2009 6:55 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

matt said:

thats is the sickest video from speedhunters YET!

the slo-mo drifting is so sick it looks CG

January 15, 2009 7:04 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

UZZ-TT said:

This video is VERY cool. Loving the style, slow mo, colors, and music!!!

Also, the shot at the end going by the wreaks is perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 15, 2009 7:06 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Andrew said:

SPEEDHUNTERS!!!! THANKS YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE DRIFTING VIDEOS YOU POST!!! THEY ARE AMAZING!!! Within a day of seeing your website i now check it alllll the time and its because you have posts that reach this quality. KEEPIN IT REAL

January 15, 2009 7:12 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Rod Chong said:

yes they are blown up or wrecked cars.... a few of them are being stored...

January 15, 2009 7:19 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

J.Saiz said:

Awesome! Thanks i love to see stuff like that, waiting for the next one.

January 15, 2009 7:37 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

puregroove_org said:

sick sick sick...  The cinematography is super-well executed.  Keep them comin'!!

January 15, 2009 7:38 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Greg said:

please tell us the song title and artist.

January 15, 2009 7:51 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Giantrobot said:

Another killer video, keep em' comin guys!!!

January 15, 2009 8:00 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ninja>pirate said:

THIS is the kind of thing I come to Speedhunters for.

Way to set the standard high, keep it up!

January 15, 2009 8:24 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

RicerX said:

Cool.

I especially love how you got some footage of that sw20... i'd love to see more of that car, it's not everyday you see one of those on the track, especially drifting

January 15, 2009 8:25 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

project_aw11 said:

excellent videos! speedhunters is definately coming up with some of the best coverage of the nippon car culture as of yet

January 15, 2009 9:34 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Absolution said:

MR-S DRIFT.

Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to have any pics of MR drift cars, do you?

January 15, 2009 10:20 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

friday said:

surprise!

January 15, 2009 10:27 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

kekekeOo said:

its a great video, I'd prefer less slow-mo though.... but that's just me LOL

January 15, 2009 10:55 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

DK said:

Just a fantastic video, guys.  Well done!!

January 15, 2009 11:42 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Chris said:

I'd love to know what camera and lenses you guys use. Just for interests sake. Another great video. Is the burnt edges a filter or lens? Chris

January 16, 2009 12:03 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ej25 said:

Best video i've seen on here period. Music, editing, the drifting. What is the deal with all those trashed cars at the end of the video? Are all those cars abandoned by the owners? Still driveable? More videos like this one please!!

January 16, 2009 12:38 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Luc Corleon said:

wow it's fuckin great

January 16, 2009 1:37 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Dezmond said:

Good stuff. Graeat video!

January 16, 2009 2:45 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

HundredPerCent said:

great video ! one of the best drift movie i have seen

January 16, 2009 3:07 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Banpei said:

Very very very nice video! thumbsup!! d:)b

January 16, 2009 3:25 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

TougeNoMikado said:

Im dead serious when I say: Id rather watch this then porn!

Staggeringly good!

January 16, 2009 3:51 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

wannabe said:

OH MY JESUS!!

Awesome vid guys! How did u film the dynamic shots so smoothly?

January 16, 2009 3:56 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Mike said:

Wow guys that was a great video. Thanks.

January 16, 2009 4:28 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Andre said:

This video is great!! Cheers from Portugal!!

January 16, 2009 4:55 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

EnDrIu said:

Fantastic!!!

January 16, 2009 5:22 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

DFH said:

very nice video but it needs MOOREEEE action and less slomo imo makes it boring to watch..

January 16, 2009 6:25 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Naga_Ten said:

I say you should get more footage and start doing DVD's !

I'd buy that !

January 16, 2009 6:27 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

hechtspeed said:

Yeah, what they said.  Pure awesomeness!

January 16, 2009 6:45 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Rod Chong said:

No one noticed the Skyine with the sparking wheel huh?

January 16, 2009 6:50 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Rob said:

SICK!!! I love all the pit footage!

January 16, 2009 7:52 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Ryan Howell said:

Hahaha I did, the R32 comin out of the left hand turn. Great video, it was rad to see the sw20 leadin the s13 vert and 180 through that section. good stuff!

January 16, 2009 8:24 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

S30ZK said:

Speedhunters' best accomplishment: recruiting talent. You guys shut 'em down! The content on this site is unbeatable and videos like these make big studios nervous. All day it's "refresh...refresh...refresh".

January 16, 2009 9:28 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

John R said:

Once again, the production values are off the hook. good job.

January 16, 2009 9:55 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

chris c. said:

36 hours of straight drifting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish they had something like that here where I live!!!

January 16, 2009 10:00 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ej25 said:

thanks shaneo for answering my question.

January 16, 2009 10:22 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

GaryEg6SiR said:

Smashing vidoe!!! Well done lads :D

January 16, 2009 11:01 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

te72gripallday said:

you guys know how to touch me just right haha

January 16, 2009 11:05 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Calvin Wan said:

You guys really captured the "spirit of drifting" that only a place like Ebisu can achieve. It really is the Holy Land of Drifting. I can't wait to go back over there this year!

January 16, 2009 12:30 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Cole Trickle said:

That was the greatest! You guys have surpassed yourself with this video! =)

January 16, 2009 12:51 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Trees888 said:

just epic

January 16, 2009 2:14 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Shane said:

Guys, you just keep on Impressing the hell out of me. True quality, nice to see some video of grass roots drifting with out a bunch of flash. You guys got your *** straight. wicked job keep it going. I look forward to the notices for the next one.

January 16, 2009 2:32 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Sneaky said:

Outstanding.

January 16, 2009 2:44 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

shaneo said:

i've heard that the trashed cars at the end are used for parts. in case someone has a smash and didn't bring spare parts. although u do have to pay for them.

nice drifting would be good to see more drifting.

I.E two brothers with blue 180's at nikko geting some insane angle.

January 16, 2009 8:21 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Suave Devil said:

SUGOI!!!

That was absolutely fantastic. Thanks for an amazing site

January 16, 2009 9:08 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

p.haire said:

dope video, what song is that?

January 16, 2009 9:43 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Jord said:

Awesome video. Really captures what driftings all about - sitting around chatting with friends, hitting the track with friends......and dead drift cars haha.

January 16, 2009 10:31 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

supermade said:

this video is dope as hell... awesome^10

January 17, 2009 5:06 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Easy E said:

Best video yet... Keep up the good work...

January 17, 2009 8:39 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

DIRKA DIRKA DIRKA said:

Honestly this video has beendownloaded by me and 17 of my friends who all drift to. One thing we keep saying is why can't America pick this concept up. Anyway i need to know the name of that song. And another note is that this vid has been playing on loop since yesterday, i fell asleep watching it last night. I love it!

January 17, 2009 9:17 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Riekert said:

THIS WAS AWESOME!!!!!

holy crap!!

and the graveyard at the end....

January 17, 2009 5:45 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

terry awad said:

Simply amazing!!

January 17, 2009 6:24 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Szczuply_PL said:

Best video ever i see !

January 18, 2009 1:11 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Drift In Japan said:

Nice video...makes the regular beaters look tuff!!!

...but it's just another day for me :)

Keep up the good work and I'll be coming back to check it out!

Stu - www.driftinjapan.com

January 18, 2009 6:26 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Erik Wilson said:

Keep up the quality content like this guys!

....and tell us what song that is.  I must have it!

January 18, 2009 7:11 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Jake said:

The ending is very sad,

January 18, 2009 11:10 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

George said:

WOW.

January 18, 2009 8:16 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ﬢﬣףּ||ᶏᵲᵵᶙᵲ||ףּﬣﬢ said:

awesome!!

January 19, 2009 5:51 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

reckless_abandon said:

that video is awesometown.

January 19, 2009 10:19 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

paul said:

you guys did a excellent job with video i lived in okinawa for awhile and it gave me chills watching video..almost like i was there..i agree you guys need to do a  dvd..cause you guys do it right...!

January 19, 2009 5:55 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

ARIUS said:

Awesome, continue doing this great job.

I can't wait until the next video

January 20, 2009 12:21 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Jez said:

Im astounded by the sher quality of that work - A well desevred pat on the back!

January 20, 2009 4:53 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

dr1ft.jp said:

I am curious to know how you did the panning footage?

Nice to see some more footage from Ebisu... it is a wonderful place

January 21, 2009 7:24 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

RotorRian said:

Hey guys !!!!

What a great video. The only video that catches the true essence of the drift culture that surrounds the Ebisu Matsuri's.

Hopefully see you guys at Ebisu again this year.

Rian from NZ.

January 21, 2009 11:44 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Mr.two said:

There were all 3 generations of mr2s! only for a few seconds though lol. Amazing video as always.

January 24, 2009 3:07 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

elevate said:

damn. that video is so beatifull

can't stop looking to it....

song is great too

keep up the good work. i'm very impressed

January 27, 2009 12:25 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

FC3S_angel199x said:

great vid!

January 29, 2009 5:13 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Brian said:

This video has been stuck in my head for days, I keep coming back to it. Awesome job guys! This is the kinda stuff people wanna see.

January 29, 2009 10:13 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

marctee said:

damn! thats what u call a video, a work of art

what kind of hd camera was used?

February 5, 2009 10:09 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

s3r4x said:

More of this please :P

It seems to be really hard to find any quality drifting videos on the interWebs

February 12, 2009 7:11 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Speedhunters said:

#Featured#

February 13, 2009 11:47 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Blair said:

Very well shot video, I have yet to see anything in the drift world who's shots just work and flow so well and match the music, wonderfully edited!

February 17, 2009 6:36 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

AlexC said:

This is so dope. And hey, what are the wheels on the very first white 180/240sx?  the front and the rear arent the same but they are very similar, and i got the SAME thing on my 180sx, looks like 17 rear and 16 front, just like mine lol. bought it last year at a japanese place in quebec and I dont know the brand of these wheels, would be fun to know.

February 17, 2009 4:12 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

music said:

anyone knows what music is that ???

February 20, 2009 4:18 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Smurfen said:

This is epic. And where do you get this again epic music from?

February 24, 2009 3:34 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Kraaka Konradis said:

THAT was an awesome video!! I really like your filmatic style and the whole setup. Name of artist of the song is Ekstrak (read the bottom of text).

A guy from Norway is your fan;)

February 25, 2009 9:55 AM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters

Speedhunters said:

When we launched Speedhunters.com just over a year ago we had two types of videos in production: Slo

June 22, 2009 2:12 PM [flag as inappropriate] Speedhunters