【Initial D Pilgrimage】The setting of the Ibaraki Purple Shadow battle! Driving on “Tsukuba Fruit Line”

A pilgrimage to the Tsukuba Fruit Line, the setting of the Ibaraki Purple Shadow battle. I traced the S2000 battle course of Toshiya Jojima from my favorite manga “Initial D” (Kodansha). I also stopped by a rest house that is perfect for a break during a long journey, so consider it for your drive.

This course: The downhill course for the Toshiya Jojima match

is as shown in the above figure. The Initial D course runs from Asahi Pass to the straight section with the red pin, but personally, I wanted to visit the rest house at the Tsukuba Mountain Ropeway Station, so this article starts from the ropeway station.

As for the essential pilgrimage to the sacred sites, I traced the course focusing on my favorite downhill from the Toshiya Jojima match.

First, at the Tsutsujigaoka Rest House, I had the "Tsukuba Mountain Cheese Curry"

I was drawn to its retro Showa-era appearance and came to the Tsutsujigaoka Rest House. It is located next to the Tsukuba Mountain Ropeway base station and is bustling with climbers and tourists.

The menu is also diverse, making it a great spot for a quick break during a drive or a tour. It's nice that they also offer café items like cream soda and hot coffee. After deciding on my order while looking at the showcase, I made my way inside the restaurant.

What I ordered was the "Tsukuba Mountain Cheese Curry." It's a menu item that features slice cheese shaped like a mountain, giving it a somewhat rustic atmosphere. This is exactly what I wanted to eat.

I also purchased a mountain grape soft serve from the outdoor stand. It has become a habit for me to eat soft serve after meals during recent outings.

On the premises, there are retro buildings that seem to be out of service, adorned with statues of toads. They appear to have been restaurants or souvenir shops in the past.

At the summit, there is something called the Toad Great Deity, and beneath it, there's a play area filled with playground equipment that evokes the Showa era. This scenery is likely to appeal to those who enjoy retro spots. It was a very attractive place where you could enjoy a nostalgic feeling during a meal break.

Now, onto the pilgrimage site! From the Asahi Pass parking lot to the downhill course.

What I visited after descending the Omote Tsukuba Skyline from the rest house was the Asahi Pass parking lot. This was the place where they gathered before the battle in the story, and on this day, several sports cars were parked here for the same purpose.

The sign for the Asahi Pass Observation Park, which also appears in the story. The course starts just around the corner from here, but it seems to be only about 2.5 km long. In the author's image, the scenes where the characters are focused were at the center, so I will trace it out as best as I can.

This intersection that appears a few hundred meters from the parking lot is the downhill start point. In the story, it is the turnaround point for the hill climb, where cones are placed. There are tire marks all over this area, indicating that it is a popular spot for drivers seeking speed.

A view of the earlier spot from the uphill side. In the hill climb from the story, this straight stretch became the place where they lined up side by side and created the memorable scene of overtaking at the turnaround point.

Now let's head back to the downhill course. When you actually drive it, there are continuous sharp curves, and the trees alongside the road are encroaching, giving a very steep impression. Each corner has tire marks, and many of the guardrails are crumpled, making me envision how this place looks during the late hours of the night.

Frequent shortcuts can also be seen in various places in the drainage ditches. One can feel that the original work is structured well, making good use of the existing parts during a pilgrimage to the sacred site. This meticulousness seems to be a reason why fans continue to visit the location even after the work has ended.

In just a few minutes, the series of S-bends that serve as the stage for the climax scene appeared. This is the section where Takumi Fujiwara performed the gutter drop and shortcut through the drainage ditch, and indeed, a shape resembling the roadside can be observed.

The line from Toshiya Joji, known as the "God Arm," where he says, "For me, the line is not the goal, but merely a result," reminds us of the importance of tire management. It goes without saying that I came to like the S2000 after watching this episode.

It seems that this flower park sign is the goal point. It really took no time to get here.

It appears there was a filming spot sign near the opposite roadside further ahead, but I overlooked it this time. What I felt while driving is that the setting of an endurance battle with eight runs in the series might have been influenced by the shortness of this course.

Coming to the sacred site of Initial D has made for a very enjoyable drive. If you visit Ibaraki, why not try a pilgrimage to the sacred site?

Reporting and text by Kazuma Tanaka.

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