Finally, Heading to Fuji Speedway

Today is the long-awaited first day of the “Porsche Experience Day”. It’s a two-day event over the weekend, but we decided to participate tomorrow, the 17th. However, since bringing along our 4-year-old and 1-year-old was expected to be incredibly challenging, we woke up at 5 a.m. this morning to drop the girls off at my parents’ house first. Both my husband and I packed our Porsche backpacks with our gear,

…okay, maybe we’re a bit too enthusiastic as a couple (-_-)

Gas tank full, car washed and sparkling, engine oil level checked and perfect—so, off we go!

Departing in the Panamera Under Clear Skies

The weather in Kansai today was beautifully clear and sunny.

(Taken in front of my parents’ house. Absolutely gorgeous weather!)

Actually, we went to Fuji Speedway last October to watch the WEC, but the race was red-flagged and then canceled due to thick fog, and we couldn’t really enjoy the Hakone Turnpike either because of the fog—plus, we didn’t see Mt. Fuji at all… So today, we were really looking forward to a rematch and set off with high hopes.

By the way, I wrote about last year’s experience here:

https://www.panamera-life.com/entry/wec-at-fsw-porsche-lounge

After dropping the girls off at my parents’, we headed straight for the Hakone Turnpike, but… although the skies were clear up to a point, after passing Hamamatsu, the clouds started to look ominous.

Uh-oh, this pattern is really bad… (-_-)

And sure enough, as we approached the entrance to the Hakone Turnpike, thick fog had settled in.

I knew it… (crying) My husband said to me with an exasperated look,

“Why does it always turn out like this when we come together? When I go touring alone, I almost never get such bad weather.”

I had no comeback… sorry.

We had traveled all the way from Kansai, taking six hours, but it couldn’t be helped. Even if we drove to the top of the Hakone Turnpike, the thick fog would prevent us from enjoying the drive, so we decided to look for another driveway. While checking live footage of various driveways, my husband said, “The Nishi-Izu Skyline still looks okay!” So we quickly changed course and headed south.

Nishi-Izu Skyline

On the way to the Nishi-Izu Skyline, my husband said,

“The Nishi-Izu Skyline is my favorite road of all the ones I’ve driven. I don’t care if it’s not sunny, I just want to be able to enjoy the scenery while driving.”

Is that so? It must be a really beautiful road. Please, I’m not asking for sunshine—just clear visibility, please…

After about an hour of driving with a half-praying heart, the weather held at the foot of the mountain, but as we gained altitude, the atmosphere grew increasingly ominous.

This is bad… really bad… and one minute later, this happened.

Noooooooom! (Thick fog)

…We couldn’t see even one meter ahead.

We barely managed to spot the “P” parking sign and pulled over, but my husband was beyond exasperated—he was laughing. Then he said,

“Come to think of it… when we traveled to Germany, we couldn’t see Neuschwanstein Castle because of thick fog; at Aoyama Plateau, it was foggy and unclear; last year’s WEC was canceled due to fog; and we’ve been to see the aurora twice and missed it both times. And now this thick fog again today… you’re not just a rain woman, you’re a fog woman!!”

He’s absolutely right. I’m not just a rain woman—I’m a “fog woman.” Then he added,

“Seriously, it’s like we’re under a ‘Manusa’ curse! It can’t be anything else, lol!
*Manusa: A defensive spell from the Dragon Quest series that envelops an enemy group in illusions, lowering their hit rate.

We had no idea what “Manusa” was, but we burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. In a good way, we accepted defeat and decided to stop driving and head to the hotel.

Joining the Porsche Parade Run!

We’re heading home on Monday the 18th, but since the 919 Hybrid Tribute will be running exclusively on the Hakone Turnpike, we can’t drive there anymore (and heavy rain is forecast for Monday). Plus, if we miss out on the first-come, first-served 70-person circuit parade run tomorrow, we won’t know why we even came. So, we plan to arrive at Fuji Speedway by 7 a.m. tomorrow and definitely be among the first 70 participants!

Alright! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

But on the bright side, the fog gave us some fantastic shots of the Panamera.