Earthquake Strikes Northern Osaka

An earthquake struck northern Osaka yesterday, so we headed straight home from Fuji rather than stopping to watch the 919 Tribute run on the Hakone Turnpike. We had left our children with my parents in Kyoto.

Their home shook quite a bit, but everyone in the family was safe, and the only damage was a few broken dishes. Still, my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones and to their families. With aftershocks possible, the earthquake was a sobering reminder that we live in a country where earthquakes are part of life—and that we need to stay prepared.

The 919 Tribute Makes an Appearance

The previous week, news had spread online that the 919 Hybrid Evo might be driving on the Hakone Turnpike. It wasn’t until we arrived that we learned it was actually the “919 Tribute.” Still, it was a little hard to imagine the Evo making an appearance—seeing the 919 Tribute was exciting enough.

The 919 Tribute is an electric version of the 919 Hybrid (at least, that’s all I know about it…).

My husband said, “If it doesn’t have an engine, it must be completely silent.”

We Even Saw the 919 Tribute in Motion!

At Fuji Speedway on the 17th, we had a chance to get a close-up look at the 919 Tribute parked on the circuit during the grid walk. Unfortunately, there was a huge crowd.

We managed to catch just a glimpse of it, though.

We’d seen the car on display, so I figured that would have to do. Most people headed back to the Porsche Lounge, but we kept walking along pit lane—and then…

Would you believe it? The 919 Tribute was moving! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

As my husband raised his camera, the driver opened the door, and he managed to capture the car reversing.

The driver was a handsome blond, blue-eyed guy. He must be someone pretty special, I thought. I tried looking him up, but couldn’t figure out who he was. He didn’t seem to be among Porsche’s factory drivers.

And the sound? Since it’s an electric car, it was silent after all. It felt a little like watching a Prius go by!

The 919 Tribute’s Hakone Turnpike Run

According to posts on Twitter, the 919 Tribute’s planned run on the Hakone Turnpike on the 18th was canceled because of rain, and the car was displayed instead.

@puupybomsPhoto via Twitter.

After two days apart, my younger daughter is glued to my side today and won’t let me out of her sight (笑). I don’t think I’ll get much work done, so I’m going to make spending time with the kids my top priority.