One early weekend morning, my husband woke up before sunrise and headed to Kobe to take photos of the GT3 Touring. He wrote an article about that outing, so today I’d like to share it with you.

To Kobe’s Historic Foreign Settlement

Previously, someone I met on social media told me, “Taking photos of the Crayon GT3 Touring in Kobe’s old foreign settlement would definitely look amazing.” This time, combining that photo shoot with a little drive around Kobe and Mt. Rokko, I’m excited to share the whole experience.

Shooting in Kobe during the day is nearly impossible. The area around Daimaru and the luxury boutiques is crowded with cars and people. So, we left home around 5 a.m. for an early morning shoot.

The Kobe Foreign Settlement refers to a district of 126 blocks laid out when Kobe Port opened, originally designated for foreign residents. Even today, some Western-style buildings remain, alongside Daimaru Kobe and high-end brand stores, creating a truly Kobe-like atmosphere.

Since it was the height of Obon holiday, the traffic lights on National Route 2 were almost all green in the early morning. We arrived in Kobe in no time and wandered around the city looking for good photo spots. The city’s vibe was fantastic—and there was no one around.

We parked the GT3 carefully on the roadside so as not to block traffic and started shooting from various angles.

For this shoot, I used my trusty SONY α7Ⅲ with the SEL24105G zoom lens covering 24mm to 105mm. Generally, when photographing cars, depending on the composition, shooting from a distance with the telephoto end of a zoom lens captures the body shape more accurately. The so-called “compression effect” also enlarges the background and emphasizes the car’s solid presence, making for atmospheric shots.

Of course, if you want to emphasize the car’s wide stance, shooting close with a wide-angle lens is better. But usually, wide-angle shots distort the car’s shape due to lens aberrations and perspective effects, making it look oddly chunky or stretched—the car’s shape ends up looking strange.

Well, this topic could go on forever, but for those interested, here’s a clear explanation on this site:
Techniques for Proper Car Photography

Two Shots of the GT3 Touring

Here are some photos from this shoot.

After finishing the shoot, it felt a shame to head straight home, so we aimed for Venus Bridge and once again took the mountain driveway. The Saigoyama Driveway is the western access route from Kobe city to Mt. Rokko.

Those of a certain age might recognize Venus Bridge and Saigoyama as classic Kobe date spots mentioned in Yashiro Yamane’s song “ALWAYS – Never Changing –.” Back in the day, guys would take their girlfriends in the passenger seat of their 2-door coupes and head out to see the night view on dates (laughs).

Originally a hotspot for street racers, the route is lined with cat’s eyes reflectors. The lower elevations have narrow roads that aren’t exactly easy to drive, but as you approach the summit of Mt. Rokko, the roads gradually become more manageable.

Near the summit, we turned east and took the West Rokko Driveway toward Tenrandai lookout. This route is a technical stretch with tight corners. On weekend mornings, it’s common to see motorcyclists here, so caution is needed.
By the way, driving this route in the GT3 feels a bit like having too much power. A Boxster or a car with less power feels just right here.

At Tenrandai, we enjoyed a can of coffee while taking in views of Kobe and Osaka. The air was crisp and cool—early morning coffee here is the ultimate weekend luxury.

Leaving Tenrandai, we took the East Rokko Driveway heading home, but somehow ended up grabbing a toll ticket for the usual Royu Driveway (laughs).

“How many times am I going to Royu when I was just there yesterday?” I muttered to myself as I arrived at the East Rokko Observation Deck.

There, parked next to me, was another Crayon GT3 Touring Package!

A friend I met at Royu had come up today in their GT3 Touring. Naturally, we parked side by side, exchanged greetings, and had a lively car chat.

They said, “Let’s definitely take some shots lined up together.” So we captured a rare two-shot of the GT3 Touring Package.

Delighted by this unexpected treasure, we headed home just after 10 a.m. It was a wonderfully healthy and fulfilling morning.
The GT3’s mileage has passed 3,500 km, and both the car and driver have really settled in. I’m used to the power and how quickly the engine revs climb, and the GT3 responds exactly as I want in any situation.

I’m planning a longer tour soon, so I’ll report on that another day.