Gathering at Royu Driveway

Last weekend, my husband planned to join the morning gathering at Royu Driveway, so I decided to join him after a long time. Since it was cherry blossom season, my mother-in-law came to our house to help watch the kids while we enjoyed the flowers.

This time, there was no accident like “the kids getting sick the day before,” so we were able to participate as planned… but then the weather didn’t cooperate. The weekly forecast had been “sunny” all along, but right after I decided “I’m going to Royu!” the afternoon forecast changed to rain.

…Seriously, how much of a rain woman am I? ( -_- )

Early Morning Departure for Royu

We headed out in the air-cooled 911 (964C2). The meet-up was at 8:30 a.m., so it was a relatively early start. Luckily, the girls were in good spirits from the morning, so we managed to get ready and set off. After removing the body cover and warming up the engine a bit, I got into the air-cooled 911.

Also, I thought, “If Porsches are gathering, I have to bring this bag!” so I took my Porsche Design bag along. (I’ve only used it about three times since buying it, lol)

The road leading to Royu was lined with cherry blossoms and looked beautiful.

However, once we entered Royu Driveway, the cherry blossoms hadn’t bloomed at all yet. It seems the blooming there is still a bit later. Also, since delivery, I felt my husband’s driving skills with the RR layout have improved even more through his dedicated practice.

In the car, we talked, “It’s an 8:30 meet-up, but everyone’s coming from far away, so they’ll probably be late.” When we slowly arrived at the Higashi Rokko Observatory, an incredible number of supercars and sports cars were already there…!!

No parking spots left (*_*)!

I had thought, “With only a morning sunny forecast and the great season, there’d be more cars than usual,” but I never imagined this many. Wow, car lovers really start early in the morning.

And there was a lineup of classic and modern legends.

A GT3RS (and it even had PCCB!)…

A bright blue Cayman GT4…

And even a 356…!

We safely met up with our friends, and among the attendees was the owner of the 981 Boxster Black Edition I previously introduced in the Porsche Owners File. He was unusually excited, saying, “This is my first time coming to Royu on a Sunday morning!” lol

718 Boxster GTS

While we were chatting, the owner of the 718 Boxster GTS (MT) I introduced before arrived.

Wow, so cool—the sharp eyes of the headlights, the silhouette… truly stunning.

After greetings, he said, “Today, you should definitely try driving it too!” But since I was nervous about handling someone else’s MT car, my husband drove it first. (He had only been a passenger before.)

I sat in the passenger seat and experienced the 718 Boxster GTS’s drive. My husband was thrilled right away, saying, “It’s totally different from the 981!” I’ll share his test drive review of the 718 Boxster GTS (his impressions) separately.

After about 10 minutes driving the Royu Driveway and returning to the observatory, my husband said to me:

“Mina, you better hold off on driving this for now. You should get more comfortable with MT cars first, or you might break the clutch.”

I see… Well, since it’s someone else’s precious GTS, it would be rude to drive it without confidence. Plus, “just riding shotgun let me feel the difference from the 981,” so I’m happy with that.

The 718 was “much smoother and more fluid when cornering” than the 981, and the ride was very comfortable. The engine sound was, of course, different from the 981, but I could feel how nice the low-tone, air-cooled-like engine note was when revved high.

Later, although I didn’t drive, I got to press the clutch in the 718’s driver seat just for fun (lol).

The clutch felt lighter than the 981’s, seeming easier for women to operate.

Our white Boxster with the red top is cool, but the black body with red top Boxster is also very sleek.

The owner said he’s decided “all my cars must be black,” and the red leather interior is his personal touch. (Though some say the red dashboard reflects on the windshield making visibility harder, he said it wasn’t a problem that day.)

He’s been busy since delivery and hasn’t driven much, but said, “Just washing it or looking at it makes me very happy.” Hearing that made me feel happy too.

Cars are wonderful.

Good People Gather at Royu

Afterwards, we enjoyed a very fun and meaningful time taking photos of each other’s cars, test-driving, and exchanging information among owners.

I used to be a bit intimidated by Royu Driveway (since it’s mostly high-end cars, I wondered if someone like me with no car ownership experience should even go)… but everyone was really kind, and the atmosphere was peaceful and bright.

The 981 Boxster Black Edition owner who joined the Royu morning gathering for the first time said with a big smile, “I had so much fun! I want to come again!”

After 10 a.m., sports cars and supercars gradually started leaving, and family cars began to increase. Ah, so that’s why sports car folks are active early in the morning before families get moving, lol.

We left Higashi Rokko Observatory around 11 a.m. and headed home.

(My husband cooling the engine, dusting off dirt, and putting the body cover back on)

After enjoying so much and getting home before noon… what a healthy hobby! (lol) I definitely want to go again! Thanks so much to everyone who made it possible!