Guide · Drift
Daikoku PA car meet: can tourists go?
Only inside a vehicle: no pedestrian entrance, no official schedule, no formal permission to gather, and closures can come without notice.
Tourists can reach Daikoku PA only in a vehicle, by car or on a tour. The parking area is an island lot surrounded by elevated expressways in Yokohama, with no pedestrian entrance, and climbing the fence in is trespass. The car meet there is not an organised event. It has no official schedule and no formal permission to gather, and reports describe police checkpoints and closures. The expressway operator publishes no visitor rules that we could find.
This page covers access and closures. For events that sell tickets, see Japanese sports cars, museums and events and the Drift hub.
What is Daikoku PA?
Daikoku PA is a parking area on the Metropolitan Expressway in Tsurumi, Yokohama. It sits on an island lot surrounded by elevated expressways. A 2023 news report describes a car meet that has gathered there for decades.
The area is a service area for toll-paying expressway users, and the meet is informal. No organiser runs it. News reports link pressure on the meet to tourists trespassing and crowds blocking EV chargers.
How do tourists get there?
By vehicle. News reports say there is no pedestrian entrance and no train or bus access, and they list car, taxi or tour as the ways in. One report says taxis and buses do not stop there and that visitors have been stranded, so treat a taxi as unconfirmed and settle the trip home before you leave.
If you drive yourself, expressway tolls apply. You need your home licence and a paper 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, or an official Japanese translation if your licence comes from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan. See which IDP Japan accepts.
Walking in is not an option. News reports describe climbing the fence from the public road as trespass. A 2024 news report says the operator posted a warning video against entering from the public road and that the fence carries English prohibition signs.
Safety Do not climb the fence or walk in from the public road: it is trespass. Do not rev, burn out or drift, and leave at once when staff or police ask.
Is there a schedule?
The meet has no official schedule. The operator publishes no opening hours, time limit or gathering notice, and the Kanagawa expressway police have issued no statement in the sources used.
When does Daikoku PA close?
It closes as needed, and sometimes without notice. The operator’s pages could not be read in full, so the closure details below come from search-result text of its FAQ and notices. Those pages describe closures and no visitor rules.
- Police and operator closures. The operator’s FAQ says parking areas are closed as needed, with the police, when reckless driving and nuisance behaviour occur. It gives traffic safety and neighbours’ noise as reasons.
- January 2022. The operator closed Daikoku PA with Kanagawa expressway police to stop gatherings of modified cars: 21 to 23 January, and again from the evening of 28 January to the end of 30 January. The restaurant and shop were shut. The convenience store, toilets and ETC printer stayed available.
- Heavy snow. The title of a December 2024 operator notice says the area closes when heavy snow is forecast. That matters for a winter trip.
News reports also describe police checkpoints and blockades and closures with no warning.
What visitor rules apply?
The only conduct list comes from a commercial tour operator, so it is a private list, not an official rule. It asks visitors not to litter, burn out, hold rev battles or drink alcohol, and to obey staff and police at once. No official page gives what visitors may do or how long you can stay, and the operator has no visitor-guidance page that we could find.
Racing on public roads is illegal and policed in Japan, and the parking area is part of an expressway. Treat revving, burnouts and sliding as off limits.
Before you go Check the operator’s News & Topics notices for closures on the day, and agree how you will get home before you leave. A closure can come without notice.
Can I join a tour?
Commercial operators run guided tours, and their official status is unconfirmed: neither the operator nor the police has published a statement on them. Before you pay, ask the operator in writing how the vehicle enters and leaves, how long it stays, what it does if the police close the area and what happens to your money then.
What are the authorised ways to see drifting and sports cars?
Ticketed events and circuit rides have published rules, prices and dates:
- D1GP racing: how the 2026 Odaiba finale was ticketed, with the overseas sale.
- How the series is scored: how D1GP drift scoring works.
- Drift rides: can you ride a drift taxi in Japan without a licence.
- Museums and shows: Japanese sports cars, museums and events, including Tokyo Auto Salon on 15 to 17 January 2027.
Where next?
- The Drift hub: history, rides and winter options.
- Which IDP do you need for a drift lesson in Japan?: if you drive yourself.
Quick answers
Can tourists walk or take a train to Daikoku PA?
No. It is an expressway parking area with no pedestrian entrance and no train or bus access. Reports list car or tour as the ways in, and they disagree on taxis.
What time does the Daikoku PA car meet start?
There is no official schedule. The operator and the police publish no hours or time limit.
Is it legal to climb the fence into Daikoku PA?
No. News reports describe climbing the fence in from the public road as trespass.
Can Daikoku PA be closed?
Yes. The operator closes parking areas as needed with the police when reckless driving and nuisance behaviour occur, and reports describe checkpoints and closures without notice. A December 2024 operator notice title also says it closes when heavy snow is forecast.
Do I need an IDP to drive to Daikoku PA?
Yes, if you drive yourself. Driving in Japan needs your home licence and a paper 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, or an official translation for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan. Expressway tolls apply.