A travellers blog by @mrs.klipp (You can find her on Threads and Instagram)
Suzuka Magic
Legendary tales of the “best” and “most creative” fans, a commonly chosen favourite track by many on the grid, and the peak of Sakura season…my first trip to Suzuka (and Japan in general) had high expectations placed on it long before I had even boarded the plane to begin the journey…here’s how it went.
Location, location, location
Suzuka is remote. Not on the level of Spa or Imola, but certainly not urban enough to be easily accessible and accommodate the large numbers of people that now routinely attend an F1 weekend….hence my biggest issue with the event. It is a logistical nightmare to get to and from the track each day. I was staying in the nearest town, Nagoya. Take that typical 30-45 min commute and at minimum double it to get your true arrival time at the track.
A private car will take longer than the train, but it will take you all the way to the track entry. The train will get you to the nearest station quickly, but the nearest stations are between a 3-5km walk from the track…..or a 90 min+ wait for the shuttle from the station to the track. There are also multiple different train systems, requiring different passes (JR lines, Kintetsu, Express lines and non-express lines), some with reserved seating, some not. Transportation to and from the track will be the most diƯicult and time-consuming piece to navigate when planning your trip if you are staying outside of Suzuka proper.I utilized a passenger ferry, train lines, a taxi and direct pre-reserved buses while also getting in more than 375,000 steps to get myself to and from the track each day from Nagoya. I also needed to ensure I was leaving myself 3+ hours to get to and from before making any plans outside of the on track schedule.
At the track & bang for your buck
Good news! You have arrived on track! You have a 3-day ticket that you acquired at one of the best price points that you will find on the entire F1 calendar! I purchased a 3-day general admission ticket for approximately 275 Euro as this was the only ticket option still available when I purchased in January (excluding Paddock Club tickets that were still available for purchase on race day morning). So, what does that get you? It gets you 4-days of track access, grandstand seating and free pit lane and pit straight access….yep, you heard that right….fantastic value and opportunity to see things up close and personal that are rarely available at all levels of budget.
Any 3-day ticket purchase (GA to Paddock club) allows access to a free pitlane walk and the starting straight access on Thursday prior to the race weekend. As far as I know, Japan is one of only 3 tracks that currently still have this option for fans, and it is the only one that doesn’t require an additional ticket purchase for access. It was a truly fantastic experience and worth the eƯort of getting to the track on that extra day. The up-close pictures of the team garages, the occasional sighting of a rogue driver or team principal in the garage, and the opportunity to be just steps away from the garage and practice pit stops are an unmatched experience for any fan and an absolute perk of attending the race at Suzuka. Suzuka also allows you to capture all the action on a full-size camera with minimal
limitation barring oversized lenses.
On free practice Friday, it is first come first serve open seating (with the exception of pit straight grandstands and paddock club) for all ticketed guests. My general admission ticket allowed me to sit in the grandstands at the esses, as well as the hairpin and 130R, for the practice sessions. These sessions were well attended and I was definitely sitting in someone’s ticketed grandstand seat on this day at least once as there were no open seats.
However, all of the Japanese people I interacted with were very respectful of each other, others, and the rules, and at no point on Friday was I asked to move out of anyone’s ticketed seat as it is advertised as first come first serve, open seating…..I guarantee this would not play out the same way in other races I have attended. This is truly unique to the
Japanese GP and is yet another thing that makes it so special and increases the value of attendance. On all three track days, the fan stage is a full schedule and will be full of people waiting hours before the first scheduled appearance. But……you are not standing for hours tucked into thousands of your newest friends…..you will be seated….on the ground…politely waiting for your favourites to come on stage. You will remain seated while they complete their appearances, and there are volunteers around to ensure that everyone follows this expectation and that things remain orderly….not that intervention was ever required during my time there. The Japanese fans are a truly amazing group. There was always a creative outfit to see, a homemade sign to admire, a helpful hand when you needed, and some of the most politely passionate fans of motorsport you will likely ever encounter…even when a few too many adult beverages have been consumed by some in the midday sun….which there were far fewer of here compared to the other races I have been at. Coming to the race track and proceeding to overindulge does not seem to be part of the tradition here in Japan, and I appreciate that…particularly as a female fan attending solo for many of the sessions.
On Saturday & Sunday, you must sit as your ticket indicates. For my general admission ticket, that meant finding seating on the west course portion of the track. There are many general admission options at Suzuka, but be prepared to sit on hard ground, with minimal shade and to walk a considerable distance to get to them. The first GA seating area is approximately a 15-20 minute walk from the main entry/fanstage area of the track…and that is with heavy congestion of people at several points. The farthest GA seating is located at spoon curve, which is where I chose to settle for both Saturday and Sunday, after spending time doing reconnaissance on Friday for the best views. I would recommend spoon if you have a GA ticket, as you have visual of the cars for almost 10 seconds each lap they make around the track. The hairpin area also maximizes the amount of visual time you have of the cars, but there is less available GA seating in that area by a significant amount.
It took me approximately 45 minutes to an hour to get to that part of the track, and it was already jam-packed with people hours before the start of the sessions. The good news, once you find your spot, you can place down your blanket/bag/jacket/seat pad, etc to “save” your spot and have zero concern that it will be taken or moved while you leave to go gets refreshments and snack in one of the many, well located drink vending machines, food booths or smaller fan zones that exist in proximity to all seating areas at the track. There are also easily accessible, continuously clean, well-stocked bathrooms available regardless of where you plan to sit. The one limitation of the GA seating is the lack of access to a screen to view the race. Even if you do have a screen, the on-track commentary is broadcast in Japanese. Get yourself an Amex radio if you are a cardholder. They offer the F1 official commentary in English to enhance your viewing experience. The language barrier can be a challenge at the race and around the town of Suzuka, but tools like a translation app on your phone will easily help you navigate this challenge outside of the race weekend events.
The Japanese GP is my seventh race that I have attended live. It is the first race that I have had a general admission ticket. I would rank it as my top race experience for the following categories: pricing, facility services/cleanliness, cultural experience and fan interaction. It was also excellent for scenery/beauty/weather, helped by the fact that it was a rain-free weekend (rare this time of year) and right in the middle of cherry blossom season…many of which could be viewed and photographed right at the track and on the commute to and from the train stations. The only negatives, the transportation to and from the track, the queuing that occurs within it, and the language barrier that you will encounter without a detailed knowledge of the Japanese language and written symbols. As far as live races go, I would absolutely recommend the Japanese GP as a must-do.
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