Formula 1 and the Japanese Grand Prix

By Louis Walker

Since 1976, there have been 36 Formula 1 World Championship races held in Japan, 30 at Suzuka, 4 at Fuji Speedway and 2 at Okayama International Circuit (as the ‘Pacific Grand Prix’). As the event typically takes a spot towards the end of the season, it’s had its fair share of championship deciding moments over the years, with 13 champions being crowned at the event. It’s no surprise then that the Japanese Grand Prix is a firm favourite among dedicated fans of the sport. Here are some of the most memorable races held in the country.

1976 - Fuji Speedway:

The first ever Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a nail biting end to an eventful season which saw Niki Lauda (Ferrari) leading James Hunt (McLaren) by 3 points, despite Niki missing 2 races after a near fatal crash at the Nürburgring earlier in the season. If you’ve seen the film Rush then you’ll already be familiar with this one (and if you haven’t seen it then you certainly should!). Despite torrential rain and fog making conditions treacherous, the race took place despite complaints from some of the drivers. With the trauma from his Nürburgring accident still fresh in his mind, Lauda would pit at the end of the first lap to retire the car, as he preferred to walk away with his life than risk the conditions again. This left Hunt needing fourth or better to win the World Championship. Hunt led most of the race comfortably before a drying track caused him to lose places (with Mario Andretti’s Lotus eventually winning the race). Then, on lap 64 of 73, Hunt suffered a puncture, with the required pitstop dropping him to fifth. However, on lap 71 he would overtake both Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni, bringing up to third and winning the World Championship by just a single point.

1989 - Suzuka:

Another championship deciding race, this time between the McLaren duo of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. With Senna on pole and Prost second on the grid, Senna needed to win the race to keep his championship hopes alive ahead of the final round in Australia. However, a poor start meant that Prost instantly took the lead, and the pair would stay like this for the first 46 laps. Then, on lap 47, after getting a run on his teammate through 130R, Senna dived down the inside at the Casio Triangle (a slow speed chicane at the end of the lap). Prost however, had other ideas and turned into the corner as if Senna wasn’t there, with the two of them colliding and grinding to a halt. It seemed to be all over as Prost climbed out of the car, but Senna, not one to give up, managed to get the marshals to push his car so he could bump start it. With a damaged front wing, he had to drive a full lap before being able to pit for repairs, dropping him to second, five seconds behind Benetton’s Alessandro Nannini. It would only take two laps before the McLaren had the measure of the Benetton, and Senna would cross the line in first place. It seemed confusing then when it was Nannini who took the top step of the podium for his first Grand Prix victory, with Senna nowhere to be seen. He had been disqualified for cutting the chicane after rejoining the track following his collision with Prost. Despite both Senna and McLaren appealing the decision, the disqualification stood, and Prost was crowned champion under controversial circumstances.

1990 - Suzuka:

This race would be the mirror image of the previous year’s events. With Prost now at Ferrari after leaving McLaren at the end of 1990, it was he who had to beat Senna to keeps his championship hopes alive before Australia. Senna would again get a poor start from pole and allow Prost into the lead at the start. Neither driver would make it past the first corner though, as another daring move up the inside from Senna would cause both to crash again, this time with terminal damage to both cars, crowning Senna champion on the spot. It was another controversial end to a championship between two bitter rivals. With those two out of the picture, Benetton would once again win the race finishing both first and second with Nelson Piquet and Roberto Moreno behind the wheel. Aguri Suzuki would also put his Lola-Lamborghini into an unlikely third place, becoming the first Japanese driver to score a podium in an F1 race.

2005 - Suzuka:

If there was any doubt as to whether Kimi Räikkönen was a capable driver, this race certainly proved that he was. With mixed conditions leaving the title protagonists at the back of the grid, with Kimi starting 17th, it was always going to be an interesting race. It would be the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher that led the field at the start, but it wouldn’t be long before the safety car was deployed. Takuma Sato and Rubens Barichello collided at the first corner, giving Barichello a puncture. On the exit of the final corner Montoya attempted to go around the outside of Klien, the Canadian pushing the Colombian off the track and heavily into the barriers. Lap 20 saw Alonso drive around the outside of Michael Schumacher at 130R, a highly daring move that paid off for the Spaniard. Räikkönen meanwhile was picking off cars left right and centre, making up five places on the first lap alone. After all of the scheduled pitstops had taken place, he was up to second and gaining on leader Fisichella. Then on the final lap of the race, Räikkönen would drive around the outside of the Renault driver into turn one, taking the lead and going on to win the race. This was arguably Kimi’s greatest race in his career and a fine example of never giving up.

2007 - Fuji Speedway:

The first race to be held at Fuji Speedway since 1977 would prove to be similarly treacherous to its’ inaugural running in 1976. Such were the conditions that the first 19 laps were held behind the safety car. When racing finally got underway, there were many collisions, with Nick Heidfeld’s BMW-Sauber and Jenson Button’s Honda colliding almost immediately. Alex Wurz and Felipe Massa would collide shortly after, with Wurz’s Williams retiring on the spot. Reigning champion Fernando Alonso would also suffer a heavy accident in his McLaren, blaming aquaplaning for his crash. Bizarrely, there would be another crash during the safety car while Alonso’s McLaren was cleared away. Third place Sebastian Vettel rear ended Mark Webber as he slowed behind the leading McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. The crash saw Webber immediately out and Vettel coming into the pits to retire the car. Webber was suitably unimpressed by the incident, especially considering he had been driving the race with food poisoning, even vomiting into his helmet during the initial safety car at the start of the race. Hamilton would eventually go on to win the race with a thrilling duel on the final lap between Massa and Heidfeld deciding fourth and fifth places respectively (if you haven’t seen this footage look for it on YouTube).

2012 - Suzuka:

This last race is included in the list because as of January 2022, it was the last time a Japanese driver stood on the podium in F1, with Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber finishing an impressive third place. Aside from a chaotic start at the first corner which saw Romain Grosjean collide with Mark Webber, with several other collisions occurring as drivers swerved to avoid the Lotus and Red Bull, the race was largely uneventful. Sebastian Vettel would achieve his second career grand slam, achieving pole position, leading every single lap and finishing with the fastest lap of the race.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant that for the last 2 years, the Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled. With Suzuka due to hold the race on the 9th of October this year, let’s hope the race can return to the calendar and continue to provide more memorable moments in the future.

‘Kentucky for Christmas’: How a Marketing Campaign became a Cultural Tradition

By Louis Walker

In a world where turkey is the main course in your typical Christmas dinner, it seems bizarre to think that not just fried chicken could be the main course, but specifically Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yet, that’s exactly what approximately 3.6 million families in Japan do every year as their annual tradition. But why?

 It wasn’t until the late 1960’s that people started celebrating Christmas in Japan, although not in the sense that we are used to in the west. Initially aimed at entertaining children, local confectionary companies would promote cakes and sweets for families to host parties in December. At this time, KFC wasn’t even available in Japan yet.

1970 would mark the first KFC store in Japan, opening in Nagoya in 1970. It would be in 1974 however where a new tradition would be created. The story goes that a foreigner visiting Tokyo walks into a KFC store on Christmas Day and says to a staff member “I can’t get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken”. Another member of staff from the sales team overhears this and comes up with the idea 「クリスマスにはケンタッキー」 (‘Kentucky for Christmas’). Coupled with a bucket of chicken and a bottle of wine, the campaign was an instant success and opened up the idea that Christmas in Japan could be celebrated by more than just children.

Since it’s inception in 1974, the Christmas campaign has continued to evolve over the years, including dressing up Colonel Sander in a Father Christmas outfit and new menu items added such as a premium roast chicken which can cost up to 5,800 yen (around £38). Today, it’s estimated that around a third of their yearly sales in Japan comes from these Christmas buckets, with December 24th typically being the busiest day of the year. The demand is so high that preorders for the Christmas buckets are made available as early as October so families can ensure they’re guaranteed to get their chicken.

So, the next time you tuck into your Christmas Dinner, whatever that may be, remember this, tradition is what you make it.

Japanese Arcades: A Dying Breed?

By Louis Walker

SEGA Ikebukuro GIGO was a mammoth 9 story arcade located in Toshima, Ikebukuro, and was loved by both tourists and locals alike. But September 20th saw it close its doors for the final time after 28 years of service. And while this particular closure was due to a lease expiry, it’s become an all too familiar sight over recent years. Such is the decline in popularity that SEGA’s parent company (Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.) even sold off a whopping 85% of their arcade division last year to amusement company Genda, after suffering ‘significant losses’ due to COVID-19.

This is something that has been an issue since long before the COVID-19 pandemic though. The number of arcades in Japan stood at over 26,000 in 1986 compared to just over 4,000 in 2021. A lot of this is due to reduced footfall as home video games continued to advance to the point that they exceeded their arcade counterparts graphically. However, part of this sharp decline is also due to the rise of large multistory arcades by video game giants such as SEGA and Taito, replacing the plethora of small, locally run affairs. Whilst this means that the numbers aren’t completely representative of the reduction in popularity, the overall trend is still in sharp decline.

After visiting some of these arcades back in 2018, it’s fair to say that they offer a completely unique experience compared to what is offered here in the west. Each floor offers a different experience, with new games, new prizes and even photo booths available to enjoy. Many of these games never see official releases outside of Japan either, so you’d be hard pressed to find games such as Taiko no Tatsujin (Drum Master) and Cho Chabudai Gaeshi! (Super Table Flip!) except for in specialised places like Arcade Club in Bury. 

It would be such a shame to see these arcades close for good, since they are so much more than just a place to play video games, they’re a place where friends can hang out and just have a good time in general. However, it seems that COVID-19 may very well be the final nail in the coffin for an industry already in constant decline. As of November 2021, tourists still aren’t allowed into the country and if this doesn’t change soon, then the damage will be irreparable and a sight which was once seen by many will be gone forever…

Yuki Tsunoda: Future F1 star or another underexperienced rookie?

 By Louis Walker

It’s no secret that when it was announced that Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda was going to be racing for AlphaTauri for the 2021 Formula One season, a lot of people were hyped. He would be the first Japanese driver to race in F1 since Kamui Kobayashi drove for Caterham in 2014, and the first driver to be born in the 2000’s. But after 16 races in 2021, the question still remains: does Yuki Tsunoda deserve to be in F1?

Born in Sagamihara in Kanagawa, Tsunoda’s professional racing career began the same way as most F1 drivers did, in karting. Debuting in the JAF Junior Karting Championship in 2010, he progressed to both the regional and national classes in 2013 and 2014 respectively. While information is scarce on his results in these categories, the experienced gained from karting meant that Tsunoda would eventually graduate to single seater car racing, making his debut in the Japanese Formula 4 Championship at the end of 2016, before racing in the series full time in 2017.

What followed would be the first signs that Yuki had the potential to be a successful racing driver, with 3 wins and 6 podiums earning him a solid 3rd place in the championship in his rookie season. 2018 would prove to be even better, however, as his experience and speed from the previous season resulted in him winning the championship in convincing fashion, with 7 wins and 11 podiums to his name.

Of course, the natural progression after winning a Formula 4 Championship is to land a drive in Formula 3, and that’s exactly what happened. Signing with Jenzer Motorsport for the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship, Yuki would have moderate success over the season, with 3rd place at the Monza feature race and a win during the sprint race that same weekend being the highlight of his season. He would finish 9th in the standings with 67 points.

Despite not making a huge impact in his rookie F3 season, Tsunoda would progress to FIA Formula 2 with Carlin for the 2020 season. Whilst F2 is usually a difficult series for rookies to excel in, Yuki would quickly find his feet by scoring a podium in the third race of the season in Austria. 3 wins and a further 6 podiums would lead to him being the highest placed rookie and therefore earn himself the Anthoine Hubert Award, finishing 3rd overall behind Mick Schumacher (who also graduated to F1 in 2021) and Callum Ilott.

With Yuki having a strong backing from Honda (under the Honda Formula Dream Project), and Daniil Kvyat having an underwhelming 2020 season, the door was left wide open for Tsunoda to take the second seat at Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda for the 2021 Formula One season. Expectations were high after his strong F2 campaign. Those expectations were met in the first round at Bahrain, where he would score 2 points on his debut after finishing 9th, and it seemed that all the hype generated pre-season was valid. However, this would be his only points finish in the first 5 races.  Whereas his teammate Gasly would score points in 4 of these races with a best finish of 6th. This was mostly down to a combination of poor qualifying performances hindering his race pace, and multiple crashes of his own accord. Round 2 at Imola saw Tsunoda crash at the start of qualifying, which led to a 12th place finish after starting from the back of the grid.

It wouldn’t be until round 6 in Azerbaijan until he would score more points, picking up the pieces after Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen both suffered heavy crashes after high-speed tyre failures allowing him to score his best result of the season so far in 7th. However, with Gasly finishing on the podium in 3rd, that result was quickly forgotten. Three more points finishes over the next 9 races brings Yuki’s points tally up to 18 so far, compared to Gasly who currently sits on 74 points.

Last time out at Turkey essentially summed up the season that Tsunoda has had. A strong qualifying session in mixed conditions saw him line up 9th on the grid but was once again overshadowed by teammate Gasly pulling in another superb performance to line up 4th. The race would start strong for Yuki, holding off 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for the first 8 laps before the Brit was able to pass around the outside at turn 3. Despite this, the Japanese driver felt that he should have done more, saying “I tried to hold him behind for 20 laps. Eight laps is not enough.” A few laps later would see him spin out of the points and finish a disappointing 14th, with Gasly scoring a further 8 points in 6th position.

Tsunoda and Gasly have both been retained by AlphaTauri for the 2022 season, but with Honda pulling out of the sport at the end of this year and only 6 rounds remaining this season, Yuki will have to impress next year if he wants to remain in F1 in the long term and avoid the wrath of Helmut Marko.

Profile: Louis Walker

 Hi everyone ^_^ I’m Louis and I’ll be your secretary again this year, albeit actually in person now!

My job is basically to do whatever Tom and Keita tell me to do, as well as acting as tech support for the society since I’m a Computer Science student. I also manage the Discord page so if you want anything added to it then drop me a message. My knowledge of Japanese is still very hit and miss but I’m always learning just like you will be soon.

I won’t lie, my interest in Japan started out with manga and anime, and I still really enjoy them both, but I’m also a big fan of Japan’s car and motorsport scene, so don’t be surprised if you see posts about it on here from me. I also love importing retro games from Japan, since there are so many incredible games that have been released that never made their way over here.

Last year was a very difficult year for the society, for reasons I’m sure you’re all too familiar with, so let’s make this year the year we bounce back stronger than ever!

I can’t wait to meet you all and hopefully as the year progresses, we’ll be able to have some conversations in Japanese!