Netizens taking the bus down the mountain were deeply unsettled by this sign on the vehicle!

By: Alex

After Takumi Fujiwara (from Initial D) raced against a bunch of "speed demons" and seemingly disappeared for a while, many wondered how he’s been doing lately. Recently, a netizen was taking a bus down from Ikaho Onsen in Gunma Prefecture when they noticed this sign on the bus just before boarding (see image below). They tweeted: “Very unsettling...”

Taking the bus down the mountain road from Ikaho Onsen in Gunma... very unsettling... pic.twitter.com/LbK9feuegG

— Atago no Hito △ Embersketch (@arabunstaff) July 23, 2021

▲“Taking the bus down from Ikaho Onsen in Gunma... very unsettling...”

The "Akina Mountain" in the anime Initial D, though fictional in name, is almost entirely based on real-life “Prefectural Route 33” on Mount Haruna in Gunma Prefecture. Ikaho Onsen is a famous hot spring resort located midway up Mount Haruna. In fact, if you drive up Prefectural Route 33 from Ikaho Onsen for about 5 minutes (approximately 3 km), you’ll reach the famous “Five Corner Turns.” Continue another 7 minutes (around 5 km), and you’ll arrive at the starting point of the “Akina Downhill Course”: the Yaseone Pass parking lot. From there, it’s about 4.4 km (around 5 minutes) to Lake Haruna.

▲Ikaho Onsen is the birthplace of hot spring buns. (photo by arabunstaff @Twitter)

▲The hot spring town is connected by a 300-meter-long stone staircase with 365 steps. (photo by arabunstaff @Twitter)

Since the “Akina Downhill Course” really exists and Initial D has such a dedicated fanbase—with fans and car enthusiasts often driving AE86s to pay homage to Mount Haruna—it's no wonder some feel uneasy upon realizing they’re getting on what might be the “Fujiwara Tofu Shop” van. Other netizens tried to reassure the poster: “Must be doing well after all these years, so they upgraded to a bigger delivery truck.” Of course, car fans begged to differ: “(Driving a larger truck) might feel different, but the speed is still the same.”

▲This netizen also visited Ikaho Onsen to see the real-life locations from the anime. (photo by arabunstaff @Twitter)

▲Other attractions in the hot spring area include Ikaho Shrine and Kawanakajima Bridge. (photo by arabunstaff @Twitter)

As the main setting of the Initial D story, Shibukawa City is now promoting “anime tourism” by highlighting real-world locations featured in the series to attract tourists to Gunma Prefecture. Buses running between Shibukawa-Ikaho Onsen and Shibukawa Station in Shibukawa City are also decorated with characters from Initial D (details here). The bus this netizen rode was likely used for promotional purposes. By the way, the speed limit on Prefectural Route 33 from Shibukawa City to Lake Haruna is 40 km/h, which is generally considered very safe.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hie (@yuta_swsp)

▲Mount Haruna and Lake Haruna (photo by yuta_swsp @IG)

▲Starting point of the Akina Downhill Course: Yaseone Pass parking lot. (photo by yuta_swsp @IG)

Source: arabunstaff, Gunma Prefecture Travel Guide