Initial D: Gunma's Mountain Passes

In Initial D the mountain is called Akina, but it is Mount Haruna in Gunma, one of the Three Mountains of Jōmō with Akagi and Myōgi. Every day Takumi Fujiwara drives his father's modified Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86) up and back down, delivering tofu to a hotel by the lake at the top. Here he wins his first races: when the Red Suns challenge the Speed Stars to a downhill race, he beats Keisuke with the gutter run, wheels in the drainage channels, and earns the name Akina's 86.

Location precision: The series renames the mountain Akina and never marks a single road; the pin sits on the Mount Haruna summit area.

Mount Akagi is the home course of the Red Suns, the formidable team led by Ryosuke Takahashi that sets the story in motion by challenging the Akina Speed Stars to a downhill race. Portions of Gunma Route 4 on the mountain are featured in numerous Initial D episodes. The mountain is a real stratovolcano in Gunma Prefecture.

Location precision: The series features stretches of Gunma Route 4 rather than one spot; the pin marks the mountain.

Visitor guidance: A Kanetsu Kotsu bus runs from Maebashi Station to the Akagi Visitor Center.

Mount Myōgi is the home course of the racing team called the Myogi Night Kids, and the setting for four races in the anime and manga. The mountain is real and spectacular: it is designated one of Japan's Three Great Rare Scenic Beauties. Its rugged landscape has also caused many accidents, so the city of Tomioka introduced courses for beginners, intermediates and experienced hikers.

Location precision: The races take place on the mountain's roads without a single named spot; the pin marks the mountain.

Visitor guidance: If you hike, choose one of the Tomioka courses that matches your experience.

Irohazaka is the home course of the Emperors, a team specializing in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. When they invade Gunma, Takumi is outmatched by their machinery and loses to their leader, Kyoichi Sudo, blowing his engine in the process. Later he avenges that loss on Kyoichi's home road, the Nikko Irohazaka.

Location precision: The series names the Nikko Irohazaka without marking a particular bend; the pin sits on the first Irohazaka road.

Lake Haruna is the lake of the story's Akina: parts of Initial D take place on or around it as Lake Akina. In winter, when the surface freezes, it is the setting of a dramatic rescue in the story. In real life the freezing lake affords skating and ice fishing for wakasagi, and the road up to it is one of 10 musical roads in Gunma alone.

Location precision: The series places its Lake Akina events around the lake, not at a named spot; the pin marks the lake.

Visitor guidance: By car it takes about 40 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange.

Shibukawa is recognized as a real-world setting of Initial D, and visitors can find Initial D-themed manhole covers throughout the city. The Ikaho Toy, Doll and Car Museum nearby features the storefront used as Fujiwara Tofu Shop in the live-action film. The story itself takes place on the nearby Mount Haruna, fictionalized as Mount Akina, so the museum is a short trip from the road where Takumi's racing began.

Visitor guidance: The museum is near Ikaho, close to the Mount Haruna road.