Tokyo Xtreme Racer: From the Shuto Expressway to Irohazaka

Tokyo Xtreme Racer starts on Route C1, the Inner Circular Route of the Shuto Expressway, and it stayed the circuit for most episodes of the series. The loop is just 14.8 kilometres long and circles the central wards of Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato, so every lap runs through the heart of the capital. The whole series is inspired by street racing on this expressway, and it is the place to start any drive through the games' Tokyo.

Location precision: The game races the whole C1 loop; the pin marks one point on it in Chiyoda.

The Bayshore Route, nicknamed the Wangan, is where the series finds its speed. The game is primarily inspired by the underground Wangan racing scene of the 1990s, when the Mid Night club was known for 300 km/h, sometimes 320 km/h, exploits. Shutokou Battle is named as one of the entertainment franchises set on the Wangan, alongside Wangan Midnight and the Shuto Kousoku Trial films.

Location precision: The game races a long stretch of the Bayshore Route; the pin marks one point along it.

In Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 the story leaves Tokyo. Two years after the previous game, news of the 13 Devils' defeat has spread, and Osaka and Nagoya want to compete with the capital for dominance. In Nagoya the player takes on the Ring Route, a one-way loop flowing clockwise around the city centre, and works up to team leaders Seeks, Genesis R and D3.

Location precision: The game uses the Nagoya Expressway network; no single point on the Ring Route is named, so the stop has no pin.

Osaka is the third city of Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3. Portions of the Hanshin Expressway, a network that opened in 1962 around Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, are featured in the game. The Osaka bosses are No Loser and Darts, and a hidden wanderer called Whirlwind Fanfare needs 100,000,000 CR to appear, but the North American version caps savings at 99,999,990 CR, so he can't be reached.

Location precision: The game recreates parts of a large expressway network; the pin marks one point on the Hanshin Expressway, not a specific game scene.

The Kaido Battle spin-offs are about touge racing and drifting. In the story, Hiroki Koukami beats the Slashers one by one, including Motoya Iwasaki, the Speed King from the Shutokou Battle series, and finally challenges Hamagaki, the Kaido President, in his yellow Pantera GTS at Irohazaka. By winning, Koukami becomes the new Emotional King and Hamagaki becomes a Trickster.

Location precision: The game names Irohazaka but not which bend; the pin marks one point on the winding road above Nikko.