Moon Over the Castle: The Soul of Motorsport at Fuji Speedway
The Fuji Motorsports Museum offers more than a collection of cars. It is a journey through history, where Japan’s racing spirit meets the world stage. Surrounded by rally heroes, Le Mans legends, and JGTC icons, the visit feels like stepping into a Gran Turismo garage, with Moon Over the Castle echoing as the soundtrack to every memory.
Kimi Tiu
5/8/20242 min read
Fuji Motor Sports Museum
35.3707° N, 138.9282° E
Tucked beside the legendary back straight of Fuji Speedway, the Fuji Motorsports Museum offers a front-row seat to decades of motorsport history. Its mission is to showcase how motorsport has pushed boundaries, shaped innovation, and transformed the automotive world over time. We visited last January, and as luck would have it, the rally exhibit was on, setting the tone for what turned out to be something far more than just a museum visit.
What makes this place special is how naturally it tells the story of motorsport around the world while never losing Japan’s voice. A outback-worn Datsun sits nearby. The AE86 N2 rests near the track it may have once battled on. At the center, replicas of Mazda’s 787B and Toyota’s TS010 carry the weight of Japan’s Le Mans dreams. Around them, rally icons and JGTC legends quietly hold their place in time. It doesn’t feel like a display. It feels like a tribute, written in stripes, dents, and the patina of time. Photos may capture the look, but not the life behind each machine
Stepping into those hallowed halls, where echoes of racing machines still linger, felt nothing short of surreal. I couldn’t help but feel like a kid again, surrounded by the cars I once idolized in Gran Turismo, in grainy VHS rally tapes, and endless YouTube clips. These weren’t just cars. They were icons. I had driven them virtually around Fuji Speedway countless times, and now, there they were, quietly resting just a few meters away from the start-finish straight. It genuinely felt like walking through my own Gran Turismo 6 garage, picking a car, ready to head out on track at Fuji Speedway, just next door. And as all of it washed over me, one melody played in my head, soft and steady: Moon Over the Castle.
This isn't just some museum. It is a tribute to the journey, to how far we’ve come, and to every soul that ever chased a dream through the passion of every individual and the spirit of every machine that defined it.
- Kimi Tiu