Japanese mountain road driving, traditionally on tight winding passes. Origin of drift culture and many JDM driving traditions.
Touge (the Japanese word for mountain pass) describes driving on Japanese mountain roads, traditionally tight winding passes through steep terrain. The practice of recreational fast driving on these roads dates to the 1970s and 1980s, when young drivers in modified or sport cars would gather to practice spirited driving on closed-off mountain passes after hours.
Touge driving is the cultural origin of drift. Drivers initially used drift techniques to maintain speed through the tight uphill and downhill corners typical of mountain passes. Keiichi Tsuchiya, later known as the "Drift King," developed his technique through extensive touge driving in the Hakone area of Japan. Initial D (manga and anime, 1995+) is set primarily on touge roads and made the culture globally famous.
Modern touge driving is largely illegal everywhere (the practice has always been technically illegal, even in its 1980s heyday). Sanctioned events at closed circuits are the legal alternatives. The cultural references to touge persist in JDM tuner culture, with cars styled with touge aesthetics (battle scars, stickers, taped headlights) even when they are never driven on actual mountain passes.