A rally event across three villages in Nagano Prefecture was made possible by young villagers hoping to revitalize their communities through rallying. The turnout amazed even the village mayors.
On August 14, 2026, the Nagano villages of Achi, Hiraya, and Neba joined forces to host a rally event called the R153 Rally Link.
R153, the event's namesake, refers to National Route 153, which runs through all three villages. The road also extends to the city of Toyota, which borders Neba, and many tourists from the Mikawa area travel this route.
Young people from the villages came up with the idea, hoping to bring even more life to the area through a car event.
Toyota also lent its support to their vision. In a demo run along a forest road in Hiraya, rally driver Norihiko Katsuta and racing driver Masahiro Sasaki put on thrilling driving performances.
The twin-engine Camry, which features a 3-cylinder engine in front and a 4-cylinder in the rear, also made its first-ever public run. It was first shown in June during the showdown between Team GAZOO Racing (GR) and Team TOYOTA Racing (TR) at the Fuji 24 Hours, Round 3 of the Super Taikyu Series.
From a service park where teams maintain and repair competition vehicles to talk shows, car lovers had plenty to enjoy.
The three villages showcased their appeal, with local restaurants serving up food to support rally tourism as well as a stargazing session in Achi, a village famous for having the most beautiful starry skies in Japan.
The turnout left the mayors of all three villages astonished, with comments including, “We may not have seen this many people since National Route 153 opened,” and “A new era has arrived.”
This event could help foster a new rally culture in the Minami Shinshu region.