I entered the Coppa di Kyoto!

What is the Coppa di Kyoto?

Now in its tenth running, the Coppa di Kyoto (the Italian “coppa” is equivalent to the English “cup,” so in Japanese it translates to the “Kyoto Cup”) started at Nanzen-ji or To-ji from 2008 through 2010, ran mainly through the Tanba region, and finished at Takao.

In 2011 it started from the Tadasu no Mori forest at Shimogamo Shrine, crossed Mt. Hiei, and finished on the shore of Lake Biwa.

In 2012, set around Kodai-ji, Maruyama Park, and the Kyoto National Museum, the fifth Coppa di Kyoto ran as a three-day event centred on touring through Kyoto city and a car display.

After that, following a four-year pause to regroup, the Coppa di Kyoto returned in 2016 as a co-hosted event with Kyoto Prefecture, adopting a new concept worked out together with the prefecture.

In more recent years, it has also alternated, held every other year, with its sister event, the Coppa di Himeji.

Schedule
Saturday, 3 June 2023

8:00 Check-in — Kyoto Prefectural Government Office (Yabunouchi-cho, Shimodachiuri-dori Shinmachi-nishi-iru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture)
9:30 Start
17:30 Finish and overnight stay — Hotel & Resorts Kyoto Miyazu (58 Iwamoto, Tai, Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture)

Sunday, 4 June 2023

8:30 Start
11:00 Finish — main car park inside the Takao entrance gate, Arashiyama-Takao Parkway
12:00 Lunch and awards ceremony — venue: the riverside dining platforms on the Kiyotaki River

Source: the official Coppa di Kyoto website
URL:https://www.coppa-di-kyoto.com/

So, put simply, it’s the rally known as the “Kyoto Cup.”

But then — of all things, I got caught up in a typhoon, and it took 29 and a half hours to reach Kyoto, so this ended up being a rally where I only managed to join from day two, my first in a while.

But——!

Somehow, we still took the class win!

Even though it’s a two-person event…

the class win was actually earned on day one, with my partner competing solo while I was absent. (Hmm — mixed feelings about that one… laughs)

More than anything, I got to fully enjoy a rally after so long, and it left me completely refreshed.

So many people called out to me, so many people sent messages of support — I’m truly grateful for such a wonderful time.