Fujiwara Zone Explained & How YOU Can Enter It
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Published 2021-11-29
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The Fujiwara Zone is explained as Takumi’s ability to handle his AE86 against all odds. It wasn’t until his rematch against Kai Kogashiwa that the term was coined. However, the term can be used to retrospectively explain almost all of the skills that Takumi has displayed in his touge career. One of Takumi’s oft-stated strengths is his incredible bond with the Trueno, and how he drives it as if it were an extension of his own body. This skill of his is explained as a near supernatural ability, to accelerate an FR car like it’s all wheel drive, the ability to change the rhythm of the racing like, and an ability to surprise opponents by learning opponent’s tricks on the fly during a race, among others. But, as we all know, the creators wanted to make Initial D as realistic as possible, so the explanation that the Fujiwara Zone is supernatural, is false. So, what exactly is the Fujiwara Zone, and how can you get into it yourselves? That’s what we’ll be discussing today on TSRB’s How To Touge. irl
Everything you do in your car is a result of either the mental programming you have, or lack of mental programming to do something. The same can be said of everything we do in our lives. An example is throwing a ball. Now stick with me, I promise this will relate back to touge driving. At an early age, your observed someone throwing a ball; then, maybe one of your parents threw a ball to you and asked you to throw it back. Rather crudely, and without coordination, you managed to chuck the ball back in some direction. At that point, a neural pathway formed in your brain, representing the physical act of throwing. You threw the ball again, and the pathway became a little stronger. You threw again, and the pathway became stronger yet again, and so on. The first few times you threw the ball, you had to subconsciously think about how to do it. At some point, when the neural programming became strong enough, you no longer had to think about it. You just automatically, subconsciously, ran the mental program and threw the ball. The same is true of the techniques required to drive a car. At first, while you are learning or programming the technique, you are consciously thinking about how to do it. Then, with repetition, your brain forms neural pathways or programs, allowing you to head out on the touge and simply execute the appropriate program at the appropriate time.
This repetition, and formation of mental programming will allow you to execute the basics of driving subconsciously, leaving your conscious mind open to being used for more important things, such as considering what a change in a cornering line may do, or where your competitors are in relation to you. That is why it is so critical for the basic driving techniques to become habit or mental programs, to allow your mind to concentrate on far more important things.
The flow state is colloquially known as being in the zone. If you’ve ever been in the flow state, you’ll know exactly what I mean. There have been times when I’ve been driving in sim or in real life, and I’m not even really thinking about what I’m doing. I come back in and I can’t actually remember what I did. My mental programming took over, and I was driving almost on autopilot. This is the flow state, and this is what I believe the creators of Initial D intended the Fujiwara Zone to represent.
Takumi spent so much time in his 86, his mind developed all the mental programming necessary to become a top tier driver. As soon as he pulled away in the Trueno, he entered the Fujiwara zone. This would also explain why he can’t describe his driving techniques, or what he does on a touge to his friends. He was in a flow state the entire time, something that not many drivers in the series can achieve, because they simply don’t spend enough time driving, building up the mental programming.
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All Comments (21)
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Simplified version: you got ping spikes and the opponent's car warps away
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The way I usually described the Fujiwara Zone, specifically the ones where Takumi flashed forward, is that his speed doesn't match up what the opponent's suspect it to be. Like, during racing it would be hard to be 100% aware of where your opponent is at all time. So, during a brief moment where they focus back on Takumi, they would think he would be where they think he would be but in reality he is further in front and it surprises them. That "snap back to reality" is the flashing forward effect shown on the anime. Simply put, Takumi is just faster than they anticipated. P.S. love that the video is in 4:3 aspect ratio.
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After the flow state the best thing is when you realise what you just did and you get surprised from your performance though it’s the worst thing as well because it’s harder to get back to the state, it can be a double edged knife
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Can't beat mastery earned through proper repetition! I like this explanation because this pretty much sums up most things about honing your skills in anything. It really speaks to me because I'm a pretty experienced guitar player(I can play without thinking too just like the explanation in the vid) and boy the amount of repetition I did and the time I used to reach where I am is absurd thinking about it now. Everything you learn can be done without thinking as long as you do your practice, and anyone can reach their own "Fujiwara Zone". Great video!
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I can feel the keyboard warriors charging here to go "iTs NoT rEaL iTs JuSt PlOt AmOuR!"
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this is your coolest video yet. i love when people talk about the mental process and the spirituality of driving near the limit.
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I've driven on akina for a while now and numerous times i've been in the zone, but i was slow anyways, it wasnt until i watched your how to touge and techniques videos and practice more that i could hit near perfect slip angles and drifts without even thinking and improved a lot. I still have a long way to go tho So thanks a lot and keep up the good work, ill continue to support you
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I actually had a “flow state” for a while when I was playing dirt 4 on a controller a couple months ago, I got so good at subconsciously driving I was in the top 100 times within a week, I would just listen to music zone out and drive fast, I now own a full sim rig and am starting to build subconscious driving most recently heel and toe, very cool stuff
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I love how you explained this, but the anime overexaggerated that concept as if Takumi's the only ever person to attain it.
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This video just explained everything I basically do, whenever I'm driving on my steering wheel setup with my friend I always tell him it's not my mind that's making me drive, but my arms and legs. My mind doesn't do nothing it's just blank every time I go for a run on the setup
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THIS! THIS IS THAT ONE VIDEO I NEEDED MAN! Every time somebody talks shit about Fifth Stage, I'm tired of giving Shakespearean paragraphs explaining it. Thanks a lot for this video!
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i created my own zone is gaurdrail zone
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Artemis - Elysian Fields... excellent tune 🎵 I've gone into the zone during laps of the Nordschleife countless times at this point. There have been laps where I'll legitimately have zero recollection of me doing 50-60% of the lap. It's something Ayrton Senna talked about, notably in reference to some of the insane qualifying laps and general laps he'd done in his career.
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For you TSR and all your lessons, I promise to master the touge and honor the teachings Or something like that haha
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I remember first watching Initial D and thinking about how bullshit Fujiwara Zone was, after all the cool techniques like gutter dropping and blind attacks, Fujiwara Zone felt like a cop out. But then I started sim driving, and eventually I got better and started to put headphones in and listen to music/podcasts whilst driving, and I found that the less concentrated on driving I was, the better I was. So I started concentrating more on what I was hearing in my headphones than concentrating on the driving and my lap times fell and fell, basically I was just letting my body do it’s thing because my mental power is all used up already and it made me a more natural driver with better braking, handling and even drifting around corners smoothly.
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The Fujiwara Zone has been a mystery to me for quite a long time, thank you for explaining it in such a beautiful way!!!
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It's basically a high concept combination of flow state and ultra instinct and makes just as much sense
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You, my sir, are a saint. Love how you were able to explain this. I knew of "flow state" but having you reinforce things in exactly what I needed. Thank you!
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I love this video! It explains a deeper understanding of what I experience almost on a daily occurrence. When I am playing games mostly, or when I have to think quick. A lot of the time I go into a flow state, and I do not remember what I did or how I did it. Like this one time I almost got into a car accident, but I dont remember what I did at the time but I saved the car from losing control. But in that moment my brain took over without me having to think in a sense 🤔. Anyway I thought this video was awesome and I love these type of informative videos of yours! Keep it up!
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The first car I bought was an 86, quite a weeb I was. I got other cars, but I drove it the most compared to my other cars. Back then , downhill was my favorite, rarely drove uphill, cuz I was watching initial D at the time. The more I drove, the better I could balance it in a drift. Pretty difficult at first and crashed a lot, but now it feels natural. I hit a guardrail here and there, but that rarely happens now. Nothing beats muscle memory and mastery.
