“Beauty is everywhere — you only have to look to see it.” - Bob Ross

Strikingly simple, strikingly charming, and with a natural musk that my sinuses will never forget. Yes, this town is graced with an overwhelming presence of sulfur from the volcanic outflow that the water draws its heat from. And it was here, at the town’s center called the Yubatake, that all the action happened.

There were arguably two debuts this year that caused the biggest interest among sports car fans: the Nissan Hyper Force concept, and the Mazda ICONIC SP concept. Will we see a new GT-R and a rebirth of the RX line in production one day? Time will tell, but one thing is clear: there is a lot of excitement at the prospect of each.

It was cold, and warm, and fragrant on the December afternoon that I visited this wonderful temple and its surrounding district. For all the bustling, modern, developed metropolis that Tokyo is, there are still pockets of history that feel untouched. This one remains a gem in that sense, and its atmosphere was something to behold even as COVID’s shadow lingered in the background.