10 REASONS WHY THE MAZDA FAN FESTA IN JAPAN IS THE ULTIMATE PILGRIMAGE FOR MAZDA FANS

All car brands have car clubs of every size—from small clubs for a specific model in a particular town or city to a huge gathering of various models that span a whole nation.

- By MANNY N. DE LOS REYES

It's the latter that I witnessed when I joined the pilgrimage put together by Mazda Philippines to Fuji Speedway in Japan late last month. Fuji Speedway is about a three-to four-hour drive from Tokyo and, as its name implies, lies just a few clicks off the foot of majestic Mount Fuji.

I've heard of the Mazda Fan Festa for many years now (it's on its 13th year), but have only been able to go this year. Here now are ten reasons why any car guy or girl—Mazda fan or not—must go.

1. Mazda Fan Festa showcases all the rarest and most beautiful Mazdas, from the seminal Cosmo coupe (Hiroshima's first rotary-engined production car from 1967) to all four generations of Miatas/MX-5s to just about every rotary-engined sedan and coupe in Mazda history. Just seeing every generation of the RX-7 (from stock to full-on racecar) is enough to weaken the knees of any car enthusiast.