Entered the rally in a Honda N360

The Milky Way Blue Island Rally (hereafter Milky Way), a scavenger rally with historic cars on Shikoku Road, was held on November 11-12, 2023. Among the cars gathered at the rally, this car stood out from the crowd with its British racing green body and white lines running from front to rear. It was a 1968 Honda N360 (N1).

He has owned the N360 for 32 years

“This is my first time attending this event in a long time, but the last time I was there, my daughter had just been born and my mother-in-law took care of her, so it left a very strong impression on me. I had hoped to participate again someday, but many years have passed since then. When we decided to participate this time, my daughter wanted to join us, so for the first time in 25 years, it was the Milky Way with our family of three.”

The family of Mr. Koichi Maruyama, his wife, and daughter Akane, who had been together for 32 years since they got their first Honda N360 when they were 23 years old, were the entrants in the event. It was their 30th wedding anniversary, and they were participating in the event to commemorate the occasion. Their daughter Akane, who now lives apart from them, also came to the event and the three of them would enjoy the two days together.

“I like the N360 because it is an interesting part of the N0 and N1 models, and there are several parts that are different from the later models. For example, an easy-to-understand part is the engine anti-sway rod. The rear seat that goes through the trunk is also easy to photograph.”

That said, he rearranged the interior of the car to make it trunk-through.

His daughter has already obtained an MT license

His daughter Akane seems to enjoy the rally competitions, which require accuracy in following the instructions on the frame diagrams.

“She is a girl, so I never recommended cars or motorcycles to her, but we both rode motorcycles, and I used to take her on touring trips with me on the back, so I guess that had some influence on her.”

Akane has a manual license as well as a medium-sized two-wheel license, and there have been conversations that she is targeting her father’s motorcycle.

“I can’t let her drive the N360 unless she first practices on the manual with the Cappuccino we have.”

“My daughter says, ‘If you’re going to be there next year, I’m going too,’ so I’m looking forward to it.”

Next year’s Milky Way, Akane may be the one behind the wheel.