Japan

Suzuka, Fuji and the Seasonal Table

Japan has hosted 42 championship rounds, most of them at Suzuka, and its cooking is built on rice, soup and close attention to the seasons.

Fuji Speedway brought the World Championship to Japan in 1976 and 1977. After a decade away, the Japanese Grand Prix returned in 1987 at Suzuka, which has kept it ever since apart from 2007 and 2008, when it went back to Fuji. Okayama added two Pacific Grands Prix in 1994 and 1995. Our records count 40 Japanese Grands Prix from 1976 to 2026, 36 of them at Suzuka, and 42 championship rounds in all.

Our records list 25 Japanese drivers, and the first Japanese Grand Prix win is still waiting to be claimed. Yuki Tsunoda has the most starts, 114 from 2021 to 2026, ahead of Ukyo Katayama, Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi. Honda, which our records place in Japan, has won 3 races as a team, and Super Aguri F1 brought another Japanese entry to the grid.

Traditional Japanese cooking, washoku, begins with steamed rice and builds outward: a bowl of miso soup or clear soup, pickles and a few side dishes, a pattern summed up as one soup, three sides. Each side might be raw, grilled, simmered, steamed or fried, so a single meal can hold a small survey of technique. The seasons matter deeply, with dishes chosen to mark the turning year, and the cuisine sits on the UNESCO intangible heritage list.

Japan has also taken dishes from abroad and made them entirely its own, from ramen and gyoza to curry and breaded pork cutlets, many of them now ordinary family food served, naturally, with rice and miso soup. A race weekend at Suzuka is a fine excuse to cook one of each kind.

A taste of Japan

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