Designing A Legendary Track: The Artistry Behind Fujimi Kaido

Fujimi Kaido made its first appearance in the original Forza Motorsport – released in 2005 on the Xbox – as a point-to-point track, quickly becoming a favorite among drifters.

After a hiatus in FM2, the serpentine mountain roads made their return in Forza Motorsport 3 – this time doubling in length to 16.5 kilometers, or 10.24 miles. The addition of the “New Hill Climb” section allowed players to complete a full lap by climbing and descending the mountain. Creating a distinctly Japanese atmosphere for Fujimi Kaido was a challenge during the Xbox 360 era. While the track featured many trees and guardrails, there were relatively few set pieces or small details to help bring the setting to life.

During the development of Forza Motorsport 3, the team referred to the original point-to-point layout as “Old Fujimi,” while the new portion was called “New Fujimi.” The FM3 iteration also introduced the iconic waterfall landmark. Fujimi Kaido continued to be available in Forza Motorsport 4, the last installment released on the Xbox 360, and the final time the iconic location would appear in a Forza game... until now.

Our team recognized how much fans loved Fujimi Kaido’s layout, and when we set out to bring the track to the latest Forza Motorsport, we were determined not to “reimagine” or “alter” the track’s layout. Our goal was to stay as true as possible to the Xbox 360-era version. There was considerable internal discussion about this, and this even extended to elements like the pit lane, which were designed with minimal impact on the original track layout.

With 144 turns, our objective was to preserve the authenticity of each one. For example, originally the Hakone – Grand Prix Circuit that we included with the game in 2023 was going to be the updated starting point for Fujimi Kaido, however we just couldn’t integrate the new GP track with the original Fujimi Kaido layout in a way that felt authentic, so we decided to split them into two separate tracks that share one location in the world. This means you can spot Hakone circuit from the mountain top at Fujimi! You can also see traffic signs directing towards Hakone circuit across the track, and at night, you can even see the light beam on the timing tower!

While the track layout remained unchanged, its environment had to be updated, and this posed a huge challenge for the art team. In the Xbox 360 era, the team had never physically sourced assets from that region of Japan, relying instead on web references and magazine photos to create the track’s visuals. For the return of Fujimi Kaido in the modern era, we knew we wanted to bring it into the 21st century. Therefore, the team traveled to Hakone for a 10-day photoshoot. We captured tens of thousands of photos, hundreds of hours of video driving up and down the mountain roads – and even created photogrammetry scans of the assets we planned to recreate once we returned to Redmond, WA.

Our aim was to go beyond just capturing the “feel” of Japan and instead focus on the specific details of the Hakone region. Located just two hours outside of Tokyo, Hakone is famous for its geothermal activity, hot springs, and spas. The area is also a hotbed for car culture, with automotive enthusiasts from Tokyo flocking there on weekends. Everywhere we went, we saw incredible cars. One day, a Super Formula race team was filming on the Hakone Turnpike, and another day, over 50 supercars gathered at an observatory.

Personal note: Our goal for the reference trip was to capture the feeling and details of Japan, but we were completely blown away by the extent of the car culture we discovered in Hakone. While Fujimi Kaido may be a fictional track, it is inspired by a real place brimming with automotive passion.

To accurately reflect the diverse environment of the track, multiple biomes were created to simulate different areas and elevations. The village is made up of very manicured gardens; overhanging jungle tree tunnels are found in the lower forest; the upper forest opens to see more of the vistas shine through, while the mountain top is arid and dry, with no tall trees. Speaking of vegetation: there are just under 20,000 trees planted around Fujimi Kaido!

From the shores of Lake Ashi to the summit of the mountain pass, the track gains 826 meters, or 2,711 feet, in elevation – making it the tallest track in Forza Motorsport, with its steepest grade over 23 degrees. At 16.5 km, or 10.24 miles, it is also one of the longest tracks we’ve created – just shy of the 20.8 km (13-mile) length of Nürburgring Nordschleife. It is, of course, the largest fictional track in our game. Stretching around the mountain passes are 81 retaining walls – or 'floppy waffles' as affectionately named by our team. These are painted with moss and ivy to give that damp moisture feeling of a more tropical climate.

Fun fact: The speed limit on Fujimi Kaido is between 40-60 kph. We’re certain you will abide by that in Forza Motorsport, right? 😉

Driving on the track today, you can see intricate details and nuances around every corner – small touches that simply weren’t possible in the Xbox 360 era. There are plenty of little shrines and bespoke 'vignettes' across the track, including 3 large Shinto shrines, 14 torii gates, and 86 smaller shrines. There are also 18 gondolas flying around the track!

Everywhere you look, there is always something new to see. For example, the village area is stuffed with tons of cute signage. You'll come across vending machines with our fictional branding on them – as well as our adorable Fujimi mascots – little fishy windsocks on the start line, kei-class trucks (Japanese mini pickup truck), swan boats in the lake, and more. We also named a few restaurants after one of our engineers as a thank you for their help with our Japanese signage across track. Each of the tunnels also has a fun mascot sign on the entrance, telling you which tunnel out of the five on track you're currently at.

The team invested as much effort into rebuilding Fujimi Kaido as we typically do with our crown jewel tracks, just like Prague, Rio, and Dubai, which were featured in previous games. Due to its length and complexity, Fujimi Kaido is one of the biggest endeavors the environment team has ever taken on! With new terrain technology, advanced vegetation placement techniques and countless hours of polish, we’ve created something the entire studio is incredibly proud of. This track is both a love letter to Japan and a tribute to our fans, and we hope you fall in love with it as much as we did, when it gets added to Forza Motorsport for free as part of the 20th Anniversary update releasing on May 5.