OSAKA (Kyodo) About 70 classic cars started a three-day rally Sunday across five prefectures in the Kansai region, bolting from the starting line in Osaka's Umeda district.
They are, however, not competing for speed, but for how exactly they can drive along the time schedule set for each section of the 850-km course.
The five prefectures the rally will traverse include Osaka, Mie, Shiga, Kyoto and Nara.
The course takes in Ise Jingu Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture and Heian Shrine in Kyoto. The finish line is at Osaka Castle.
"They are pretty beautiful," said Jitsuko Wakizawa, 40, from Osaka Prefecture as she saw various classic cars lined up at Umeda, in central Osaka.
The rally is the first Kansai version of a similar race conducted in the Kanto region every year.
