I’ve been presented with many great opportunities in my life. For the most part, I think I deserve it because I work incredibly hard. People say I’m “lucky” to do what I do but honestly, I mean, this is a result of the work I’ve put in over the years. There are things that I’ve seen that some would never believe and I’m proud to be able to bring you some of this content because you won’t likely see it anywhere else. I love documenting car culture all over and anytime I am able to get something good from Japan, you better believe I’m going to bring it to you guys in full detail. One of the incredibly rare doors that opened up a couple years ago was a gateway into the mysterious underground culture of the Osaka Kanjozoku. I did a piece on it a couple months back and it was mostly met with great acclaim, but of course, anytime there is success, you will have your detractors. I went into it knowing that it was a polarizing topic because not everyone is going to agree with what they saw. On paper, it is illegal street racing at (probably) it’s most extreme and it is something that many car enthusiasts in Osaka won’t even speak of. There is a lot of speculation behind exactly what goes on after hours but it is most speculation and little truth. Anytime you have something dangerous and illegal, most people will only assume things because they won’t even touch it in fear of getting caught-up. Being that I know certain individuals in Osaka, I was placed in a very advantageous position to document the activities of the Kanjozoku. I didn’t do it to promote illegal activities whatsoever and I don’t think I have ever said anything that would lead people to believe that. I am merely putting everything at risk simply to document a cultural activity in a part of Japan where Hondas reign supreme. When I first did the Kanjo piece for The Chronicles, I was told that it was something that not everyone deserved to see, and up until now, I still firmly believe that. It isn’t for everyone and not everyone will understand it. I am in it solely to collect information and to cover a world that is often misunderstood. All I can do is provide a perspective to the world, what you do with it is your own prerogative…

With that said, some will see it and perceive it incorrectly and somehow convince themselves that they too are “Kanjo Racers”. Let me re-iterate that YOU ARE NOT A KANJO RACER. Anything that you even do to mimic the activity will not make you a Kanjozoku. You do not live their lifestyle, you do not put yourselves in risk for the same reasons they do, and obviously, you do not live in Osaka and/or drive on the Osaka Loop. Please stop while you’re ahead and sit back so you can appreciate it for what it is; an activity specifically for Kanjo hobbyists in Osaka, Japan…

Today, I’m proud to show you guys something entirely new. Instead of the Kanjozoku ripping through traffic in the early morning hours and parading through the streets, I’m offering you a look at these guys running their cars in a more conventional venue; the track. Over the years, many of the Kanjozoku have taken their driving expertise to the circuit where they can race legally. Some still do run the streets but many more have decided run the circuit where their inspirations first lead to the creation of the Kanjo community over three decades ago. LAW BREAK is a Kanjo car club that is now celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2014. To commemorate this glorious occasion, they decided to organize an event where all can celebrate. They wanted it to be at a location where they would be undisturbed by local law enforcement so they organized a track event and meet at Motorland Suzuka. This event not only allowed for all these guys to gather in a safe environment, but also for a spirited circuit competition. You probably had no idea, but many of these guys actually track their cars. Just because you don’t see it, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening. Many just continue to run the Loop for fun and to preserve their culture….

The meet was welcome to all and enthusiasts who were into both drifting, Boso bikes, and everything in-between were invited to attend. If you’re wondering, LAW BREAK is still a very highly-respected car club within the Kanjozoku circles. In fact, the head of LAW BREAK is actually one of the most vocal about the culture and you’ll soon get to hear from him in a video piece put together exclusively by BOWLS LA. The guy has some information that you’ll definitely be interested in knowing and though he is an older Honda enthusiast, he is still very much in-tune with what is going on globally in the Honda community….

Congratulations to LAW BREAK for 30 great years and here is to many more. Thank you for preserving original Osaka street car culture and pushing tradition forward in 2014.

In Part 1 below, we’re going to check-out the early morning hours of the event and the set-up before the actual competition took place. Enjoy…

LAW BREAK 30TH ANNIVERSARY

PHOTOS BY YASUTAKA SHIMOMUKAI

POST-PROCESSING & WORDS BY STICKYDILJOE

The guys from Tactical Art decided to check out the event so they met up early in the morning hours to caravan to Motorland Suzuka…

You wouldn’t think that this clean EF9 Civic was a loop runner but it actually is…

…If you remember my last visit with the Kanjozoku, this EF9 was not only out on the Loop, it was probably one of the quickest and most aggressive….

Arrival at Motorland Suzuka. Design-Studio-Shin was the company that was called upon to not only design the artwork for the LAW BREAK 30th Anniversary event flyer, but also to design the exclusive t-shirts for it…

Yasu’s HKS Supercharged S2000 from Tactical Art and the EF9 from NO GOOD…

It is incredibly rare to have any sort of apparel available to the public that has a Kanjo car club logo or anything related to their existence but being that it was their 30th anniversary, event-goers were able to purchase this limited-run of LAW BREAK t-shirts…

LAW BREAK’s EK9 Civic Type R, not to be confused with the LAW BREAK EK9 that you saw in January with the C-West front bumper….

This one retains the factory EK9 CTR front but with Shift Sports fenders that have been widened considerably. Also really dig the SSR Type-C in the rear and the Volk TE37 up front. This is almost as good of a pairing as Volk TE/CE together….

Speaking of which, one of my favorites from this event was this yellow EK4 Civic SiR….on bronze Volk CE28 and TE37 in the rear. Just a lovely combo especially in bronze on the yellow body…

The EK9 unloaded and ready for some track duty…

The EK9 with a giant LAW BREAK sticker in Kanji plastered across the rear window….

…and the exclusive LAW BREAK 30th Anniversary decal. Luckily my friends in Japan were able to score me a couple of these decals and some t-shirts….

What was surprising about the LAW BREAK EK9 was the K20 engine swap under the hood. It is really rare to see K-swaps in Japan, especially on a loop vehicle…

Engine swap executed by tuning shop, Impact Magic….

The Sparco wheel inside the EK9 looks like it has seen better days, unless there is a specific reason why it was done otherwise…

Traditional Bosozoku motorcycle….

On the back of the high-bolstered seat are traditional Boso bike club decals…

After the EK9 was brought down, it was time to unload the yellow SiR…

LAW BREAK EK9 and EK4….

It was an honor for the owner (who shall remain nameless) to put a STICKYDILJOE.COM decal on the LAW BREAK EK9. I had no idea he was going to do this so I was stoked to see it…

The LAW BREAK EK4 is also another car that was prepped by Impact Magic…

Racepak/Haltech digital display replaces the factory instrument cluster…

B-series motor with individual throttle bodies and coil-over-plug conversion….

Such a good look….

The 30th Anniversary track day event was Civic heaven….

Legit, authentic, NO GOOD RACING hooded sweatshirt, not to be confused with that knock-off fake shit that is sold by some random guy in the U.K. We actually asked some of the NO GOOD RACING guys how they felt about seeing their logo (or the fake wanna be NGR logo no less) being sold by someone who is not at all associated with them in another country. They are definitely not happy about it and hope that they never run into the guy if/when he ever visits Osaka…

LAW BREAK hoodie that was also available for purchase at the event….

A couple of NO GOOD members getting together for a rare photo….

NGR Kanjozoku…

What was cool about this particular event was that it had a little bit of everything; legit track cars, Kanjo racers, drift cars, and Boso bikes…

EK from NO GOOD on black Volk Racing wheels…

Another K-swapped Civic, this one an EG circuit racer with aggressive front aero….

LAW BREAK members getting ready to go out for their first session…

D1 Street Legal drift S13 Silvia on Rays Gram Lights….

A couple of beautiful S30Zs even made an appearance at the LAW BREAK event…

Swag level 999+…..

Wish I could tell you more about these bikes but unfortunately, I do not know a whole lot about them…

EG6 Civic from NO GOOD RACING…

Rare to see these guys in the daylight but its good that they were cool with taking photos…

NO GOOD logo exposed with the license plate flipped up on the tailgate….

A quick glimpse inside the EG and its single racing bucket….

Gotta Ziptie the bumper on just to keep everything in place….

“Enjoy Driving With NO GOOD….”

EK9 Civic Type R from NO GOOD with widened front fenders and SSR Type-C up front…

Idemitsu Motion-themed EG6 from NO GOOD that you’ve seen a few times before….

The Kanjozoku head-out to the track for their first session…

Carmake Across EF9 Civic SiR from CLUB WHARP. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this car later in Part 2 since it played a prominent-role in this event….

Another white EK9 CTR from LAW BREAK….

The EG Civic that you saw earlier….

LAW BREAK really loves their CTRs….

And we’re gonna cut it off here for today with a very big announcement below…

As some of you may have seen already, I have been a creative consultant for a huge Kanjozoku docu-piece that is being produced by BOWLS LA. It features all new footage that has never been seen before, as well as some great information provided by the Kanjozoku themselves. This is unprecedented footage that will not, and cannot, be seen anywhere else. I promise you, it’ll change your way of looking at things after hearing what they have to say. Even those who hate on the Kanjozoku will probably even have a better understanding of these guys after you hear what they have to say. It is incredibly rare to see these guys even speak because they are such a secretive group of enthusiasts that choose to remain in the shadows. We were lucky enough to be presented with the opportunity to capture all this content for you guys and I hope you take the time to enjoy it…

We wanted to present it in the right way so BOWLS LA and I have decided to dedicate a media hub specifically for this piece, titled “The Kanjozoku” (www.thekanjozoku.com), where you will be able to view this video as well as further articles about Osaka’s famed Loop Soldiers. The video is near completion and there are just a couple of things we need to finish before it is released. Please take the time to get on a PC or desktop computer to view the site in its original format. You won’t regret it. Looking at it on a Smartphone just doesn’t do it justice. Check it out now and let us know what you think! Full video will be released on 7/14/14!!!

CLICK BELOW FOR YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW SITE!!!

The Kanjozoku *NEW* 
The Kanjozoku *NEW* 
The Kanjozoku *NEW* 
The Kanjozoku *NEW* 
The Kanjozoku *NEW*