Ahhh, I love Japan….there is just no other place like it. Every year I try my best to save up and make it out to Tokyo in January because it has become a staple in my annual schedule. There is going to come a day when I probably won’t be able to make it out there anymore and I’ll be super bummed about it, but for now, I just try to soak up every second of it. The memories I make over there will span a lifetime and the friendships that are created over there are ones I really cherish. As always, the car stuff is all really great and surreal but it is the people that matter the most. Creating this site has really helped to bridge two different worlds for me and it is because of this site that I have been able to travel. I’d like to think that I am contributing to the bridge between the two countries when it comes to our automotive community and I take pride in the fact that I am so greatly respected there. This all just started one day when I was bored and I almost can’t believe where it has taken me these last couple of years. Of course I like touring the nation with the Wekfest crew but damn, Japan is and will always be the Mecca of the tuning world. Just to be able to see some of the stuff I see is beyond imagination. I’m happy to be able to bring you some of the sights and sounds of my journeys….

This recent trip is yet another amazing one for the books. I re-visited a lot of places to see what was new and also had the opportunity to check out some new places that I have never been too. I always split my time in Japan in half spending the first portion of it in Tokyo before moving onto Osaka. I experienced so much there that it almost appeared as if I were on two different trips. By the end of the trip it felt like Tokyo Auto Salon was so long ago because I was just overloaded visually with everything that was going on. It is hard to explain so I’ll let the coverage tell the story. Like SEMA 2014, I’ve decided to video blog along with my boy Ryan Der so you’ll be seeing video as well as a ton of photos from the trip. I apologize for the delay but most of you know that I do all of my own work. Once I got back I had to get started on the 1000+ photos that I took along with adding the new workload of editing video and putting that out along with the photo coverage. I don’t feel like video is absolutely necessary but it really helps to tell the story. Video blogging also helps to present a more personal side. I used to cover a lot more of it with photos but now that we have video, I can save some time and give you unprecedented access to what goes on during my adventures, much of which was hard to illustrate in photos before. I think you guys will enjoy it. Each segment will be roughly 15 minutes long but they are up on YouTube so you won’t have to watch it right away and can always go back to look at it later. I suggest you look at it when it is posted though because everything sort of ties together so if you happen to miss the video, you may miss out on some stuff that wasn’t covered in photos…

To kick of the coverage, please watch Part 1 of The Chronicles Vlog Episode 4, which covers our arrival in Japan, the RWB event, and Day 1 of Tokyo Auto Salon 2015. For the photos, I’ve documented the RWB Annual Meet before showcasing some of the many great cars that were parked outside the TAS ’15 event in the Makuhari Messe parking lot. I love car hunting in the parking lot every year because you often find some really cool stuff there that you won’t see inside the show. Tokyo Auto Salon provides a lot of great builds that seem almost impossible for your average car enthusiasts to build and you just look at them more like art pieces than anything. In the parking lot, the cars are definitely more “attainable” and relate-able so I spend half the day out there searching for cool stuff. Check it out and let me know what you think. I have a ton of coverage coming so get set for a long ride filled with all the awesome things I did in Japan…. Enjoy…

The Chronicles Vlog #4 (Part 1): Arrival in Japan, TAS 2015, & More…

Photo coverage begins at the RWB Annual Meet in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan…

It is always cool to squeeze in some time after we get off the plane to visit the annual RWB Meet. We see RWB stuff a lot these days here in America but it just feels different seeing it in Japan. I guess maybe you understand that they probably appreciate the cars more and the guys who own them aren’t building them just because they are the current hot thing. These cars look like they have been around for a while now and just seem to fit the image of Japan’s tuning scene better. They each have their own sense of style too even though they share much of the same aero and wheels…

Rauh Welt “Mujer Bonito” 964 in blue….

Really clean RWB 964 sans decals…. This one was Der’s favorite of the meet…

RWB 930 dubbed “Mujer Maduro”…

Love the 993 Porsches with the RWB aero. This one was paired with an orange 964, both on black Work Meister S1….

930 posted in front of a liquor store in the same lot…

This 993 looked incredibly wide with the deep dish Work wheels. Check the quad exhaust set-up in the rear. The two smaller pipes are most likely wastegate dump pipes with the exhaust exits through the rear bumper. Really cool…

Another shot of the RWB 993 RS…

…and the 964 next to it…

964 Cabriolet with the extra-wide “Royal Fenders”….

This was almost a bit refreshing to see amongst all the RWB widebody madness at this smaller meet….

The Rauh Welt “Spearmint Rhino” Cabriolet that was named appropriately after Nakai had a wild night in Las Vegas a couple years ago…

“Rauh Passion” 993 parked next to a stock body 911 Porsche…

We called it a night after that since we had to go back to the hotel still to unpack and unwind. The next day, we got an early start and headed straight to the Makuhari Messe to check out the Tokyo Auto Salon event…

At the train station, we hit up the stand-up sushi spot that we go to every year when we are in Tokyo. This place is small and relatively unknown to most outside of this area but is a must-go-to spot for us any time we are there….

After a 40 minute train ride, we arrived at the venue and headed straight to the parking lot to check out some of the cars that were at TAS but weren’t on display inside…

Theft is not a common thing that enthusiasts really have to worry about in this particular area of Tokyo. So much so that this Lamborghini Aventador on Forgiato wheels was just parked outside the entire day with both doors up. No one was around and the owner was nowhere to be found, almost as if the doors were raised to tease…

FD2 Civic Type R on black Volk CE28 wheels. I believe I saw this same car last year in the parking lot…

VIP builds continue to be a huge part of the Japanese tuning scene. This Toyota Crown was just one of many in the parking lot that just looked stunning….

One of the best surprises in the parking lot that morning was this F355 Berlinetta. You rarely see these cars anywhere these days and for it to be buried in the parking lot was just one of many re-affirming reasons why we always walk the lot at TAS….

Zenki S14 Silvia Navan on Work Emotion XD9…

I was stoked to see this fully-kitted RE Amemiya FD RX-7 in the lot complete with Porsche 993 headlight conversion and all. Love it or hate it, RE builds are iconic in the Japanese tuning segment and I always look forward to running into them. It is so unique and peculiar and just screams “Japan”….

Check out the fender mirrors and the mirror block-off plate on the door….

Taking up two spots in the middle of the lot was this Liberty Walk 458 Italia. This thing looked like it belonged inside the show. Probably Kato’s car or one of the LB*Works guys who just showed up in this car to go to work at Tokyo Auto Salon that day…crazy…

One more for good measure. Normally it is a bit douchey to take up two spots but I guess if you have a widebody 458, you get a free pass….I don’t foresee anyone saying anything to the owner regardless, haha…

M-Confidence Z34 Fairlady….

R33 Skyline GTR with a Tommy Kaira front lip and a huge ARC Magic rear spoiler….

Toyota Chaser looking great wearing Kazama aero and Advan Racing wheels….

I really liked this Chaser rocking the same front bumper but draped in bright red paint which contrasts nicely with the gold SSR Type-F wheels. I’m a sucker for Ganador Super Mirrors too so it gets an automatic photo just for the mirrors…

CF Accord Wagon looking good on Work Emotion wheels…

Honda Odysseys continue to be a popular tuning platform in Japan. This one was airred-down on Work Varianzas….

This Prova Subaru Outback was interesting….

Toyota Alphards are really popular in Japan and are just about everywhere you look. This one was just one of many modded Alphards at TAS 2015…

WILD Itasha-themed van build with jewels on the body and all….I couldn’t help but stop to walking around the car a few times to see all the little details in it…

Caught a few Accord Euro-Rs in the parking lot that day. Check out the NSX front brakes on this one…

R34 Skyline GTRs are everywhere during Tokyo Auto Salon, almost to the point where you just sort of walk past them because you have already seen so many. Here in America, these are incredibly rare to find these days so I try to soak them in whenever I see a clean one like the one above…

Widebody Subaru Impreza STI on Volk RE30….

RWB 964 looking real menacing with the black wheels and graphite body. This one also has the more aggressive “Royal Fenders”….

Somehow, while walking the lot, we were magically teleported to Oakland, California where we encountered this Infinti FX on 28-inch wheels…

Loved how this Odyssey Absolute looked pancaked to the floor…

JZA80 Supra with rarely-seen complete TRD widebody aero kit….

I don’t know if you guys remember but I ran into this same VeilSide Kaiser Aristo last year in the parking lot… Really rare kit that looks perfect for that 90s-era Wangan racer style…

This FD2 was nice and simple on silver RE30s….

AE86 Corolla Levin GT-S which looked like it could have been plucked straight out of an old Initial D manga…

I really love 2nd gen Aristos when the trunk conversion is done which eliminates the inner taillights. It just looks so much cleaner without them. This Aristo was a bit dirty but looked great bagged on SSR Professor MS1 wheels…

Blistered Kouki S14 Silvia with mis-matched wheels…Probably a weekend drift car that was cleaned-up just to cruise over to TAS ’15….

One of the more memorable encounters from last year’s Auto Salon event was this Kenmeri sedan on Work CR-01 wheels. Glad to see it is back and looking as great as ever….

This FD3S on Work XT7s was rocking an older RE front bumper…

You always see some pretty interesting cars in Japan. This Daihatsu Midget short-bus looking thing was just bizarre but you couldn’t help but stare….

Integra Type R with C-West aero wedged in-between two larger cars in the lot. Hondas weren’t nearly as common as many of the other makes in the lot so you really had to look to find some good ones….

Closing things out for today with some photos of this AE86 Levin which was one of the cleanest builds in the lot…

Unlike the traditional flares you see on AE86s, this one had the newer-style flares that resemble many of the Rocket Bunny/Miura-designed kits that are currently trending worldwide. I later found out what kit this was but the name currently eludes me…

Here is the rear of the Levin coupe. The rear also has similar round flares which give this Levin a much more modern tuning appeal. Not sure if the flares flow all that well with the square body of this 80s Corolla but it isn’t surprising to see a new kit like this…

Deep 3-piece Work Meister CR-01 wheels compliment the car perfectly and has both a modern and nostalgic look to them…

That’s all for Part 1. There is way more to come. I don’t even know how long this series will go because I haven’t even scratched the surface yet with all the photos I took. Stay tuned and thanks for looking!!!!