I didn’t really make much of an announcement in regards to me returning to Japan for Tokyo Auto Salon this year because I almost feel like people expect me to automatically go now. Like, even if I said anything, people would be like “Oh Okay.”, haha. There are never any guarantees in life but if I can manage to find my way back to Japan annually, trust that I will put forth every effort to go. I love the experience there and the car stuff that I get to see is just incredible. This year feels much different in year’s past because it almost seems as if EVERYONE IS GOING TO JAPAN this year. I’ve honestly never seen so many people go at once. I don’t know if it has anything to do with what you guys see here on the site but there are seriously more people from the States going than ever before. I feel like I’m going to see more people I recognize from America in Japan than I would just being out and about back at home. It is a good thing, I guess. People are realizing their dreams of going to the country that inspired them to get into the hobby that we all share. I always tell people that if you’re into cars, you have to make it out there at least once in your lifetime and I’m glad a lot of them are doing that. It is just surprising to actually see it come to fruition, however, especially all in the same year. I have some first timers going with me this time around too and I’m overjoyed to be able to experience Japan with them….

Now, I feel like I should address a very important issue…completely unrelated to the topic above. People want to know… Where is the Top Ten Hondas of 2015?…

I decided not to do it this year. Simple as that. I feel like it was a great year for Hondas and it was also sort of a down year, if you know what I mean. While there were some really good builds, many of them came out towards the end of the year and the others were just great in their own ways but there weren’t like ten or more builds that really stole the show, so to speak. I can name some really amazing builds that came out in 2015 but I think it would be better if we just sat on the idea of doing a list and held out for 2016, which will make the list even better and more competitive. This will give guys and gals plenty of time to get their cars to where they want them to be and to make a good showing this year. I personally like the idea of doing a list where there is still that little element of surprise instead of guys just sort of expecting to be on the list, you know? There were some good builds that really stood out but the rest of the pack were just sort of level with the general field. The Top Ten list, while only the opinion of my own, has always been pretty important to the people that follow the site and I really want to stress that importance by putting together a solid, competitive, list and I think it would be better served to have more time for many to display what they feel is their labor of love so that everyone can appreciate it that much more. Don’t mind the graphic above too. It’s not my best work and had I done a list, it wouldn’t have been that graphic. I just whipped something together real quick with the ten minutes I have to spare to write this up to give you guys some illustrations to look at in-between my ramblings…

Umm, other than that, I think we are set for a solid year of car stuff. So much is happening and the community continues to evolve. Parts of it good, some bad, but that is just the way things are. It creates an evenflow and the bad shit will help us to appreciate the good that much more. Art imitates life. I can’t help but stress the importance of building with a free mind. Do what you want and do as you please, but I ask that you guys and gals out there exert maximum effort into everything that you do. It just makes things so much better when you pour your heart out into it. Look at it like a relationship; you don’t know if it’ll end up good or bad, but you still want to try your best to invest that time and effort into it to make it great. That’s all you need. If you kind of go into it looking for some sort of Internet fame or instant gratification, your efforts will be lost and the “success” or whatever you deem it to be will be quick and fleeting. Take as much time as you need to do things right the first time, seriously. This community continues to be something I love to be a part of and something I look forward to because of the sum of all of its parts. You can love me, hate me, ignore me, or look forward to everything I do. At the end of the day, I’m just here to be a witness to what you guys do. If you like what you see, I appreciate that….

I will be in Japan for a length of time as usual during this time of the year. I will be there seeing cool shit, taking pictures of everything I see, and doing more video than ever with Ryan Der so we can get some good Vlogs out there for you to look at during your times of boredom. Check back periodically for updates. I’ll have my laptop and will try to update whenever I can. In the meantime in-between time, please check out my various social media outlets for the latest happenings on my trip to Japan. I am most active on Instagram and Snapchat so those are the ones you probably want to be on to see what we are doing…

INSTAGRAM.COM/STICKYDILJOE

SNAPCHAT ID: “thestickydiljoe”

Facebook is probably not necessary unless you want to check for site updates. CLICK HERE FOR THAT.

Alright, I got a flight to catch. See you all soon….