So much has been going on lately that Japan almost feels like ages ago. I guess that makes sense since January always feels long as fuck but admittedly, I think I’m getting a bit worn out with all this traveling I’ve been doing lately. After coming back from my Tokyo Auto Salon trip, I spent pretty much all my time going through content for The Chronicles, whether it be photos or video. Before I knew it, I was already on a flight heading to Hawaii for the annual Wekfest event out in Honolulu…

Somewhere during that time, I also managed to make a promise to Yasu that I’d come back to Japan in time for Osaka Auto Messe, which is happening in just a few days. Yes, that means I have already gone to Hawaii and come back by the time you read this. I remember making this same trip a few years ago but flying directly to Osaka from Hawaii, and boy was that not fun at all. Just imagine having to pack for completely different climates and lugging around some big ass suitcases from hot ass Hawaii to cold ass Osaka. Mashed in-between all that weather is a connecting flight as well. Fuck that. This year, I decided I’m just going to come back for a day and repack in time to go to Japan. As I’m typing this I think I still need to finish packing. But I digress, let’s get to some more photos from Japan. The first Japan trip of 2019, I mean, and not the one I’m about to go on…

Enjoy, as I’ll be picking up right where I left off from Part 2…

On one of our many nights in Tokyo, we decided to see if there was anything going on at the famed Daikoku Futo parking area. This is one of those spots in Tokyo that has long been known for its car gatherings as it is a massive parking lot that often even has some street drifting going on nearby. Der and I had always wanted to go to Daikoku in all the years that we had visited Japan but just never did, because we either lacked a car to get there or it just wasn’t fitting our schedule. Since Yasu had his new DC5 Integra and was down to just go about anywhere, we finally were able to check it out…

The issue with Daikoku is that it is usually way too active during Tokyo Auto Salon time. Either there are just too many cars flooding the lot, causing the local authorities to shut it down, or they just close it altogether thinking there would be potential impromptu car meets going on down there. We went to the parking area fully expecting it to be closed by the time we got there and got really lucky because it was open and there were some cars on hand. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as big of a gathering as we had seen in photos online but it was still very cool to experience Daikoku and walk around…

As we were getting out of the car, we spotted an RWB 930 that we hadn’t seen before, dubbed “SAXOBEATS” so we walked over to snap a photo of it as cars zoomed by…

This trio was “Initial D” come to life, with a clean AE86 Levin coupe on Long Champs, an FC3S sitting on Watanabe R-Type, and a RE Amemiya-equipped FD3S RX-7 parked side by side…

We ran into this MX-5 once again, after first seeing it at the RWB Party a few nights before, with its Martini graphical livery, bolt-on flares, RS Watanabe wheels, and Garage Vary Type 1 front bumper…

Beautiful red Toyota JZX100 Mark II with big aero and Rays wheels…

This FD RX-7 looked fantastic on Enkei wheels wearing full Sexy Style aero with just the right amount of grit to indicate that it is driven hard, likely on the Tokyo Wangan…

After we left Daikoku, we wanted to see if there was anything going on over at Tatsumi PA, another popular parking location where car enthusiasts gather nightly. It was insanely cold at this area, being that it is literally right next to the highway, so we didn’t stay long, but there were some pretty nice cars in attendance. I just used my time to walk around to see the cars, being that it was so dark and difficult to get clean shots. I did stop to capture this Supra on Advan Racing wheels however, because it was just parked so perfectly with the high rise buildings of Tokyo in the distance…

The following day, it was time for us to catch our bullet train to Osaka. Sara and Brandon wanted to get some shopping down before hand and grab some food down at the Tsukiji Fish Market. We spend most of the day just relaxing but I decided to capture some photos of Sara since Tsukiji always sets such a moody backdrop…

Brandon, Yuta, and Sara trying to figure out what to eat with many of the local businesses shut down already in the late afternoon…

Sara decided on some fresh king crab legs cooked over a charcoal grill…

Obviously nobody actually eats like this…

The rest of the photos are random captures that I shot while we were visiting the many shops throughout the Kansai region. There are still more photos coming but the ones you’ll see in this post are from CHARGE Tatsumi Eng and Commonsnapper, a shop we also visited a year ago…

Here are some photos of the Garage VOICE PS13 Silvia time attack car that we encountered buried deep in the back of CHARGE…

Crazy to think that this car has been sitting for two decades and still complete. With some new fluids and plumbing, this car could probably fire right up…

The individual throttle bodies of this naturally-aspirated SR20DE motor…

According to the owner, this 13.6:1 compression SR20 is actually put together with Mugen Formula 3 pistons which happen to fit perfectly inside the block, as well as camshafts from a company that predates and eventually would become Tomei…

The ever-popular EC Works N1 side mirrors of that era, also branded back then as Bandoh Racing, BEE*R, and Sealazone…

No better indication of when this S13 was built than by getting a glimpse of its Astratech digital display which ran on an early version of MoTec engine management…

Awesome to see this set of WEDS Sport TC05 wheels in these aggressive specs in brand new condition wrapped in Yokohama Advan A048 tires…

Would have been so cool to get this car outside and fired-up but it’s basically left in the back of CHARGE as a time capsule representation of what a time attack car looked like in the ’90s…

Plenty of OER carburetors and Nissan engines on this trip…

Yuta, Yasu, and the guys from CHARGE talking about any and everything car-related…

The day after, we cruised over to Mie Prefecture to check-out what was new over at Commonsnapper, a shop owned by my friend Noriaki Miyamoto…

You may know him from Barramundi Design Forged wheels as well…

Last year, when Der, Salem, and I visited, we caught a glimpse of a Nissan Fairlady Z roadster being prepped for a Honda F20C engine swap. When we walked into the garage at Commonsnapper this year, sure enough, we ran into the Fairlady once again but now with the Honda engine mounted…

The S2000 motor features TODA Racing individual throttle bodies and custom equal length header…

Over head view with a look at the exhaust manifold…

Everything fits quite snuggly inside the tiny engine bay of the convertible…

From this angle we can see the custom brake lines and coolant overflow…

While the F20C looks pretty big inside the Fairlady, it almost looks like it belongs in there…

A customer’s S30Z with ZG flares and front half spoiler…

Under the hood is a built L28 engine stroked to 3-liters…

Barramundi Design “Bester” 3-piece forged wheel in 16-inch format…

The many eclectic rides inside Commonsnapper…

Outside were some donor cars or customer cars awaiting work, including these two Z31 300ZXs….

…as well as this 1968 Cadillac Deville…

The Deville sitting on 19-inch Barramundi Design Piraiba wheels actually belongs to a customer…

Japanese vending machines and 1960s Americana together in one photo…

How cool is it to see this custom painted big body Cadillac sitting in the Mie countryside?…

A glimpse inside the playhouse that is Commonsnapper…

Rauh Welt Begriff “Garuda”, one of the few, if not the only RWB running Barramundi Design Forged wheels…

Tucked deep inside Commonsnapper is this Honda F20C-powered Datsun Bluebird/510…

Another of the 3-liter S30Z in a rich burgundy hue…

This thing should be a ton of fun once it is finished, wired-up, and running MoTec management. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back to see this thing in action…

As you saw in the Vlogs, we convinced Miyamoto to move some cars around so I could hear the RB25-powered Z31 in person. One of the cars blocking it in was RWB Garuda…

Once he took it outside and grabbed the Z31 for a quick drive, I made my way over to Garuda to get a better look…

Most will probably remember RWB Garuda running black Work Meister S1 wheels but now it sits on Barramundi Design Fogo wheels, complete with caps and in Porsche-specs…

I’ll never understand why some people hate RWB stuff so much but I’ve never been one to shy away from studying and enjoying all the subtle lines and nuances of the kit…

A glimpse through the sliding window reveals an OMP WRC steering wheel…

The small bit of rain that came down that afternoon actually made for some pretty solid photos…

Rear window with ram-air ducting to the air-cooled engine…

Had a get a shot of the interior since lighting was so damn near perfect that day…

Recaro seats and Takata harnesses inside Garuda…

Had to get one more, couldn’t help it…

The heart of RWB Garuda hosting twin TWM individual throttle bodies…

I don’t know if I’ve ever been on a trip to Japan in all my years and encountered so many different RWB builds in different parts of Japan. I guess the brand remains strong in 2019 and with many more to come, I’m sure. Garuda is I believe, one of the earlier RWB builds and has been around for quite some time…

The owner, Shusaku Nakamoto. is one of the first few in the Kansai region to have a Rauh Welt Begriff Porsche…

The RWB LED headlight is its most recent addition, complete with ‘RWB’ logo and all…

Racing gloves resting on the custom dashboard of Garuda…

…And one more parting shot of the OMP wheel seen through the sliding custom driver’s window…

There should be one more section of photos coming along, including shots from Garage Excellent, Sennard, and of course, M&M Honda, which you definitely will not want to miss. Stay tuned for Part 4, thanks!…