One of the most common questions I get asked when people realize I’m on the Wekfest Tour full-time is the one you’d might expect me to be asked:

‘Which stop on the tour is your favorite one?’

I get asked this more often than you’d think. Even with me often trying to figure out ways to avoid conversation or social interaction. I mean, I don’t hate it…that much…but…I guess I’m most comfortable when I’m left to my own devices. That’s a saying by the way. I don’t mean literally ‘devices’ like a phone or an inanimate object. It means that I’m best when I’m just doing as I please and I’m pleased when I can be a bit of a recluse in my own creative space. Of course, I don’t mind it. If you want to chat, we can chat, but then I just start to ramble on like I’m doing right now because there’s just constantly SO MUCH going on in my head…

But…

I digress…

What were we talking about? Ah yes. Which is my favorite stop on the Wekfest Tour? Well, I usually like to respond with a little bit of diplomacy because I support my friends who run this event so I’ll say a domestic stop on the tour like say, Seattle or Houston. And I wouldn’t be lying to you. They are probably my favorite stops if it were only limited to North America. Seattle is taking the lead now because it is so new and exciting, and there are so many great builds up in that region, so I guess I would say ‘Seattle’ if you were to ask me now. Things are, however, starting to reach an ebb and flow throughout the country, so all the shows are pretty solid. There are many enthusiasts traveling to other stops outside of their home-base as well, but Seattle in particular stands out to me, if I really had to choose…

With that being said, if I’m not being diplomatic, it wouldn’t be number one on my list. The one I enjoy the most is the most obvious of course, I’ve just always been reluctant to provide the answer:

Japan.

And my reluctance in answering isn’t what you’d expect it to be. It’s not because it’s ‘Japan’ so it’d obviously be ‘better’. There’s so much more to it…

At the core of it, what we do is the same. The foundation is automotive customization. The base is cars. What is creating these custom cars are humans. On paper, it’s very simple. But if you were to actually compare the event in Japan to the multiple-city tour we do here in the U.S., the comparison would almost be apples to oranges. They simply do not compare. I couldn’t say that Japan is ‘better’. It’s just different. And unless you’ve been to Japan to experience car culture, I don’t think you’d understand fully what I’m trying to explain here…

We co-exist now because we as enthusiasts have allowed the two worlds to do so. In the last few decades people from both ends have created an incredible bridge to share that commonality of custom car culture with one another, particularly with great help from the Internet. We’ve been able to share ideas and inspire people from not only the East and West, but car people from all parts of the world. It’s become an extensive network that has made the car ‘world’ a much smaller, but much more creative, place. Wekfest has been able to have a flourishing event within the last five years over in Japan because of the work that enthusiasts from both sides have put in…

But I would never sit here and include the event in Nagoya into that same tour schedule because at the core of it, it is just very different. It’s a separate entity to me. The algorithm is the same but the results vary because the ‘computers’ creating this program called ‘Wekfest’ have very different guts. I sometimes fear that the thing hurting the Japanese version of Wekfest the most and stunting its development long-term is its insistence on trying too hard to be like its American counterpart. Because what makes it so unique and special is that it isn’t what we have here at home…

But I’ll save that set of thoughts for another time…

Today, I’d rather spend time telling you about why its different—and what makes it so special. The ‘different guts’ that I’m referring to isn’t merely in style or execution. It’s deeper than that. It’s Japanese culture as a whole. It’s upbringing and belief systems. What they do and how they do it, especially when it comes to devotion and dedication, are all based on how the people were brought up around a society that has different values than that of Americans. To put it in layman’s terms…

They’re just wired differently.

The tools are the same physically.

The tools are different mentally.

And we can try as hard as we want to replicate what they do and vice versa, but it’ll never be the same. Method and ideology just vary at the core.

That’s not to say that there aren’t really shitty builds in Japan, there are plenty, trust me. I’ve seen many. But every part of the world has those and that just comes from lack of understanding or willingness to learn. Sadly, that is a universality. And also universal are a lack of resources and/or drive to acquire said resources to have what many would deem ‘better’. That is all in the eye of the beholder obviously, but we’re looking at this from a competitive standpoint because where placing this within the realm of car shows where we have to make comparisons.

In regards to the really top-tier stuff, they are on a level all their own. Some of these cars are created with a level of devotion and workmanship that seems to come from an obligation to the craft. I feel like some of these enthusiasts in Japan operate on a different plain where they have this sense of moral duty to do their best because they’ve been birthed with this skill and mindset. It’s almost a self-sacrificing devotion to their craft.

For most of us, this is still a hobby at the end of the day. It’s for enjoyment and pleasure. That’s why half the time our cars don’t even get finished because we got other shit going on and we are willing to put projects on the backburner while we live life. We attach human feelings and elements to everything we do. We let that dictate how we approach most things. Over there a hobby isn’t something that can just be cast aside, despite whatever inner conflicts they may have with what they want and what they should do. I just have this idea that Japanese car builders as a whole don’t look at what they do as a rewarding experience because they’re such a non-individualistic society. What they ultimately seek is purpose. They don’t celebrate individualism so being good at something isn’t considered a gift. It’s seen as a responsibility to create something worthwhile.

This is all a broad generalization so I may sound completely off but I just think that its ridiculous to lump Wekfest Japan together with what we do here because it is just so different in every way. It’s ironic in a way because they don’t celebrate the individual yet I have to separate it from the rest of the pack because it stands out so strongly.

Did you know that during the awards ceremonies of the Wekfest Japan shows, in all five years, people don’t even clap when a winner is announced? It’s like pulling teeth having to stand in front of the crowd and lead an applause. That seems extreme but imagine a complete ghost town of car people in front of you and someone walking up to receive an award to absolute silence. They don’t acknowledge the individual. So much so that we almost feel embarrassed doing it for them because its a “western” show. The concept is that not one person should be put on a pedestal for being good at what they do. Everybody should be doing their best and putting their best work forward so it should be understood (and celebrated) as a whole.

The byproduct is a collection of some pretty spectacular cars.

I don’t know if this makes any sense to you guys who are reading this. I gather it’s difficult to explain unless you’ve seen it first hand. Maybe I’m just not explaining it well enough. Let me think about it and get back to you…

Enjoy Part 1 of the coverage. This year, I too have felt this overwhelming duty to provide you with as many good photos as I could of everything that was happening around me at Wekfest Japan. I may or may not have shot the most photos I’ve ever shot at a Wekfest event, ever. I haven’t kept count, but it feels like it. Make sure to come back periodically this week to see all of it….

After wrapping-up Mori Hirai’s EK9 CTR build at Exceed, we loaded up the trailer, and took a nap for a good 20 minutes before heading out to Nagoya for its debut at Wekfest Japan 2019. Just the pure adrenaline of being at the show was good enough to keep me awake for the entire day…

One of the first cars that I spotted early that morning (I believe it was around 6 am-ish) was this Pandem widebody BMW E92 3-Series coupe with a gutted and cagged interior…

Now that Legoland Japan has been built and opened, the wide-open space that was once the parking lot of the Port Messe venue has now been blocked-off with this white wall leading into the loading dock…

The Pandem E92 making its way to the line that led within the domed hall…

Taku’s custom-painted orange Kouki S14 wearing one-off metal over-fenders which he hand-crafted himself…

This CD Accord Wagon was planted to the floor sitting on Work Emitz wheels…

Crazy to see it drive-off riding static at that height with no sign of damaged body work or anything, just proper suspension set-up and wheel clearance…

I’ve always said, probably only to myself on multiple occasions, that if I ever built an Integra, I’d run the Hurtling Solid & Joker widebody kit for the DC2. The panels follow the bodylines so well and you know its quality since it is produced by famed Japanese aero parts company Varis…

This 96-spec Integra Type R wearing Hurtling aero and Work Seeker FX wheels is actually owned by Yushi Kaneko from Tokyo. He had a slight mishap just a few weeks prior to WF Japan where he completely destroyed one of his front over fenders but it was all repaired and looking brand new as it drove into the venue that morning…

Yasu and friends unloading Mori’s Milano Red EK9 CTR off the trailer, narrowly clearing the paint-matched Exceed x Mode Parfume front lip…

While that was happening I caught a glimpse of this red BNR34 driving in. Odd because I don’t recall ever seeing it again for the rest of the day…

Accord Tourer converted to appear as a USDM Acura TSX Wagon…

USDM EH2 Civic hatchback looking real mean slammed on custom BBS RS wheels…

Following closely behind was its JDM counterpart, an EG6 Civic, built very differently in contrast to the first…

This EG wore a complete TRA Kyoto Pandem widebody kit and Chevlon Racing M1N wheels…

I should add that most of my roll-in photos from Wekfest Japan were at this particular angle because I love the long entrance to the Port Messe venue and how good the cars look coming in from that ramp…

Kohara Ikuto’s HKS GT-supercharged Mode Parfume widebody S2000 looked great on the new Desmond Regamaster EVO wheels…

…but the high angle of the trailer left everyone slightly worried about getting the car off the truck without destroying the Mode Parfume front bumper….

BMW M4 Coupe riding on BBS RC concave-face wheels…

Tsunemi Tamei’s RE Amemiya-face FD3S RX-7 known simply as the “pink7” on BBS LM from Team Essence…

Masa Chiba recently completed this DC5 Integra for a customer with a really nice custom engine bay. Here you can see the Rywire tucked radiator peeking out through the Mugen front bumper…

I walked inside the venue to see what was happening and caught this Candy red Subaru WRX running a set of custom FRP 35mm over fenders made by Nishino Body Repair…

If you didn’t know that Spirit-Rei made a aero kit for the Z33 chassis, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I also had no idea until this gorgeous Fairlady appeared…

Really cool to see a E30 BMW Wagon pull-up to the show…

JZA80 Supra Turbo with a classic GReddy Gracer front lip and Barramundi Design forged wheels…

This AE86 Corolla Trueno had one-eye open running some pretty aggressive camber and Work Equip 01 wheels…

Upon closer inspection it appeared to have both carbon fenders and doors as it was slightly masked under the traditional white/black two-tone scheme…

Definitely some “Glitches” in the system with this CT9A Evolution wearing full Varis aero and a lot of negative camber…

Seeing builds like this made me wish I had a deeper appreciation for VWs and Euros alike, particularly reworked by Japanese enthusiasts…

The owner of this Vertex-equipped Z33 Fairlady looked to have some trouble getting the proper angle off the ramp entrance, fearing he’d tear his sideskirts off. Love how so many of these cars rode so low without the assistance of air suspension…

It’s always a pleasure seeing Takamasa Oya’s Z32 from Zerozero8 Works…

It’s a little odd seeing a Subaru Impreza 2.5rs coupe without the box flares of the 22B variety or a conversion to mimic the 22B STI but this one featured round over fenders and a set of Ganador mirrors…

One of the things that we don’t offer in the U.S. Wekfest events is the courtesy ‘roll-in assistance’ that the Japanese show offers where workers come to help you get your extremely-lowered vehicles into the show. This 5-series sedan decided it had to come in backwards so staffers set-up wood boards to help with clearance…

After seeing the Bimmer reverse in, the owner of this widebody Subaru WRX STI decided he also needed some assistance…

…but he needed two boards instead to help clear his low-handing front lip…

I wonder if this was the same WRX STI on Volk TE37V II that I saw in January while I was in Tokyo at a night meet…

Maki’s Nizo-Low produced Rieger Tuning Audi S5 coupe…

Takumi Miyamoto’s Subaru WRX STI slammed on bronze concave Volk TE37 wheels representing Forged Crew…

I really enjoy all the quirky styling cues of the FD RX-7s from Racing Padock Miyoshi but this year I didn’t get too many opportunities to get many photos of them…

Bad ass old school C130 Nissan Laurel Kaido-Racer build…

One of the more unique builds of Wekfest Japan this year was the Pandem widebody Suzuki Carry Kei truck on Work Equip wheels. Why you ask? Well, why not?…

Takahiro Yoshida owns one of the most insane widebody and radiused Nissan S-chassis builds in all of Japan…

Just look at how wide the front and rear wheel arches are and how deep those Work Wheels are. He drives like this completely static as well…

To up the ante of oddities, the Pandem Carry also had a Go-Cart hanging in its truck bed…

Masaki Takeshima’s metallic brown BN Sports FD3S RX-7 on WEDS Kranze LXZ was a reminder of why wingless FDs look so good, especially paired with that front bumper and those sides…

Following closely behind was another Team LOWRESS member…

…Masa Nishimori and his custom widebody and radiused Mazda RX8 TypeRS on Work Meister M1…

John Liwanag from VIPSTYLECARS experienced his first Wekfest Japan event but was never one to forget his love of the JZS161 chassis…

Takuya Horiuchi aka “holy” and his Rocket Bunny ZN6 from LOWRESS…

I swear Yoshida’s S14 Silvia is just unreal…almost looks like a RC car at times with how low the body is and how radiused the wheel arches are…

Another of the BN-face FD from LOWRESS…

A pair of Rotary-powered Mazdas with Takeshima’s RX-7 and Nishimori’s RX8 RS…

I love how Japan still loves its RA Odysseys. This is Nao’s Odyssey running complete Mugen aero and Regamaster EVO wheels from IBComplete…

One other thing I enjoy is seeing S-chassis builds that aren’t super fucked and still wearing complete BN Sports aero that hasn’t been destroyed…

This is Naoya Yamadoi’s BN Sports Kouki S14 Silvia which he actually takes out to the circuit and drifts so its certainly not just a show car…

Right behind it was one of my favorite Japanese S-chassis builds, Kazumasa Hasegawa’ custom widebody S14 Kouki from Tohoku drift team ‘EXCLUSIVE’…

Yet another fine example of expert radius fender work allowing the chassis to sit so much lower on factory aero and aggressive Volk TE37V Mark II. Also take a look at his custom roll cage inside…

It was a pleasure seeing Akira Bitou’s Rocket Bunny RPS13 180SX on Work Meister M1 wheels once again…

Toshihiro has one of the best Z31 Fairladys ever-built riding on rare 5-spoke SSR Longchamp XR4 wheels…

One of Ken from Wekfest’s self-admitted favorites is this 2JZ-powered GZ20 Toyota Soarer draped in grey/black two-tone with Volk Racing TE37SL…

Nothing screams 90s Japanese nostalgia than a Z32 Fairlady Z and this one owned by Ryosuke Ogawa looked fucking sick just hammered on OZ Racing Futuras. I also just love how the car crew name is just “Illegal Fam”, lol…

Closing out this wild first set of photos with a shot of Higumon’s PS13 Silvia, also from Illegal Fam, riding on Volk TE37SL…

So much more to come, stay tuned!!…