It’s funny how certain words evoke a very specific image or idea. In the custom car community, there are some words that can often pigeonhole something into a a genre because it can be a bit polarizing. “Stance” would be one of those keywords. Those that love it, love it, those that don’t like it, run as far away from it as possible. For most, the idea of a “stanced-out” car is dated. Many will say that scene has come and gone, but the style of having an extremely low vehicle with aggressively-sized wheels is still very commonplace. Perhaps it didn’t go out of style, it just blended into the community and became normalized. It just became familiar. Perhaps pushing the idea of “stance” is dated. It’s not a new style or movement in customizing a car. Now it just survives as a subgenre. And still it evokes the same feelings. Love and hate. But perhaps the hate isn’t so strong anymore. People that don’t like it just leave it alone. Like people that love hamburgers don’t like hot dogs, but the hamburger guys don’t go shouting to anyone that will listen that they hate hot dogs, they just don’t touch them…

In North America, “Stancenation” has become a name synonymous with the stance subgenre. It’s attached to aggressively-postured vehicles like The Chronicles is attached to Hondas. If the brand ever wanted to just post a car that wasn’t hammered to the floor with wide wheels, it would almost feel…odd. Like, this doesn’t belong. Over the years, the “stance scene”, if you want to call it that, has produced a multitude of events. One of the bigger ones was a car show that was created with the same namesake as the popular site/brand. Stancenation had a good run here in the U.S. but quietly faded away in the 2020s. The show no longer operates here though the brand still carries much relevance in car culture worldwide. Over in Japan, the show is still going strong despite a post Covid-era struggling economy. There the show never faded away and remains one of the largest car shows in Japan…

But why? And how?…

Well, there are different factors to consider…

The first major one is that trends in North America tend to arrive in Asia a bit later. I wouldn’t say it’s “behind”, it just takes longer to build and sustain a western brand in Japan. Obviously it doesn’t become popular there without it being popular here first. So of course its going to take more time to establish overseas. By the time the name “Stancenation” became a major hit over in Japan, it had already reached its peak in North America a couple years before. They like the idea of something like Stancenation because it’s American. It’s the “cool American thing”. Japan loves Americana and Stancenation had been curated so well and become so popular that to them, it became a part of American culture. That says a lot to those who were behind the brand. One of the main reasons why it still remains popular in Japan is because it’s the “cool American thing”…

The other factor behind its relevance in Japan is because of the curation of the event and namesake. And it’s not the curation by Americans either. It’s very much all Japanese. They want to sell the idea that it’s the “cool American thing” and they do a very good job at it. Allow me to pull the curtain back on how these things work in Japan. Events like Stancenation Japan and Wekfest are 100% American-operated. It would be virtually impossible to do business like that on foreign soil. You always need someone who lives there to manage a bulk of the logistics and to help facilitate the business-end of things. It’s always been that way. Where does the money go? Who communicates? How does the backend work? Partnerships. You need partnerships. I’ve never tried to hide the fact that Wekfest Japan was operated in a very Japanese manner because management is overwhelmingly by a local. It’s necessary. I think it is very interesting when I hear from people who think that isn’t how things work. But I guess it’s different for me because I’m very much used to being behind-the-scenes and seeing how the industry works from the inside. That just means whoever is selling you the idea is doing a good job. They’ve curated brands so well that you almost don’t bother to think about how the backend works. Let me tell you now that Stancenation Japan is completely Japan-operated now. It’s actually owned by a Japanese company in fact. Surprise surprise. Elvis Skender, the man behind the incredibly successful brand we know as Stancenation is still the face of the brand worldwide, but he does it sitting very comfortably in his home in America. They use his likeness and he participates in the show because it is still the “cool American thing”. And it will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future because the show is doing very well in Japan. I don’t know how many people in Japan will bother to go and translate all this, but they might be in for a surprise if they do…

I like to offer a bit of transparency now and then so people have a better understanding of how things work from the inside. It’s not meant to offend or change anything…

With that said, I enjoy the Stancenation event a lot. I go to events like this and say, Spocom in the U.S., because I enjoy variety. It’s nice to see how other people do things and see cars I might not see at a Wekfest event, which I am heavily involved with at home in America. I think it is important to support other events because it helps the custom car industry. We need variety because it helps the ecosystem. The craziest thing about the Stancenation events in Japan is that they are absolutely huge. They’re outdoor events held at large venues so they hold anywhere from 600-1000+ cars. There’s no shortage of cars to see. You literally need every minute of the entire show just to really see everything if you want to enjoy the finer details of every build. And you already know how they build cars in Japan. The standard of quality is higher because I just feel like enthusiasts there have a bit more conviction. They seem to care more and their cars are a representation of that. I get excited when I get to attend these events because I am guaranteed something new. There is always something that I haven’t seen before. Having done this job for so long and being a car guy for many decades now, I am constantly on the hunt to find new and interesting cars…

I support Stancenation Japan not only because I feel it feeds the car culture ecosystem, but also because they’ve always been very supportive of myself and my friends. They’ve built a great relationship with Yasu from Exceed over the years and are overjoyed whenever we can participate in one of their events. So much so that when they decided to have an event in Osaka, they called Yasu so that one of our cars could be the main focus of the event. The Mintia EK we put together last year was the focal point of all the media used during the promotion of the entire event. And since it was Osaka, they also asked if we could help curate some Civics for the event because they understand how important Hondas are in the Kansai region. It would be a car show in Osaka if there weren’t Civics in attendance, especially those deep-rooted in the Kanjozoku culture that originates from that area…

It was a rainy weekend but it didn’t stop people from coming. The show was packed with over 600 cars and plenty of umbrellas. I had plenty of time that afternoon so when it wasn’t pouring down, I walked around to get photos and videos…

The morning started at a local Family Mart near the venue. We typically like to load up on snacks and drinks before the event since food lines can be long at the show…

When we pulled-up, we happened to run into Shun and his S15 Silvia outside. He was also participating in the event and had the same idea as us…

Leaving the parking lot when we drove-in were a trio of black coupes wearing BBS LM wheels in a variety of sizes…

The first order of business once we got into the venue was unloading the cars we brought…

One of the new builds I got to see up-close was our friend Kumamoto’s S2000 from Destruction Japan. It’s a new build but of an existing S2000 from the past…

At one point this car was blue and had a complete Mode Parfume widebody kit on it. Kumamoto wanted a change and decided to ditch the widebody kit and bring the AP1 back to it’s original narrow body. He acquired new quarter panels and welded them back to the chassis, ridding the S2000 of the cut rear quarters it once had…

Another major change to the once widebody S2000 was under the hood. The engine in its previous iteration was turbocharged but that was also removed and replaced with a brand new TODA-built F22C complete with their individual throttle body kit and header…

There’s also a a carbon fiber induction box for the ITBs as well but for the show, Kumamoto chose to just run the carbon velocity stacks so people attending the show can see each individual throttle body…

An 180SX from 326Power waiting to be staged at their display area…

Even though the show wasn’t all “stanced” cars, there were definitely a good amount of them still. The difference between how they do it in Japan compared to the U.S. is that the cars may be hammered to the floor but the cars themselves aren’t haggered and look like shit, lol….

They’re all done very well and have a particular aura about them. I love seeing S-chassis builds done this way because they do indeed look very good…

The workers also take their jobs very seriously. Where else do you see three guys helping park one car. It’s overkill for sure but hey, they take their shit seriously…

Look at this PS13 Silvia tuck those Autostrada Modena wheels…

Toyota Celsior wearing full K-Break aero and SSR Vienna Kreis wheels…

Had the opportunity to see this S13 rip at a drift event a few weeks earlier and was surprised to see it at this show all cleaned-up…

Love the ducting work behind the bumper here and how you can see a glimpse of it through the opening of the bumper…

Thank goodness for incredibly well-kept flat roads in Japan so cars like this can cruise around. Here at home in the U.S. even our parking lots have potholes and aero-destroying cracked asphalt…

Whether you like the idea of stance and stretched tires or not, how do you not enjoy such a clean S-chassis?…

On the list of “Things I don’t normally see” is this slammed Nissan Homy…

A widened RPS13 180SX running BN Sports aero cruising into the venue…

This Toyota Century had a touch of aggression and class…

These Civics from K’s Factory were very eye-catching when I saw them on display at Osaka Auto Messe earlier this year so it was nice to run into them again but in an outdoor environment…

They put their own twist on traditional liveries but the coolest thing about them is that most of their cars pair-up and match to give them all a very uniform-feel…

This EG wore a blue version of the classic Idemitsu Motion livery while the EK was adorned in a red/white variation of the Spoon Sports livery…

This yellow Idemitsu EG was the one that first caught my eye at Osaka Auto Messe and probably the one I enjoy the most because it has a lot of really nice details to it. The highlighter-like yellow makes the car pop so well…

You can see how well they match between the two Idemitsu EG6s, down to the wheels and all…

Such a cool visual to have cars that match, especially when they’re executed so well…

Speaking of execution, one of the best Toyota builds in all of Japan is this Pandem AE86 Levin built by Inazuma Worx from the waterfront city of Wakayama. Love how they used modern aero and parts but the car wears traditional Toyota motorsports colors…

Daito from E. Prime Racing brought his Pandem widebody Trueno and was placed in the feature-car area next to the Inazuma Worx Levin. This area was reserved for cars that had been featured on the cover of Stance magazine before, the publication company that now owns Stancenation Japan…

When I first showed you guys this build a couple years back, it had just been finished and was still running a naturally-aspirated BEAMS 3S-GE swap…

Nowadays it’s running the same BEAMS engine but turbocharged, something that Daito had mentioned was planned even back then. The set-up is incredibly clean under the hood with the custom wheel tubs and all to match the shape/lines of the BEAMS engine cover…

This Honda Odyssey looked pretty interesting with the custom Enkei aero-disks and all…

Yoshi’s FD3S RX-7 featuring his new custom refinished RE Amemiya AW-7 wheels…

Ryoma Nakano’s BMW E36 has been the talk of 2025 this year, debuting recently at the Wekfest Japan event adorned in a Spoon Sports-inspired livery. The question, if you haven’t seen this build before yet, is why?…

Well, the Spoon-inspiration comes from the engine swap…

In the shaved engine bay of this E36 M3 coupe is a turbocharged Honda K24 set-up, utilizing American branded Honda products like Skunk2 Racing and Precision Turbo…

The set-up is even cleaner thanks to a Rywire engine harness which runs to a Haltech engine management system…

Never a wrong time to run into a Ferrari planted on BBS Super RS wheels…

More of that Century from earlier which was laid-out on custom wheels that still wore the signature Century center caps…

This S14 Silvia looked menacing in black with BN Sports aero and deep-dish Work Meister S1 3-piece wheels…

Didn’t expect to see a Honda Accord like this either with custom front fenders and stretched rear quarters. Pretty sure the kit is custom as well or sourced from outside Japan. Very nicely done…

BMW M2 wearing 3D Design aero and Volk TEs. Simple but effective set-up for a chassis that is actually very popular in Japan. I see these fairly often just cruising around in both Tokyo and Osaka…

R34 Skyline GT-R with full Nismo Z-Tune aero that looks to be fully repainted sitting on 19-inch NISMO Omori-spec LMGT4 wheels…

EF8 CR-X that I see fairly often at different events in Japan with a full Mugen Pro.2 kit and Enkei RPF1 wheels in their SBC finish…

Tomoya’s CL1 Accord Euro-R bagged on Work Meister M1 wheels…

One of the best overall builds at the Stancenation Osaka event was this C35 Laurel from V-Factory wearing Origin Lab Club-S Stylish Line aero with widened rear quarters, front fenders, and newly re-released Work VS-KF wheels…

The engine bay looks to be the original color still but features an RB25DET with an S&A Auto Create turbo manifold and billet intake manifold…

The interior of the Laurel has been fully-redone in Bride gradation fabric throughout…

Overall a very complete build and a great shop democar…

The poster child of the Stancenation Osaka show was our very own Exceed Mintia EK Civic, on display this time on white Enkei PF06 wheels. You can really see how much the yellow tint stands out during the day time…

Ren’s 96-spec Integra Type R is a car I regularly see on my social media accounts. It’s one of those rare Integra builds that actually pulls off a livery well. His livery in blue but the concept comes from the old Gathers Super N1 Class 3 Champion ITR which was red…

His Integra sits on big 225/50 ADVAN A050 rubbers wrapped around front staggered 15-inch Rays Volk TE37 wheels…

Behind the front TEs are Spoon Sports brakes and I should also that Ren is a big supporter of Battlecraft, running not only the decal on his car but also a Hyper Teardrop shift knob and Hyper RQR hub…

Ken’s EK9 Civic Type R wearing a Raybrig livery and Exceed front lip with front-staggered black TE37 wheels with a 225/50 front tire and 205/50 rears. The inside is fully-gutted and caged with a single Recaro seat…

Hikaru from Moontech’s Porsche 991 GT3 Cup Evo build on centerlock Neutrale wheels. He’s a good friend of ours from Gunma and we spent the weekend eating Okonomiyaki and visiting Yasu’s shop before the show…

G80 BMW M3 Competition repainted British Racing Green built by Moontech Performance with Adro aero, Ploom air suspension, and HRE 305 wheels…

This AE86 coupe looked timeless on RS Watanabe R-Type wheels and Impulse front lip…

Tomonori’s JZX100 Mark II with what looks like a BN Sports front and M-Sports sides…

Imola Orange-painted EG6 Civic with a Sergeant front bumper, Exceed front lip, Mode Parfume sides and mirrors, vented hood, and Mugen MC10L wheels…

Rare to see a bagged MK4 Supra wearing Ridox aero, Ganador mirrors, and Panasport C5C2 wheels…

The Panasport wheels look like they’ve been rebuilt. They have new hoops and feature faces that have been brushed and cleared…

Stancenation Osaka featured a couple of these R30/R31 Skyline sedans that were built quite nicely with new paint jobs, sitting low on 3-piece wheels…

Racing Padock Miyoshi always has the most interesting Rotary builds like this IMSA GTO-inspired FD RX-7 wearing Liberty Walk aero and Work Meister wheels…

This Liberty Walk RX-7 from Racing Padock Miyoshi wore a Rockstar Yoshiki inspired livery which was originally from the 2009 Yoshiki Dome NSX which competed in Super GT…

Miyoshi doesn’t just work on Mazdas, they also tinker with Toyota 86s. This one wore Rocket Bunny V1 aero and a full GReddy livery…

Yamachan’s BNR34 Skyline GT-R on Titan7 wheels with Nismo front bumper…

Under the bonnet of Yamachan’s R34 is an Auto Select-prepped 2.8-liter twin-turbo RB set-up. Look at that fat ass Auto Select strut bar…

Akito’s Voltex S2000 with Mugen hard top and Volk TE37…

HR30 Skyline sedan touching the Earth on classic Work Equip 03 wheels…

Robson Asano’s PS13 Silvia on Work Equip 01. Aero looks to be a mix with the front possibly being Vertex, as well as the sides with a B-Wave wing, custom front fender, and rear blister fenders…

Some more of Kumamoto’s S2000 once it was staged in line to pick up an award that it very much deserved from the judges…

A different angle of the TODA complete F22C…

I didn’t show you guys the interior yet but the inside of the S2000 has also been completely redone in a gray Alcantara with red stitching…

Battlecraft edition Bride Zeta IV Classic seats inside as well. I guess I don’t need to state this but if you haven’t noticed, the S2000 is actually an imported USDM AP1…

This FC3S from Racing Padock Miyoshi that debuted earlier this year at the Osaka Auto Messe event was also lining-up to receive an award. It’s like a neo-vintage theme with some Racing Beat and RE-inspo mixed with modern themes…

Inazuma Worx, the shop behind the creation of that Pandem AE86 I showed you guys earlier, also built this TA/RA Celica GTV coupe. It’s a restomod-style build with Solex carbs and a host of Kameari engine parts with customized details by Inazuma Worx. Really wish I had taken more photos of it to show you guys but I think with the rain and all the hood wasn’t opened much…

After the awards it was time to load-up the cars so we could get outta there…

One of the more interesting things about the Japan Stancenation events is that the awards are clocks. They can be metal, wood, whatever, they’re basically always clocks. I don’t know the significance or reasoning behind giving out clocks but we have many friends with many clocks now…

The 18×9.5-inch MF10s look huge on this S2000 since it doesn’t run any big aero but the new reshaped rear quarters help to keep everything proportional…

The rarely-seen VeilSide aero kit for the S2000 chassis covered in a custom livery which pays homage to one of the best racing games ever, Tokyo Xtreme Racer (or Shutoko Battle in Japan)…

A couple of NO GOOD RACING EF9s in front of the Destruction Japan tow rig…

Ikegami, who you all know for having the JACCS EF9, recently redid his Civic and introduced a new pink/silver livery in anticipation for the upcoming 40th Anniversary NO GOOD RACING event. I’ll admit this is going to take a lot of getting used to since the JACCS livery was so iconic and memorable…

The BP Oil-colored livery on this NO GOOD EF remains and the car has actually been more cleaned-up recently. I wonder if both headlights work now, lol….

This EF9 didn’t wear any livery but is also a NO GOOD RACING Civic which was recently painted Nissan Millenium Jade, a color very popular in Japan…

This EK from NO GOOD had a fun livery designed for it based on the popular Tokyu Hands department store. Normally the ‘hands’ are wings so this design was a nice play on the original…

Speaking of Millenium Jade, I’m pretty sure that was the color of this RB Odyssey Absolute that I saw driving out after the show ended…

These Toyota Crown Athletes have such good lines and often don’t need much to look good other than suspension and wheels. Most of the time they come with OEM optional aero already too so they come pre-styled…

This GR86 was cruising out real low with TRD optional aero and WEDS wheels…

The rarely ever seen Rauh Welt Begriff aero on a Zenki S14 Silvia. Yes, for those that don’t know, RWB did produce aero for cars that weren’t Porsches at one point in time…

Akito putting his front plate back on so he can drive home without being hassled…

Thank you for rocking the Exceed t-shirt and paying the crazy shipping prices to get it from California, haha…

Another simple, but fantastic-looking Toyota Crown. This one on SSR Professor SP6 wheels…

I don’t know too much about Porsches but I believe this 997 has a body kit, wing and hood from a company with one of the best names ever, Warm Collection. Yes, Warm Collection. I think this might be one of their democars as well…

Wild yellow chrome window tint on this slammed Toyota Celica XX on Work Equip 03 wheels. In Japan, the Celica Supra (as we know it) was known as the Celica XX, which makes more sense because why did we do that in the first place…

Not 100% sure but I believe this is a, very good looking, Mazda Demio on Rays Volk TE37V…

S15 Silvia with Works9 front and Superstar Chevlon wheels. The rest of the aero looks to be a mix of pieces from multiple companies…

The sun finally came out at the end of the show, allowing for some nice warm photos…

The NO GOOD RACING crew relaxing and finally dry as the day ended…

That’s all for this one. It was a long one but it always feels good to be putting together full blog posts again. Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for looking!!…