Tag Archive for ‘club wharp’

Always Up To NO GOOD In Osaka…

Always Up To NO GOOD In Osaka…

Well this was a fun one. After Der and Kristian arrived in Japan, it was time to get Act 2 of my adventures in Japan going. I had a lot planned but didn’t want them to miss out on anything so I waited for them first. Kristian had never been to Japan before to do strictly car-related things so it was important to provide him with the best experience. Being that it was the weekend of Osaka Auto Messe, and the boys were in town, we decided to host another late night meet. I didn’t want to risk getting in trouble again with over 300+ cars showing up to a parking area so we moved the event outside of the city to the quiet island of Awaji. The longer distance made for some fun driving and of course, any time you throw a bunch of straight-piped Civics into an area that’s supposed to be peaceful, a little bit of chaos comes into play. Let’s just say that we were up to “no good” again in Osaka…
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Kansai Car Culture Is Absolutely Thriving!!…

Kansai Car Culture Is Absolutely Thriving!!…

You know what I enjoy the most about going to various car events in Japan? I’ll most certainly always come across something that is interesting or that I’ve never seen before. And I’m being completely honest. That’s why I’m open to seeing everything possible while I’m out here. There will be times when I go to a meet or show back at home in the States and I’ll genuinely ask myself, like why did I even come to this? Lol. That sounds terrible but I mean, you get so used to seeing what you see at home that traveling is so incredibly important to keep the creative juices flowing, you know what I mean? When I was planning out my trip, and I use the word ‘planning’ very loosely, I put together a list of events that were happening during my stay. That way I didn’t miss an opportunity to go see something new. It just so happened that while I was in Osaka, there was a Central Time Attack Challenge (CTAC) happening in nearby Hyogo. I had a great time last year when I went to Central for a Honda time attack event so I wasn’t about to miss this one. CTAC has some pretty fast, competitive, time attack cars at all their events. Most are Hondas but there are other makes and models competing as well like RX-7s, R35 GTRs, etc. There were a couple guys that we knew that were driving that day too so Yasu and I made a day of it. What I quickly came to realize is that car culture in this region is absolutely thriving in 2023. The parking lot was full of spectator cars as well as support vehicles, the paddock was jampacked with cars, and the sounds of straight-piped exhausts were bouncing off the walls as cars ripped through the straights of Central Circuit. What a fantastic day this was…
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Welcome Back To Osaka…

Welcome Back To Osaka…

So, we are back in Osaka for a few days, just catching-up with old friends and meeting new ones. I had a couple of friends from America ask me if they could possibly see some car stuff while they were in town. Hearing so many interesting stories and lore over the years from Osaka, they wanted to see if it was real. Is Civic culture as big as its been portrayed to be? I wouldn’t normally try to put anything together since I enjoy being lowkey while I’m here but Sara was in town as well, so it was a good time to get car enthusiasts together again. So, a meet happened very last minute on a Wednesday. Many of us haven’t been able to reconnect since the borders re-opened so it was time to pump some life back into the car community in Kansai! Everyone be safe out there and abide by all the rules and regulations please!!
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Central Circuit Track Day May 2021 Coverage… Part 2…

Central Circuit Track Day May 2021 Coverage… Part 2…

Let’s jump right back into the second half of the Central Circuit track day photos that Yasu helped me capture last month. Hopefully you guys have seen Part 1, if not, well, it’s right before this post so it’ll be easy for you guys to find. If you love Civics, these are the photo sets you want to see because Osaka can’t get enough of their EG/EKs. Honestly that’s one of the things I love about this entire region. They just have this crazy undying loyalty to the Civic and have such a specific way in how they style them that makes any enthusiast appreciate the craft. There is also this rich history that oozes out of these cars that only people from this area can showcase to the rest of the world. “Civic is culture” as Yasu puts it, and no truer words have ever been uttered about the Kansai region. There really isn’t much else for me to say other than that. The photos speak for themselves. Thanks again to Yasu for carrying to weight for me while I’m still unable to make the trip back to Japan. I hope you guys enjoy his camera work…
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Central Circuit Track Day May 2021 Coverage… Part 1…

Central Circuit Track Day May 2021 Coverage… Part 1…

I can see light at the end of the tunnel…FINALLY. We are in June now and things are starting to open back up out here in California. By next week I hear EVERYTHING will resume as it did before the pandemic happened and that will be interesting. It already feels a bit weird being out and about lately but I think we all experienced a pretty strange time in our lives and there will need to be an adjustment period before we all feel “normal” again. Car shows are also on their way back now with the Wekfest tour announcing several dates to close out the rest of 2021 so I’m excited for that. I’m so used to being on the road all the time that I do miss traveling a lot even though it can get quite taxing on the body. I think the next step in our return to normalcy will be when the international borders open-up and I can finally go back to Japan. Last I checked things weren’t going too well out there however, and with the Olympics looming, I don’t have any idea when the border will open back-up for tourism Until then, I thankfully have Yasu staying active in Osaka and regularly attending events. He recently shot these photos from a track day at Central Circuit and unloaded them on me so I could process them for the site. Like the other track day we covered, there’s no real back story to it. The guys just wanted to go have some fun and drive their Civics around Central Circuit so Yasu tagged along. It sounds like he’s been pretty bored at the shop lately so having events like this help to get him outside. Give these photos a look and come back for the rest later this week!…
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A Quick Visit To Central Circuit 2021…

A Quick Visit To Central Circuit 2021…

It’s been a strange time for me. I mean, there’s a ton on my plate lately but it’s just been a really odd feeling just being stuck here and not being able to go to Japan. Typically my Japan trips are amazing adventures for me to capture new content but the actual traveling part of it is usually my time to reflect and think about things going on in my life. It hasn’t been easy trying to process all that is going on in my mind just sitting in my office because I think the movement is important for me. Just the physical act of going somewhere allows me this type of release that I can’t get here at home. My moments of reflection are vital for my sanity. I need to escape from my own mind sometimes but without these long flights and quiet times for me to just process, I honestly feel like I’m going a little stir-crazy…
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Limited Edition Osaka Prints Are Now Available!!…

Limited Edition Osaka Prints Are Now Available!!…

I’ve been wanting to do some prints for a while now and finally pulled the trigger and two of my favorites photos and cars from my recent journeys to Japan. The first one is of Tsuyohi from NO GOOD RACING’s two Civics during heavy rain on the Osaka Kanjo and the second, one of the best of all time, the Car Mark Across EK9 parked in front of a Family Mart on a night after Joe took @ryan.der on a touge run in the mountains. Both are 24×36-inches (2×3 ft) in size, printed on high-quality durable 100lb. gloss cover paper in a matte finish. Limited to only 200 each, all will be individually numbered and labeled like my previous prints, and can be signed upon request. Super happy how these came out and even happier that these will be hanging in some of your garages or homes. These are now available over at our official storefront, NORIVALNOEQUAL.COM!!…
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