Tag Archive for ‘stickydiljoe vlog’

The gang’s all here for Osaka’s BIGGEST Car Show!!…

The gang’s all here for Osaka’s BIGGEST Car Show!!…

It was starting to feel like I had been in Japan forever. I’d say I was missing home but Osaka is basically my second home so they only thing I was really missing were my friends. That is, until they finally showed-up! It was good to see their faces and spend time with them again because Yasu might have been getting tired of just seeing me every single day. Osaka Auto Messe was fast approaching and everyone arrived just days before. Nana showed-up first after visiting some friends in Gunma, then Der and Kristian landed early morning in Osaka. We grabbed some food, walked around the city, and then it was off to the biggest car show in the Kansai region, Osaka Auto Messe!…

Designing a real Civic race car in Osaka for Exceed and No Good Racing…

Designing a real Civic race car in Osaka for Exceed and No Good Racing…

A couple months ago, Yasu acquired an old EK4 Civic race car that had spent much of its life competing in the Suzuka Clubman one-make race series. The car physically was still in pretty good shape but you can tell that it had been raced a lot. It just had a lot of wear and tear, you know? He wanted to do more circuit racing and time attack events this year using this newly-acquired EK4 so he asked me to design a livery for it. I don’t know why he thinks I’m capable of it because I’ve actually never done a full livery on a real car before but I figured I’d give it a shot. He owns a body shop so if it came out terrible, we could just tear it apart and redo it. My friends had always talked about doing a “Mintia” livery because it’s our favorite Japanese mint and has long been an inside joke. I think most of our friends and acquaintances know about Mintia because we’d always share them with everyone. Der even has a credit card with a custom Mintia skin. So I studied the packaging and went into full detail trying to come-up with a way to use the EK4 as its own Mintia case. Around late October last year, I came up with a pretty rough version of it. Over the course of the last few months, I refined it as Yasu started to transform the car in real-life. He painted the Civic a custom blue hue that matches the Mintia packaging and the graphics started to take shape once I arrived back in Japan last month. Now you all can see it come to fruition…

Some RAW cruising fun in Osaka!!…

Some RAW cruising fun in Osaka!!…

they’ll tell you that every visit is a unique experience. Kanjozoku culture is a staple here, though it may not be the most accepted, and often people ask me how they can experience it. Please don’t ask. I don’t want to put your life in danger or put you in a position that could get you in any trouble. It looks fun but there are so many inherent dangers that come with it. 100% of the time when people ask about it, I try to warn them about it and express that I would rather they not be involved. Just enjoy it from a distance. On this particular night, a few friends had an incredibly rare opportunity to experience it for themselves and we cruised out after a long day of work to make sure everything went smoothly. The guys from NO GOOD wanted to return a favor and offer some hospitality that was shown to them overseas. Don’t try this at home obviously and this is all not real and a simulation okay? Enjoy!…

You never know what you’ll find at a race track in Kansai…

You never know what you’ll find at a race track in Kansai…

After a few weeks in Tokyo, it was time for me to head to Osaka to hang out with Yasu and catch-up on all the happenings over in the Kansai region. There’s always something happening out there but I also enjoy Osaka because it feels like a second-home. Life seems almost normal when I’m out there and I’ve developed a normal routine out there, which is important to me. One of the first big things I had lined-up with Yasu was heading back to Kansai’s famed Central Circuit to check-out the Central Time Attack Challenge, a racing event that has become a regular stop for me during my winter and spring visits to Japan. This one is always a good one because I always find something new and unique to look at and this year’s was no different. I found a Honda I never thought would be a competitive time attack vehicle and also found some visitors that came from the Kanto region to compete with some of the best in this area…

Style in EVERYTHING at Final Bout Japan…

Style in EVERYTHING at Final Bout Japan…

In my ongoing adventures in Japan, I always try to experience new automotive events to expand my horizons. Of course I don’t want to stray too far off the path of things I love so it’s all still very Japanese-tuning specific. When I found out that my friends from Final Bout were hosting an event in Japan around the same time as Tokyo Auto Salon, I knew I had to check it out. Though it may be a driving competition hosted by Americans, the competitors themselves as well as the race track it is on is still very much Japanese. I knew it would be a great opportunity to run into some new JDM builds that I have never seen before. I was stoked to also here that they were going to make this a team-oriented competition as well and that’s one of the features of Final Bout that I have enjoyed in year’s past. Yasu had already flown back home to Osaka to catch-up on work so on this day, I linked up with my friend Cody Chan. He had already made plans to go with some friends and he was able to squeeze me in last minute since i hadn’t ever been to Nikko Circuit before. One thing that stands out about this event is that STYLE is a very important prerequisite. It doesn’t matter how good you can drive, if your car doesn’t look good, what the hell is the point??!

So Much To Do, So Little Time In Tokyo…

So Much To Do, So Little Time In Tokyo…

What a difference a week makes in Japan. I started off my trip on a really chill mood, just walking around the city and exploring new areas I’d never been to. Then a week later all my friends arrived in Tokyo and it was time to get back into work mode! Tokyo Auto Salon was upon us and there were some great new builds to see, but most of the fun was had after hours! There were meets all weekend, including one hosted by Sara Choi and your’s truly. Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned, but hey, that’s just what happens in Japan….

It’s That Time Of Year Again!! The Japan Adventure Begins…

It’s That Time Of Year Again!! The Japan Adventure Begins…

Happy new year!! 2024 is off to a great start as I make my way back to Tokyo, Japan on the second day of the new year. Unlike previous years, my trip to Japan comes even earlier as I made plans to see and experience new things before the annual Tokyo Auto Salon event. I spent time with friends, attended a couple of car meets, and went hunting for some rare gems. Then it was time to go check-out the show and see what was new. There’s still so much more to show you guys because I’ll be in Japan for 48 days!…

The Holiday Grand Finale…

The Holiday Grand Finale…

Man, it has been a hell of an amazing year. So much traveling, so much car culture to experience and I’ve met/reconnected with a lot of great people! I’ve had some big projects this year and one of the byproducts of working on these projects has been spending time with my friends at Bowls LA. They’ve been plenty busy this year with their own projects, hosting event after event at their space. It’s been a real pleasure seeing Bowls thrive. To close-out the year, we decided to take on one final project. This one is gonna be a special one though, all about giving back to the community with a completely automotive-themed holiday party. While we were planning it all out and decorating Bowls, there were plenty of other events going on as well to keep us occupied…

Barely Surviving 25 Hours In The Spoon Type R…

Barely Surviving 25 Hours In The Spoon Type R…

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It’s been a hell of a month with all our friends from Japan visiting. It’s been a constant chase of giving them new experiences and exposing them to car culture here in America. For the final leg of the trip, we hit two very big events; the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas and the grueling endurance race that is the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Spoon Sports returns after a 1-year hiatus with a new Type R, a slightly different crew, and the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya!! With races like this, you never know what is going to happen, and things definitely did NOT go as planned. In fact, I think we barely made it out alive!!…

The One Where Our Friends From Japan Experience California Car Culture…

The One Where Our Friends From Japan Experience California Car Culture…

Finally after 3 years, Yasu is finally back in America! It feels like it has been forever since he’s been back and he even brought our friend Ryuji from NO GOOD RACING with him. A lot has changed over the last few years so he definitely had a lot to catch-up on. With it being Ryuji’s first-time in America, we wanted to make sure he had the best experience here in California. Luckily, there seemed to be a plethora of automotive events happening every week here. That’s just one of the many perks of living out here I suppose. Whatever they wanted to see, we found it whether it be car shows, meets, lowriders, the American Honda Collection Hall, etc. We did it all. This episode consists of our many adventures during the past few weeks with bits and pieces of everything we experienced. I know it seems like Yasu is typically the one showing me around Japan but it was time to return the favor and catch him up on all the amazing things our car culture has to offer…