Originally Posted by JDMC

I'll start posting them in day-increments since there's a lot to explain. I've been typing for almost three hours and I'm about 65% done. Obviously you can tell I type slowly but here it goes anyway.


For those of you that saw the Tokyo Auto Salon pictures and thought that would be the highlight of any trip to Japan I thought I would enlighten you to the REAL automotive fun stuff. We went to the Auto Salon our first full day in Tokyo but spent the remainder of the week visiting some of the shops and sights around Tokyo. Even though Tokyo is huge, many of the premier Japanese tuners aren’t located in the city, some like Top Secret are just outside of it while others like Vertex and Top Fuel are hours away. We spent our time in and around Tokyo, vowing to see more of the country next time.

Since the Auto Salon was our first day spent in the city and those pictures have already been posted in a specific Auto Salon thread I figure we can pick up just outside of it. Much to the delight of those present and the dismay of anyone still reading, it starts off outside the convention center with (quite possibly) the world’s smallest cement truck!



After the Salon we had the munchies and stopped off for some ice cream. For those of you who though Baskin Robbins had the market on ice cream flavors, they don’t have anything like this!



Our first shop stop was the (Mr.) Alex Motorsports shop in Tokyo. Once we were within sight, we found ourselves staring at three serious rally cars!



Don’t let the pink fool you, these cars are race machines ready to get dirty!



The Evo was especially menacing since it was toned down and looked like it could have been at home at the any street race.



Believe it or not, Tokyo is so limited for space, this is the size of the ENTIRE Alex parking lot. I don’t think you could fit anything other than one more car and that would still be in the way of the guy working on those cars out front!



Here’s something that comes as no surprise to anyone who lives and works in a shop, they aren’t always tidy. This one was clean, but cluttered. You may be able to use this as a defense against cleaning your room/dorm/apartment. If they can make millions working like this, then surely you can, too!



After Alex we decided to do a little shopping and found ourselves at a Super Autobacs. Nothing too exciting here unless you want to get your oil change while shopping for Recaros and coilovers. Yup, they offer service as well as retail on regular and performance parts. Little did we know but they also showcase a car from time to time. This one happened to be the Top Secret S15 Silvia!



Yup, imagine this car right smack dab in the middle of your local Autozone or Pep Boys instead of a bin of shop towels, hand degreaser, and sale-priced oil.



A night walk around Tokyo:



. . . and we found ourselves at just one of many UP Garages. For those of you who don’t know, the “UP” stands for Used Parts. As you’d expect they deal with used automotive parts, but not in the traditional junkyard sense. This is where people trade in their used performance parts or auto accessories for whatever reason. If you’re lucky, you can catch some great deals here. Unfortunately they depend on the tuning climate of the neighborhood but one thing remained constant: almost everything for Nissan (Skylines especially) and almost nothing for Hondas.

Originally Posted by JDMC

The next day was a little tour around Tokyo. On our walk we marveled at the similarities, differences, and whether either was better than the other. One of the unique traits of Japanese culture is the proliferation of cute anime-style characters in advertising. I never thought any could be intimidating, but some sure do try:



With daylight running out, we headed towards a small but seasonal favorite of ours, Feel’s Honda Twincam:



They don’t have as much of a name as Mugen or Spoon in the Honda world, but they are exclusively Honda and HUGE fans of the Beat. Last time we were there we saw exceptional specimens of Integra Type R’s and a recently-finished NSX. What we got this time was the CLEANEST example of a well done CR-X:







This car was owned and driven (more like tracked) by one of their customers and he was more than happy to tell us about the details of the car. Suffice to say he’s a Feel’s customer but he didn’t shy away from other notable marques in the Honda world.

Of those you have the supplier of this fine and authentic kit:



Which, by the way, happens to be the best fitting and best flowing kit ever for a CR-X. After studying it this closely knock-offs will be a hundred times easier to spot miles away. This kit is truly awe-inspiring in its simplistic beauty.







But rest assured, there’s more going on here than I anticipated. I, for one, have never liked a spoiler of any kind on any CR-X save the flush mounted Mugen wing. To see this wing currently on the CR-X seemed to be just right. After a quick Q&A about the car we were surprised to find out it’s an actual J’s Racing carbon fiber wing! It flowed and fit beautifully!



That’s not all the glory in the car, however. What would something this nice and this track-ready be rolling on? Why, nothing short of one of the most accomplished wheels in Japanese motorsports today!



We pressed to see under the hood knowing full well we would find a B16 and we weren’t disappointed. What you’ll quickly notice is the Feel’s intake arm, but what you might miss is the custom radiator. Go ahead and check out the fill neck pulled out toward the engine.



Although the guys at Feel’s Honda Twincam were swapping spots with their storage building (two doors down) they still had a few things left on their display. Amongst the trophies and awards I found a plaque that might answer a few questions from the JDM enthusiasts: Just what the hell is JASMA?



We profusely thanked them for their time as they are always so open and happy to speak with us. Their sign caught my eye again as I’ve already walked past it countless times. This time I noticed something I had never a chance to during the daylight hours: the reflection of the “H” over the door fit just right.



A nice walk around the surrounding neighborhoods and we were on our way back to the hotel.




Why is Jesse so bummed out? Because even though these ladies might be a little bit older, this is still the closest any lady came to him:

Originally Posted by JDMC

Thanks guys, here's some more. This brings us about halfway through the trip:

The next day we decided to make a non-car day. We instead headed out to the fresh-fish market. If you’ve ever been to the fisherman’s warfs in San Francisco, Seattle, or any other high-profile post, they don’t even compare!



Imagine the freshest seafood you could ever want to meet. I say “meet” because almost all of it was still alive! See these crabs? Even the seasoned ones were still alive! They take their seafood so seriously in Japan that only the freshest will do.



How fresh is the freshest? This octopus will illustrate my point. He’s bagged because he would be crawling out of the cage if he could. I’ve been to the aquarium plenty of times in Chicago, but never before have I been so close to a live octopus that I could see his eyes and how they breathe.



Of course, to the Japanese this is just matter-of-fact. The Americans were the only ones who thought the situation quirky or unique. It’s kind of surreal that something so exotic to me would just be stashed away in a seafood market display.



Normally this street would be bustling with tourists, marketers, and shoppers of all types, but it’s the middle of January. Only a handful of shops were open for us that early so we had the pleasure of seeing things at our own pace and without the usual crowd.



Since we decided it wouldn’t be a car day, I was safe in taking a lone picture of a motorcycle. I don’t personally care for bikes (sport or otherwise) but I had to stop and marvel at remote-resevoir Ohlins dampers on this one:



What did draw a large crowd was a sight I’ll most likely not see again for some time:



One of the near by restaurants was more than happy to put on a display of their sushi chefs preparing some fresh tuna. I mean fresh! Quite a crowd developed while we were there and some, like Jesse, got brave enough to pose with the little fish. Unfortunately my camera skills are slow and I only caught him recoiling. Not because of the smell (after all it was still moderately frozen and outdoors in January) but because he thought he might be getting into trouble. Contrary to that, they started letting everyone pose and take pictures by their prized catch.



How close? Some would say a little too close!



Some uber-fresh sashimi (my first time I’ll gladly admit) and a warm bottle of sake later it was time for dessert. What do we get? Yup, sushi-themed lollipops.



But it turned out to NOT be a non-car day! We got back to the hotel and decided that we didn't have anything planned for the rest of the afternoon so we might as well see if we can go shopping. Our next outing put us in search of the original UP Garage. It was Sunday and tuning shops were closed so it was a day to do some shopping. When we got there, we found a peculiar little used car lot next door. What intrigued me first was the closest “car” to the street:



I told you the Japanese tuning community is all about Nissans!



They weren’t selling just “eccentric” vehicles, they had run-of-the-mill Japanese cars like this lightly modified Civic Type T. With Mugen pedals, a Mugen shift knob, Volk TE37’s and an under-axle exhaust, it could have been yours for about 730,000 yen. With the conversion rate, it would have been just under $6,000USD. Are you sick yet?





After telling them this car in its current condition might fetch $15,000 USD I decided to take a picture of the side marker. I guess I just wanted to show all the people in the States where it really goes. Take notes!



To illustrate the point that Skylines and Silvias are everywhere in Japan, you c an even pick them up slightly used at any general lot:



This lot wasn’t a typical run-of-the-mill lot. With a location next to the original UP Garage, how could you be? That’s a prime market to lure in the tuner crowd and what better way than actually MAKING and marketing your own aero pieces? We asked if this car was for sale and when they said “No” it’s not because we weren’t deserving, it’s because this Skyline is their demo model to show their front lip, rear bumper, and over-fender flares. Yup, a used car lot produces perfect fitting wid ebody components for their own R32.









All for a mere (I’ll let you do the math using the Civic Type R selling price as a base)



After speaking with the guys in the lot (mechanics more than salesmen) we finally got to shopping. Jesse and I both picked up something. Either it was a screaming good deal or unavailable in the US so neither of us wanted to pass. When we emerged I was immediately confronted with the first modified Prelude I had seen in Japan!



Like it or not, at least it was rocking some Volks:

Originally Posted by JDMC

Oh yeah – I forgot about the cars! Upset because you haven’t seen any Civics at all in Japan? Well, so was I. When we met Jun Tanaka, he kinda chuckled because there were three of us out to lunch with him and we all drove Civics. I didn’t realize how much of a small market the Civic commanded until then. It was echoed in this trip but then we saw perhaps the cleanest EK (yes, really an EK!) Civic Type R. Start drooling.



What’s that? You’ve already seen yellow hatchbacks before? Yeah, but this one has an almost complete Type R interior?



Oh, you saw that at the latest Hot Import Nights? Well, how about the missing front seats which were awaiting install (sorry for the blurry pics. . .my steady-ing hand was um. . .busy):



Ah, see? Spoon buckets – you weren’t expecting those, were you? Then how about this?!



I wasn’t expecting to see a “Mugen Equipped” badge on ANY car in Spoon’s hands, but this was running the super-sex Twin Loop exhaust. It seems that even Spoon recognizes how great the sweet sounding Mugen exhaust is. That is where it stopped, though. They took over the performance under the hood and created the single cleanest all Spoon engine bays ever created!



Needless to say, my mind was numbing from the overload, but I had to keep going. That was only two of many cars to check out. I sobered up enough to turn around and peer at a core support of a random S2000. Neat, he gets his fluids changed regularly . . . at freaking Type One for God’s sake!



But then again why wouldn’t you when it’s a slick-ass beast of an S2000 like this?





Okay, definitely sensory overload. I’m gonna go take it easy and scope out the bland looking blue EG upstairs. Since it didn’t have any Spoon stickers or blue and yellow schemes on it I thought it’d cool me down:



Too bad to get to the front of the car I had to squeeze past s couple million-yen’s worth of tiny Spoon boxes. Now it finally hits me. Women like Amber love seeing those tiny light blue boxes from Tiffany’s and guys like us love seeing those tiny white boxes from Spoon. It’s all so clear. . .



The car seemed to be sedate. Hell, even though it had an authentic Spoon lip, the wheels were mismatched! Wait a minute, the fronts are five lug and the rears are still four. What gives? Well, one of the wrenches ran over to me and wanted to know if I wanted any shots under the hood. C’mon. I’ve seen almost anything under the hood of an EG so “That’s okay” I told him. I didn’t want to disturb his work on my account – hell, we both could have gotten yelled at by Ichishima-san. So, I turned to take some picturess of the DC5 Integra Type R behind it when suddenly my ears picked up the only few words I know in Japanese. Well, they were in English but are 100% Japanese in my book “K20A.”

“Pop it,” I told him without letting him finish his sentence. He smiled the biggest smile I had seen all this trip and for good reason. Remember that K swap header in Inchishima-san’s office? Here’s why!



I stood in amazement for quite a while. When I finally looked up, Ichishima-san was beaming quite proudly. I bowed my respect to him and his creation then took the above picture. I realize now it captures none of the beauty of the swap but nonetheless, there it is.

About that DC5 . . . it was a purebred race DC5!





With some nice duct work:



To feed a true Spoon Sports balanced and blueprinted endurance racing engine! Hot damn I’m never gonna get tired of seeing these gorgeous yellow valve covers!



Just beyond the DC5 was a white S2000. Not too unlike the one downstairs, but this one was special in its own right:



I told you since TAS – EVERY rear wheel drive car had the widebody treatment!







While I was upstairs I took a moment to snap a shot of the shop floor. Of course it’s impeccably clean, but it also had some customer cars.



Wait a tick! Another Civic! So this is where they’ve all been hiding. But this one surely has a lot of stickers. Normally in America that means stay away, but in Japan that means, come hither – I’m hiding some goodies for you!



I can tell this was run on small circuits because of the Alex Motorsports adjustable wing risers. The front bolt on the brackets acts as the pivot, then in the back you can see three holes for adjustment. This one is set in the middle.



It was stripped out-ish like any race car, but damn was it dirty. And what’s with the pop cans in the cupholder? Race cars don’t have cupholders!


It turns out Japanese dirt-circuit racers do! It’s not a “rally” car like a WRC rally car, but it drives on small closed course Japanese dirt tracks. Imagine “Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart’s Super Off-Road” but without the jumps or unlimited nitros. So why was it there? I can’t tell you for sure because the hood was shut, but I can tell you what a rally car looks like when it throws up!


Suddenly I noticed I as the only one meandering about. Jesse and PB were over in the workshop corner talking to one of the wrenches. I wondered what was going on so I wandered over. I only caught the last part of the conversation but knew it was about the small lever he just installed on the transmission. It was a K series transmission for sure, but why the funky actuating lever? Two simple words: Lotus Elise! Spoons dropping K series into everything! Watch out HASport!



I had finally seen it all! My head was spinning, I was getting dizzy, and I thought I saw half a B series. What the hell? Half a B series? Yeah; half a B series.

Originally Posted by JDMC

I had to leave. I had to excuse myself before I passed out and ruined something really, really expensive. I went outside for some fresh air and while I turned the corner away from the front door, I almost fell over something really, really expensive!



It was another damned Civic Type R! I tell you, Ichishima-san must own every Civic Type R that hasn’t been parted out and sent to America. He seemed to be overloaded with them compared to the rest of the shops! I peered inside to see if it was running a Spoon cluster, but obviously this guy sold his Type R cluster and if he had a Spoon cluster he must have sold that one, too. He was rocking a custom display!



But that wasn’t all that was unique about this Civic. For those of you that think it’s tough to be unique in the Civic world, especially still going JDM take note!



What you should have caught in the last picture is the crazy fender flaring. In case you didn’t here’s what I’m talking about:



Why the hell would someone do that to perfectly good fenders? Well, for grip driving you want as much tire up front as you can get away with. This one had more tire than I had ever seen up front on a Civic!



From that side shot, you should have also caught one more thing. This one may have been easier to spot but only if you know what you’re looking for. I’ll give you a big hint – it’s missing the Type R rear lip! I guess they shipped it to America and here’s what they replaced it with:



Give up yet? Welcome to the world of Hondas running carbon fiber rear diffusers! Spoon beat me to it! It was almost the same design I was planning to implement!



That’s okay. As many of you know, I’m not a hater when someone comes up with a great and original application for race technology! Still, there’s something unique about this car that even I didn’t catch until PB said something. Can you see what he saw?



There’s no header wrapping under the engine and the transmission is on the wrong side! That’s right! Spoon is putting the K20 to good use in their FF race cars! I couldn’t be happier . . . or more disgusted. I laugh about the thought of Spoon yanking one of their B16B’s and tossing it on eBay for some lucky American swapper.

I left Spoon amazed as always, but this time they had truly outdone themselves. I know what they can do with stripped down race cars with the familiar blue and yellow scheme. But what they had done with their street cars and mild race cars impressed me the most. If you want to see the most spotlessly clean (in appearance, flow, mechanics, and function) Spoon always delivers the best.

Speaking of delivering the best – Jesse scored a parting gift from our friends at Type One. Since they’re doing so many K swaps it seems they have little use for B series engines unless they land in some random SiR chassis. Of course those already have shift linkage so it was very little surprise when Jesse asked what they were doing with some gold shift linkage in the corner. A look of disgust and a stern “Scraaaap” meant Jesse was walking out of Type One with some free beefy Type R linkage. The lucky bastard walked down the street for a few blocks before noticing that there was still a Spoon Sports shifter bushing attached. How lucky can you get?