GINZA, TOKYO
DAISUKE'S R35 GTR
Quality built cars are an abundance in Japan.
When we first arrived at the land of rising sun, it didn't take us long to spot Daisuke & friends at a parking area hotspot near Tokyo Bay.
An embodiment of what we love to showcase at the-lowdown, this R35 carries the perfect mix of form and function through the owners curation of aesthetic and performance mods.
A selection of high-tier parts pieced together with amazing bodywork from Moontech, it's a car that you'll love to appreciate now, and in years to come.
GUNMA PREFECTURE
MOONTECH BMW M3'S
When we think of cars that are built to high quality, the first thing that comes to mind from Japan is Moontech. It didn't take long to recognise that a large number of high-quality cars in Japan were carrying the Moontech flag.
With immaculate bodywork, paint, engine details and seriously next-level interiors, Moontech cars represent the full package and create completely unique one-off creations.
We were fortunate enough to capture two beautiful E30s of theirs, the White one being owned by them and the Green one being a newly build Live To Offend E30 which was just finished for Tokyo Auto Salon.
MINATO CITY, TOKYO
ACR PERFORMANCE: THE EVOLUTION OF VANTAGE
The beast, untamed!
ACR PERFORMANCE is an original design, completely engineered, tested and produced by a race car driver in Tokyo. The ACR PERFORMANCE Aston Martin kits have risen to fame since Tokyo Auto Salon 2017 and it's one that we've wanted to capture and see in real life since then also.
You'll see and hear this thing coming with a full widebody carbon fibre kit, an intense rear diffuser and an AP Velocity exhaust. ACR PERFORMANCE widebody kits and parts are available to order for all Aston Martin owners across the globe.
Umihotaru Parking Area
MARVEL IN THE SEA
Built on an artifical island in the middle of the Tokyo Bay sea and surrounded by water, Umihotaru is a marvel that connects a bridge and underground tunnel across the bay. Plotted at the connection point is a parking area that's become a hotspot for modified cars.
Similar to Daikoku parking area, this was one of the first stops that we went to and the quality of cars was nothing short of amazing. View the sequence to see it all now.
AKIHABARA, TOKYO
SOUKILAND
It's Soukiland!
This next star is a music producer and DJ who, obviously, likes to customise his cars. Souki is no stranger to the JDM car scene; having owned a number of Kaido Racers in the past and present.
This attention-grabbing Lamborghini Diablo's wild widebody-kit was first conceptualised with a drawing and came to life over seven years by being completely handmade by the owner himself.
This car is not to be missed, with most frames captured throughout Akihabara, Shibuya and the Tokyo Bridge loop line.
MOUNT TSUKUBA
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN: TAKUMI'S PANSPEED RX-7
King of the mountain!
A one-of-a-kind build that's unique in appearance and purposeful in modifications, this car not only looks the goods, it's also got the function to back it up.
Takumi is no stranger to the car scene in Tokyo and globally with this car making the frequent rounds on social media. Thanks to his guidance and serious abilities to steer a car, this RX-7 will feature in its natural habitat.
Just like Initial D, you'll frequently find Takumi hitting the Tōge run up to Mount Tsukuba, so that's exactly where we shot it. For those who are local, a word of warning though, if you see him, don't run the race; you won't catch him.
CHIBA PREFECTURE
KAIDO RACERS
A deep part of Japanese culture, Kaido Racer's or otherwise known as highway racers started in the late '70s with popularity throughout the 80s youth to make their street cars look like race cars at the time.
Think racing wheels, custom paint jobs and wild exhausts/ These cars got bolder and wider over time and are made to grab attention. Featured in our short film is the Orange and Silver Datsun Skyline C210 and White and Green Datsun 30Z.
AKIHABARA, TOKYO
396 Motoring Honda NSX
For our selection of feature cars in Tokyo, we wanted to balance some of the bigger workshop cars with cars that have been build and customised by car owners themselves.
Tuning car culture in Japan is still so large that a lot of car owners still develop and produce their own custom kits, working on their cars by themselves. Suguru Isiai's NSX is an example of how an owners attention to detail can lead to the perfect build.
If you feel you've seen this car before, it's not the attention-grabbing underglow. This NSX has been featured in a number of recent music videos on the global platform including Ski Mask The Slump God's recent Shibuya track.
ROPPONGI, TOKYO
RWB MEET: A GATHERING OF UNICORNS
High quality car meets in Tokyo do happen, but you need to have your finger on the pulse and be in the know to find out what's going down and where. Thanks to our friends in Tokyo, we got wind of an RWB only meet going down in Roppongi, within Tokyo.
Flooded with locals, foreigners and every combination of RWB's that you have seen or could imagine, this meet was a sight to behold and is a must-watch as part of our short film.
Koto City, Tokyo
VEILSIDE MAZDA RX-7
The iconic Veilside RX-7 needs no introduction, so it's fitting for it to appear in our short film. Refreshing to see it in this custom Blue colour, it's a car that you'll often see on the streets of Tokyo and in the infamous Daikoku parking area.
24-year old Rio commissioned the build direclty from Veilside himself, after upgrading from an RX-8. Having been univeiled and specifically made for the iconic The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift franchise, the Veilside kit from the RX-7 had a strong and long-lasting impact in the modified car scene.
