Car Spotting in Tokyo

I recently got to visit Japan for the third time. For many, that’s not a big deal. For me however, I long wondered if I would ever visit at all, but dreamed of at least going once. To have been able to return twice after the first trip is something for which I feel deep gratitude. I’m not sure what I did to deserve this life, but I’ll take it.

Now that’s out of the way… On this trip, I brought my wife along for her first visit. This meant two things: I could finally share this wonderful place with my spouse, and I wouldn’t get to see a lot of cars. I didn’t want to bore her to death, so no car related activities were planned aside from a quick stop at The Toyota History Garage which I could squeeze in while she and a friend checked out the adjacent mall.

As I’ve discovered in previous trips, cool cars are almost everywhere in the Tokyo area. So I had no shortage of opportunities to capture these interesting rides.

Part 1: Random Shots

These are just pics I randomly shot while walking around Tokyo.

I’m not sure the exact model of this one, but I just loved coming around a corner to see a minivan sporting a Mugen grille.

Not sure what this one is, but a micro-van with a hood scoop is just cool

Beautiful old school Mercedes wagon parked at a FamilyMart

Second gen Camaro in front of Yotsuya Station

A super-clean classic Mini near Yostuya Station

Toyota Mark-X G’s Racing Edition. I saw a ton of cars I wish they would bring to the US, and this is one for sure. Beautiful big-bodied car with an aggressive look

C7 Corvette driving around Nishi-Shinjuku

Part 2: The most beautiful FD I’ve ever seen

I was headed to Akihabara one evening to try and spot some cars, an R34 GTR V-Spec II goes roaring by too quickly to get my camera out. A bit dejected, I walked along a few moments before spotting perhaps the best looking FD in the world. Simply stunning. I had soon forgotten about my missed R34.

Part 3: Toyota History Garage

This is actually my third time to see this great museum. I’ll still visit it every time I go as they rotate their exhibits so there’s always something new to see.

Part 4: A crazy hour in Akihabara

So I knew from years of reading JDM blogs that Akihabara was a good place to spot interesting cars as it’s an area where people cruise around pretty regularly. One evening my wife had turned in early, so I decided to sneak off to the neon mecca to try my luck. I was there almost exactly one hour and was not at all prepared for what I was going to see.

This noisy RX8 was my first taste of things to come

JZA80 Supra in the best color that car was ever offered in

People might be wondering wtf a Prius is doing on this post, but I’m a sucker for people modifying odd cars. Honestly, I thought this one looked really good.

Old American Iron looking a bit out of place, but somehow right at home.

From a distance I thought this was a DC2 Integra Type-R. As it got closed I realized it was an AE111 Levin.

As an NB owner myself, I was pleased to see this nice example. The driver caught me snapping him, but right after we exchanged thumbs ups, so he seemed cooled with it.

The driver of this very distinct FD was flapping his headlights at me as I shot this one.

S15 with quite the livery and a massive intercooler

As I stood on the main drag in Akihabara, another tourist noticed me and tipped me off to a side street where a bunch of cars were parked. It turns out there was an impromptu meetup just around the corner.

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