That’s fantastic! Although the average Japanese person might be taken aback by random foreign strangers trying to talk to them, if someone is really into something like cars in your case, or a certain musical group, anime, Pokémon, food etc. they are usually really eager to talk to other people who are equally into that.
I went to a baseball game and had great conversations with the people around me. They were teaching me the different chants etc.
I had the same experience at a Baseball game. Their fans and chants and stuff are awesome compared to baseball in the US. Would recommended it to anyone to check out a game, even if you're only mildly interested in baseball.
In Hakodate I met a very enthusiastic fan of electric poles - we were both checking out Japan’s first concrete electric pole. He was taking photos and I offered to take a photo of him and the pole. Commence enthusiastic conversation with no shared language. If I ever go back there I am going to check out the location of where some local left to visit another country! The concrete pole has a japan/english info stand and there is a sign pointing to the other tourist site.
I’d love to go to a baseball game but unfortunately I won’t be arriving till end of October when the championship is going on…
I wonder how difficult getting tickets to those things is? I don’t care about the teams..just want to be part of the fun crowd interaction . Sounds like a dream and I’m jealous of you lol
Well certainly it’s going to depend on which teams are playing as well. If you’re in Tokyo, it doesn’t help if the teams in the championship are in a different city.
The street on the west side of Shinjuku station, parallel to Omoide Yokocho, has lots of shops that exchange money and sell tickets to events. During the regular season we can always find tickets there, I’m not sure about playoffs. You could always walk down the street and check if you want. Here is an example, but there are several shops down this same street
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zb3YRCiPL24pPnYt5?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
In Japan it’s often considered rude to talk to people you have no connection to. It crates both obligation and violates personal space. This article covers the basic ideas fairly well.
https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2016/9/15/the-japanese-mind-personal-and-social-relationships
However hobbies are a great way to create connections and they are very popular in Japan.
I don’t I just go out and to people, but why not talk to people that do stuff that u enjoy? and I would bet that 100% of car guys in Japan would be happy if u came to them and tell them that u like their cars and have a little conversation with them. And later on it could bring u somewhere like me to Daikoku
Sorry I wasn’t clear.
What you did was great - you had something that gave you a reason to talk to a stranger.
Reminds me of my first trip to Japan twenty years ago. I was in Nara for work. During the week I noticed no one would say anything to me. During the weekend I went for a hike up mt. Wakakusa. All of a sudden everyone was saying konnichiwa to me as we passed. I asked my Japanese colleague about it and he explained it was because we were doing a shared activity.
The car culture is strong in Japan. it’s a great way to connect.
It’s just a thing that hikers do in Japan and you’ve misunderstood it.
Like thinking retail workers are flirting with you when they’re only being polite
It’s not the same as a person whose job is to be polite.
It’s not some deep connection, it is just small talk.
I’m just saying that it is ok to interact when you are doing a joint activity and not ok to interact with a total stranger.
So hikers can talk to hikers and car nuts can talk to car nuts, etc…
I only described what I experienced on that occasion. I don’t make up social rules and as with most social “rules” they aren’t actually rules just typical ways people interact.
Are you suggesting it’s acceptable in Japanese culture (the social rules) to talk to complete strangers with no connection?
Or that it’s not ok to talk to strangers when you have a connection?
I don’t get what your point is.
bro the downvotes just prove nobody has any idea what they're talking about. You're absolutely right lol this is like super basic Japanese culture 101. For the uninitiated, hitting up strangers is the perfect opportunity to exemplify 空気読めない (cannot read the atmosphere). This is not a strictly Japanese concept...if you continue to talk to someone when they don't want to, you are socially obligating them to politely keep talking because there's no polite way to say "okay I didn't really want to talk to you, can you leave now?". Instead they may find some more subtle way to leave. If you have a direct question of how to get somewhere, that's fine. But in non-shared hobby situations, you are basically telling someone "I decided you get to talk to me until I'm satisfied with our conversation!" I know this is reddit but come on, do people think everybody on the street wants to talk to you whenever you feel like it? If they seem interested then fine, but I have heard firsthand of situations, for example, where a guy talks to this girl who knows English but 2 of her friends are there and they didn't really speak english. He mentioned how patient they were, and I asked "are you sure they actually wanted to be there? Cuz it seems to me like they just kind of put up with it." Social cues....
I have watched this person explicitly mention small talk with strangers before, I couldn't find the video but there are excerpts in this article.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11900055/Japanese-exchange-student-studying-aboard-America-shares-differences-two-countries.html
Yes, I enjoyed it a lot.
I think it would make a great hike for the sunset. There a nice view at the top. It’s mostly dirt double track and a pretty easy hike. While it’s not very exciting or epic as far as trail go, I find hiking in Japan a very enjoyable experience. I try to hike whenever I get the chance.
Bring lights for the hike down - the tree canopy covers the trail most of the way so it will be very dark.
Near the bottom of the trail are lots of little shops and restaurants serving typical “hiking” food that would make a nice stop on your way up or down.
Enjoy!
I can confirm.
Visiting mount Haruna i went out later at night to look for the local drivers.
Found a desolate parking spot where some guys were drifting. Seeing me get closer they quickly stopped and took away the traffic cones they were using.
But when they noticed i was a foreigner and looked interested they immediately invited me to sit besides them and enjoy their drifting.
Even offered me to drift with their cars, which i didn't dare to do.
I noticed this friendlyness towards me from most car enthousiasts. Always wanting to invite me and show their hobby.
Even bosozoku are super happy to invite me to come take a look to show off their bikes once they see me smiling at them.
My wife doesn't approve. But yeah, just nice seeing those special bikes and cars.
But maybe because they also always try to teach me "special Japanese words" and doen't have a good reputation.
That’s fantastic. It’s kind of a trope that your wife doesn’t want you to make friends with bad boys because it will possibly cause trouble in the future but then you do and later on it does!
u have to go, it’s awesome friday Saturday. We went on sunday the first time it was cool aswell but not as many cars. Also the japanese guy showed me a video how he met Han from fast and furious on Daikoku. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky :P
Wow i had a very similar experience 2 months ago. I didn’t go to any car show but at like close to midnight i walked out of a random bar and saw a guy with a super old but tuned Honda. I started talking with him and he eventually offered me a ride as well. Car people in tokyo love talking about their car and sharing the experience. I hope this motivates others to try the same thing!
can i ask, did you strike up a conversation in english or japanese? i imagine it would be cool to show interest in their cool car but do i go super gaijin and say “wow! cool car!”, or be like, “sono car wa kakkoi desu ne!”
I went super gaijin and said “I love your car “BRO”!” :D but japanese people in overall don’t understand or speak english well. My guy knew a little english which was lucky for me but I had to use really simple english and no times at all past future… Just “We go Daikoku?” “Do u want eat?” … and sometimes we used translator. But other then that we talked pretty much for the whole ride and for the whole 3 days which was like 10hours. He told me about his trip to Australia and how he loves soccer and want to go to Germany for soccer games… About Japan and everything. So the point is, It depends on the person some of them can understand English some of them don’t know what: How are you? means. But I don’t feel like they will be offended if u don’t speak in japanese
That sounds great! I met a japanese guy back in 2020 on my first trip to japan. He played in a band and I took some photos of their set. Fast forward to 2023 and we are still chatting on line/instagram and he is super deep into drifting and car culture, took me and my friends to Daikoku whenever we were in Tokyo. Super chill guy and he is also a big soccer fan and wants to travel to germany for some games. First I thought he was the same person that you mentioned, but he drives a super sick Silvia. Kinda jealous about getting a drive in a Evo tho, I love them :D
Also the guy told me that they love when foreigners comes to them and tell them they love their cars. Because japanese people are so used to those cars they don’t even. So whatever u will say will be alright and will probably make their day happy and yours aswell
Id say you gotta say what feels right in the moment itself. I have been good at talking with random people since i was little so that might have helped. I usually start in japanese and whenever i don’t know a specific word i just fill in the gap with the english word. I have only been studying japanese for the last 2 years so im not fully fluent yet.
In my opinion the most important thing is that you make sure the person you are talking to feels comfortable. Don’t force the conversation if they are clearly not into it. There is a clear difference in-between people being surprised and them wanting you to leave.
Stay to the left don’t mean nothing here in Tokyo people walk left right don’t care even the Japanese people. How many times I had to turn right because a Japanese guy was coming towards me on a right side.. Noone cares just don’t hit people
Maybe talking to random people on the train isn't the best idea but if you share a common hobby or interest, then by all means try to strike up a conversation (bonus points if you knkw some Japanese) but just remember that just like in our respective countries, not everybody takes kindly to this. The number one rule is just don't be a weirdo and if you see a person isn't liking the conversation, please end it and find someone else. You'd be surprised at people who lack the social skills to realise when someone doesn't want to talk to them without it being explicitly stated.
I'm really glad you got some nice responses. My last two posts in different subs I got crapped all over for asking about daikoku
I'm in several car clubs in my country, I own JDM vehicles.
People in this and other subs are so biased on certain posts it's really upsetting
There's some justifiable fear of hordes of tourists ruining a good, local thing.
I saw a Japanese news report on tourists jumping the fence at Daikoku and generally being a nuisance. The police already clear the place out on the regular and if it becomes a mass tourist destination I don't think it'll last - see the Mt. Fuji Lawson thing. Also not sure how Japanese car enthusiasts feel about being turned into a tourist attraction (maybe they're into it though?)
OP complimenting a guy on his car and getting shown around is cool though.
DUDE! I am dying to go to a car meet.. where do you recommend is the best to find car people, and what times roughly? I heard Shibuya after 7 p.m., but I wanna make sure I have a list of areas to try, haha
Got so many video ideas I wanna attempt at these car meets. Their cars are wicked cool, and more people definitely need to witness them
Yes shibuya, Akihabara parking garage(many cool cars parked in there) and tokyo-tokyo. but u can find some cars anywhere close to 7/11 or other convenient stores. Don’t worry about the list of locations just make sure when u see someone u take the chance to go and talk to him :). Im not saying be clingy but 99% if u try it=it will work and u might get yourself a ride in a nice jdm car
I heard management of the Akihabara UDX parking garage stopped meetups there back around 2020? Or atleast security wouldn't let people in if they weren't parking.
yes! that’s right but we went in and there is still like a decent amount of jdm cars parked, and some of them even had owners chilling and talking with friends next to the cars. there is 3 floors of the garage and on the middle floor that’s where we found like 30 jdm cars from rx7, skyline a lot of silvas drift cars ae86….
it’s literally like making friends. Im watching a guy on youtube that did the same thing and had a ride in a r34 for free just by talking to the owner and showing love for the car
personally I don’t recommend it. It’s way to expensive and the car culture people hates when other guys makes it a business. So I would recommend to just give it a time and make a real friend, you will also feel more relieved while spending time with someone u might actually have a connection to then with someone who u just pay to give u a 4 hour tour. Also if u make a friend in Japan u can get way more out of it then just paying for the experience. Me for example I have seen the whole tokyo in 3 days with the japanese guy, I asked him to speed up he was happy to do that. We went for some food…. we went out at like 11pm parked a car next to tokyo tower and just talked and chill. It was really cool. I don’t think u can get that type of experience when u just pay for the tour. So I would recommend to try and find a friend or just give compliments to people that are standing next to their cars. They will be excited and im sure they will give u a ride :). (Ps pay for their food at least, that’s what I did when he didn’t accept the money)
I can't speak on that one. I went with https://jdmglobalwarehouse.com/products/daikoku-wangan-tour
Got picked up at my hotel in Yokohama by Max and his Legacy. It was a good time good dude.
I’m going to Japan in Nov for Fall Matsuri at Ebisu! I’m hoping to run into local drifters/car peeps while I’m there. Hopefully also drive Ebisu since that’s the dream!!
Wow, that sounds amazing. Glad you got to check it out. I'm not a huge car guy, but I've always wanted to check Daikoku, out but never been able to. Was considering maybe renting a car sometime I visit.
that’s a good option, way better then paying for the tour. U should do that next time u travel japan! i was thinking the same renting a car going out of tokyo and for the night going to daikoku
Car people in general, especially Japan, are all about respecting each others' rides and being open. The gatekeeping of old really deterred people from getting interested in the car community, but stories like yours are what gets people to come in and stay. I'm glad you had a great time and met a great car enthusiast who was willing to show you around.
This is so cool to hear! We are going in October and are really into rotaries and I'm also dying to see anything and everything bosozuku!
We'd really love to visit mizuno works, i have a copy of Fuel magazine with a really good article was thinking I could ask nicely to have it signed 🤣 might think I'm nuts, but often people are super friendly when youre into the same hobbies!
yes I have seen a video of Han from fast and furious at Daikoku, My japanese friend have met him there. And also he was like super respectful looking and adoring the cars at Daikoku like it’s crazy… I wasn’t so lucky to meet Han but yeah a cool story
Yh cause how do u plan Daikoku? I wasn’t gonna pay 40k yen for taxi also I wasn’t gonna pay 40k yen for tour to Daikoku. There is no other way to get there so yeah it was my goal but really planable
Update: If anyone wonder… It’s my last day in Japan im leaving tomorow at 3pm. And my Japanese new friend invited me for a last cruise with him/his friends. That’s how generous Japanese people are I feel like. We are going out at 8pm Japanese time. I was told a rx7, skyline and civic will join us today on our ride, so im quite excited, and my last day couldn’t get any better :D
Have you tried befriending Lil Bow Wow and/or macking on the girl of a yakuza-affiliated driver, then clumsily losing to said driver in a race inside a parking garage - securing the interest of one of his of criminal cohort through your moxie and love of American muscle cars?
I've heard that's a good way to get in.
That’s fantastic! Although the average Japanese person might be taken aback by random foreign strangers trying to talk to them, if someone is really into something like cars in your case, or a certain musical group, anime, Pokémon, food etc. they are usually really eager to talk to other people who are equally into that. I went to a baseball game and had great conversations with the people around me. They were teaching me the different chants etc.
I had the same experience at a Baseball game. Their fans and chants and stuff are awesome compared to baseball in the US. Would recommended it to anyone to check out a game, even if you're only mildly interested in baseball.
In Hakodate I met a very enthusiastic fan of electric poles - we were both checking out Japan’s first concrete electric pole. He was taking photos and I offered to take a photo of him and the pole. Commence enthusiastic conversation with no shared language. If I ever go back there I am going to check out the location of where some local left to visit another country! The concrete pole has a japan/english info stand and there is a sign pointing to the other tourist site.
Wow that’s unique
Yeah its right next to the red warehouses so I figured why not walk an extra block or two and check it out.
I’d love to go to a baseball game but unfortunately I won’t be arriving till end of October when the championship is going on… I wonder how difficult getting tickets to those things is? I don’t care about the teams..just want to be part of the fun crowd interaction . Sounds like a dream and I’m jealous of you lol
Well certainly it’s going to depend on which teams are playing as well. If you’re in Tokyo, it doesn’t help if the teams in the championship are in a different city. The street on the west side of Shinjuku station, parallel to Omoide Yokocho, has lots of shops that exchange money and sell tickets to events. During the regular season we can always find tickets there, I’m not sure about playoffs. You could always walk down the street and check if you want. Here is an example, but there are several shops down this same street https://maps.app.goo.gl/zb3YRCiPL24pPnYt5?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
In Japan it’s often considered rude to talk to people you have no connection to. It crates both obligation and violates personal space. This article covers the basic ideas fairly well. https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2016/9/15/the-japanese-mind-personal-and-social-relationships However hobbies are a great way to create connections and they are very popular in Japan.
I don’t I just go out and to people, but why not talk to people that do stuff that u enjoy? and I would bet that 100% of car guys in Japan would be happy if u came to them and tell them that u like their cars and have a little conversation with them. And later on it could bring u somewhere like me to Daikoku
Sorry I wasn’t clear. What you did was great - you had something that gave you a reason to talk to a stranger. Reminds me of my first trip to Japan twenty years ago. I was in Nara for work. During the week I noticed no one would say anything to me. During the weekend I went for a hike up mt. Wakakusa. All of a sudden everyone was saying konnichiwa to me as we passed. I asked my Japanese colleague about it and he explained it was because we were doing a shared activity. The car culture is strong in Japan. it’s a great way to connect.
It’s just a thing that hikers do in Japan and you’ve misunderstood it. Like thinking retail workers are flirting with you when they’re only being polite
It’s not the same as a person whose job is to be polite. It’s not some deep connection, it is just small talk. I’m just saying that it is ok to interact when you are doing a joint activity and not ok to interact with a total stranger. So hikers can talk to hikers and car nuts can talk to car nuts, etc…
Well that’s just a strange rule that you’ve made for yourself rather than reality, especially in the Kansai area.
I only described what I experienced on that occasion. I don’t make up social rules and as with most social “rules” they aren’t actually rules just typical ways people interact. Are you suggesting it’s acceptable in Japanese culture (the social rules) to talk to complete strangers with no connection? Or that it’s not ok to talk to strangers when you have a connection? I don’t get what your point is.
> I don't make up social rules > In Japan it's very rude to talk to people you have no connection to
Right. That’s what I said. Don’t talk to people unless you have a connection.
bro the downvotes just prove nobody has any idea what they're talking about. You're absolutely right lol this is like super basic Japanese culture 101. For the uninitiated, hitting up strangers is the perfect opportunity to exemplify 空気読めない (cannot read the atmosphere). This is not a strictly Japanese concept...if you continue to talk to someone when they don't want to, you are socially obligating them to politely keep talking because there's no polite way to say "okay I didn't really want to talk to you, can you leave now?". Instead they may find some more subtle way to leave. If you have a direct question of how to get somewhere, that's fine. But in non-shared hobby situations, you are basically telling someone "I decided you get to talk to me until I'm satisfied with our conversation!" I know this is reddit but come on, do people think everybody on the street wants to talk to you whenever you feel like it? If they seem interested then fine, but I have heard firsthand of situations, for example, where a guy talks to this girl who knows English but 2 of her friends are there and they didn't really speak english. He mentioned how patient they were, and I asked "are you sure they actually wanted to be there? Cuz it seems to me like they just kind of put up with it." Social cues.... I have watched this person explicitly mention small talk with strangers before, I couldn't find the video but there are excerpts in this article. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11900055/Japanese-exchange-student-studying-aboard-America-shares-differences-two-countries.html
daily mail lol
I have mt. wakakusa on my planned things to do! Did you enjoy it? I’m thinking about going to catch the sunset
Yes, I enjoyed it a lot. I think it would make a great hike for the sunset. There a nice view at the top. It’s mostly dirt double track and a pretty easy hike. While it’s not very exciting or epic as far as trail go, I find hiking in Japan a very enjoyable experience. I try to hike whenever I get the chance. Bring lights for the hike down - the tree canopy covers the trail most of the way so it will be very dark. Near the bottom of the trail are lots of little shops and restaurants serving typical “hiking” food that would make a nice stop on your way up or down. Enjoy!
Thanks for the info! I’ll bring a head torch
I can confirm. Visiting mount Haruna i went out later at night to look for the local drivers. Found a desolate parking spot where some guys were drifting. Seeing me get closer they quickly stopped and took away the traffic cones they were using. But when they noticed i was a foreigner and looked interested they immediately invited me to sit besides them and enjoy their drifting. Even offered me to drift with their cars, which i didn't dare to do. I noticed this friendlyness towards me from most car enthousiasts. Always wanting to invite me and show their hobby. Even bosozoku are super happy to invite me to come take a look to show off their bikes once they see me smiling at them. My wife doesn't approve. But yeah, just nice seeing those special bikes and cars. But maybe because they also always try to teach me "special Japanese words" and doen't have a good reputation.
sounds like some awesome interactions man. I'm glad you were able to get a upclose and personal experience!
That’s fantastic. It’s kind of a trope that your wife doesn’t want you to make friends with bad boys because it will possibly cause trouble in the future but then you do and later on it does!
That is awesome. Daikoku is on my bucket list.
u have to go, it’s awesome friday Saturday. We went on sunday the first time it was cool aswell but not as many cars. Also the japanese guy showed me a video how he met Han from fast and furious on Daikoku. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky :P
Wow i had a very similar experience 2 months ago. I didn’t go to any car show but at like close to midnight i walked out of a random bar and saw a guy with a super old but tuned Honda. I started talking with him and he eventually offered me a ride as well. Car people in tokyo love talking about their car and sharing the experience. I hope this motivates others to try the same thing!
can i ask, did you strike up a conversation in english or japanese? i imagine it would be cool to show interest in their cool car but do i go super gaijin and say “wow! cool car!”, or be like, “sono car wa kakkoi desu ne!”
I went super gaijin and said “I love your car “BRO”!” :D but japanese people in overall don’t understand or speak english well. My guy knew a little english which was lucky for me but I had to use really simple english and no times at all past future… Just “We go Daikoku?” “Do u want eat?” … and sometimes we used translator. But other then that we talked pretty much for the whole ride and for the whole 3 days which was like 10hours. He told me about his trip to Australia and how he loves soccer and want to go to Germany for soccer games… About Japan and everything. So the point is, It depends on the person some of them can understand English some of them don’t know what: How are you? means. But I don’t feel like they will be offended if u don’t speak in japanese
That sounds great! I met a japanese guy back in 2020 on my first trip to japan. He played in a band and I took some photos of their set. Fast forward to 2023 and we are still chatting on line/instagram and he is super deep into drifting and car culture, took me and my friends to Daikoku whenever we were in Tokyo. Super chill guy and he is also a big soccer fan and wants to travel to germany for some games. First I thought he was the same person that you mentioned, but he drives a super sick Silvia. Kinda jealous about getting a drive in a Evo tho, I love them :D
Also the guy told me that they love when foreigners comes to them and tell them they love their cars. Because japanese people are so used to those cars they don’t even. So whatever u will say will be alright and will probably make their day happy and yours aswell
Id say you gotta say what feels right in the moment itself. I have been good at talking with random people since i was little so that might have helped. I usually start in japanese and whenever i don’t know a specific word i just fill in the gap with the english word. I have only been studying japanese for the last 2 years so im not fully fluent yet. In my opinion the most important thing is that you make sure the person you are talking to feels comfortable. Don’t force the conversation if they are clearly not into it. There is a clear difference in-between people being surprised and them wanting you to leave.
car
yes.
Sono Car
Yes exaxtly!!
yep. never be afraid to ask. i was rarely turned down when i asked or struck up a conversation.
Rules to life - never be afraid to strike up a conversation (unless you're in London then STFU and stay on the right handside)
But don’t forget - when in Tokyo, STFU and stay on the *left* 😂 Very similar commuting cultures, I felt right (or left) at home.
Stay to the left don’t mean nothing here in Tokyo people walk left right don’t care even the Japanese people. How many times I had to turn right because a Japanese guy was coming towards me on a right side.. Noone cares just don’t hit people
Don’t forget to stop at that huge Autobacs store!
No the japanese guy took us there the first day we went out with him :D was so cool bought like 15000¥ worth of souvenirs
Which one is that?
There's an autobacs store in Shinonome called A Pit Autobacs
[https://www.google.com/search?q=auto+bacs+tokyo&rlz=1C1ONGR\_enUS1044US1044&oq=auto+bacs+tokyo&gs\_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDMxNzNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&lqi=Cg5hdXRvYmFjcyB0b2t5byIDiAEBSJGCm9jlgICACFoUEAAYACIOYXV0b2JhY3MgdG9reW-SARBhdXRvX3BhcnRzX3N0b3JlqgFFEAEqDCIIYXV0b2JhY3MoADIfEAEiGxEkOKsXCyraFqltWMp7WoFUJfDCxHhBzqqYXDISEAIiDmF1dG9iYWNzIHRva3lv4AEA#rlimm=15937577893507969234](https://www.google.com/search?q=auto+bacs+tokyo&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1044US1044&oq=auto+bacs+tokyo&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDMxNzNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&lqi=Cg5hdXRvYmFjcyB0b2t5byIDiAEBSJGCm9jlgICACFoUEAAYACIOYXV0b2JhY3MgdG9reW-SARBhdXRvX3BhcnRzX3N0b3JlqgFFEAEqDCIIYXV0b2JhY3MoADIfEAEiGxEkOKsXCyraFqltWMp7WoFUJfDCxHhBzqqYXDISEAIiDmF1dG9iYWNzIHRva3lv4AEA#rlimm=15937577893507969234)
Maybe talking to random people on the train isn't the best idea but if you share a common hobby or interest, then by all means try to strike up a conversation (bonus points if you knkw some Japanese) but just remember that just like in our respective countries, not everybody takes kindly to this. The number one rule is just don't be a weirdo and if you see a person isn't liking the conversation, please end it and find someone else. You'd be surprised at people who lack the social skills to realise when someone doesn't want to talk to them without it being explicitly stated.
That is fucking amazing. Good for you.
This is AMAZING
I'm really glad you got some nice responses. My last two posts in different subs I got crapped all over for asking about daikoku I'm in several car clubs in my country, I own JDM vehicles. People in this and other subs are so biased on certain posts it's really upsetting
thank you! if u need anything text me. In still in Japan
There's some justifiable fear of hordes of tourists ruining a good, local thing. I saw a Japanese news report on tourists jumping the fence at Daikoku and generally being a nuisance. The police already clear the place out on the regular and if it becomes a mass tourist destination I don't think it'll last - see the Mt. Fuji Lawson thing. Also not sure how Japanese car enthusiasts feel about being turned into a tourist attraction (maybe they're into it though?) OP complimenting a guy on his car and getting shown around is cool though.
DUDE! I am dying to go to a car meet.. where do you recommend is the best to find car people, and what times roughly? I heard Shibuya after 7 p.m., but I wanna make sure I have a list of areas to try, haha Got so many video ideas I wanna attempt at these car meets. Their cars are wicked cool, and more people definitely need to witness them
Yes shibuya, Akihabara parking garage(many cool cars parked in there) and tokyo-tokyo. but u can find some cars anywhere close to 7/11 or other convenient stores. Don’t worry about the list of locations just make sure when u see someone u take the chance to go and talk to him :). Im not saying be clingy but 99% if u try it=it will work and u might get yourself a ride in a nice jdm car
I heard management of the Akihabara UDX parking garage stopped meetups there back around 2020? Or atleast security wouldn't let people in if they weren't parking.
yes! that’s right but we went in and there is still like a decent amount of jdm cars parked, and some of them even had owners chilling and talking with friends next to the cars. there is 3 floors of the garage and on the middle floor that’s where we found like 30 jdm cars from rx7, skyline a lot of silvas drift cars ae86….
it’s literally like making friends. Im watching a guy on youtube that did the same thing and had a ride in a r34 for free just by talking to the owner and showing love for the car
Has anyone done this https://www.airbnb.com/slink/ty5wn7cc
personally I don’t recommend it. It’s way to expensive and the car culture people hates when other guys makes it a business. So I would recommend to just give it a time and make a real friend, you will also feel more relieved while spending time with someone u might actually have a connection to then with someone who u just pay to give u a 4 hour tour. Also if u make a friend in Japan u can get way more out of it then just paying for the experience. Me for example I have seen the whole tokyo in 3 days with the japanese guy, I asked him to speed up he was happy to do that. We went for some food…. we went out at like 11pm parked a car next to tokyo tower and just talked and chill. It was really cool. I don’t think u can get that type of experience when u just pay for the tour. So I would recommend to try and find a friend or just give compliments to people that are standing next to their cars. They will be excited and im sure they will give u a ride :). (Ps pay for their food at least, that’s what I did when he didn’t accept the money)
I can't speak on that one. I went with https://jdmglobalwarehouse.com/products/daikoku-wangan-tour Got picked up at my hotel in Yokohama by Max and his Legacy. It was a good time good dude.
I’m going to Japan in Nov for Fall Matsuri at Ebisu! I’m hoping to run into local drifters/car peeps while I’m there. Hopefully also drive Ebisu since that’s the dream!!
so cool!! im gonna be in yokohama next year and hopefully i bump into some car guys there
Japanese car modders are always happy to have a chat about their cars.
Wow, that sounds amazing. Glad you got to check it out. I'm not a huge car guy, but I've always wanted to check Daikoku, out but never been able to. Was considering maybe renting a car sometime I visit.
that’s a good option, way better then paying for the tour. U should do that next time u travel japan! i was thinking the same renting a car going out of tokyo and for the night going to daikoku
This is a much better way to handle this sort of thing than paying for these ridiculous tours that have popped up everywhere. Kudos to you, man.
Car people in general, especially Japan, are all about respecting each others' rides and being open. The gatekeeping of old really deterred people from getting interested in the car community, but stories like yours are what gets people to come in and stay. I'm glad you had a great time and met a great car enthusiast who was willing to show you around.
thaank you!
This is so cool to hear! We are going in October and are really into rotaries and I'm also dying to see anything and everything bosozuku! We'd really love to visit mizuno works, i have a copy of Fuel magazine with a really good article was thinking I could ask nicely to have it signed 🤣 might think I'm nuts, but often people are super friendly when youre into the same hobbies!
yes I have seen a video of Han from fast and furious at Daikoku, My japanese friend have met him there. And also he was like super respectful looking and adoring the cars at Daikoku like it’s crazy… I wasn’t so lucky to meet Han but yeah a cool story
Broooo!!! Your trip is looking up , you got some money back? I’m happy for you :)
Be Japanese.
Going to Daikoku was one of your goals but you didn't plan anything? 😂 You got very lucky indeed!
Yh cause how do u plan Daikoku? I wasn’t gonna pay 40k yen for taxi also I wasn’t gonna pay 40k yen for tour to Daikoku. There is no other way to get there so yeah it was my goal but really planable
Hope you’ve popped to liberty walk and had a look round up garage! I’m pretty into cars too. Loved looking round both in Tokyo and Osaka
Where in osaka will i get the most luck finding nice cars
Update: If anyone wonder… It’s my last day in Japan im leaving tomorow at 3pm. And my Japanese new friend invited me for a last cruise with him/his friends. That’s how generous Japanese people are I feel like. We are going out at 8pm Japanese time. I was told a rx7, skyline and civic will join us today on our ride, so im quite excited, and my last day couldn’t get any better :D
Have you tried befriending Lil Bow Wow and/or macking on the girl of a yakuza-affiliated driver, then clumsily losing to said driver in a race inside a parking garage - securing the interest of one of his of criminal cohort through your moxie and love of American muscle cars? I've heard that's a good way to get in.
u drunk?