Event>>kyusha Life @ The New Year Meeting

Last fall when I began planning my trip to Japan, I wanted to make sure our visit included some cool automotive events. Tokyo Auto Salon came to mind of course, but being a classic car nut there was one event I absolutely had to see this year – the JCCA New Year Meeting in Odaiba.

The last time I attended the New Year was back in 2009, and ever since I've had the itch to get back for a fix of vintage Japanese motoring.

If you remember from our past coverage, the New Year Meet really has two sides with very different personalities. There's the "main event" – which is a gathering of classics from all over Japan. Everything from Toyotas and Alfas to finned Plymouths.

There's also the huge swap meet full of rare parts, collectables, and other goodies. Extremely dangerous territory for me…

Then outside of the JCCA event itself you have the parking lots, a completely different experience.

It's here where you see the real heart of Japan's kyusha world – set to the background sounds of side draft carbs, straight pipes, and musical horns.

A lot of the people that come to the New Year Meeting don't even go into the main event. For them it's a day full of hanging out and talking cars in the parking lot. This shakotan Hakosuka that rolled down from Ibaraki is just one of the gems found in the parking lot this year.

No matter what your taste in old cars is, there's something to love at the New Year Meeting. Whether it's American cars, or amesha as they are known in Japan…

…or rare domestic classics like this Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT-R.

As you can see, they pack them tight at the New Year Meeting. This trio of Mazda Porter Cab trucks belong to the "Gachapin Research Club". If you've ever seen the famous Japanese character you'll immediately see the resemblance.

Technical Shop Happy's stunning Lotus 47GT – capable of lapping Tsukuba Circuit in 56 seconds!

The overall atmosphere at the New Year Meeting is great. Despite the cold weather, everyone is friendly and laid back. There's no attitude and no ego to be found.

I ended up spending lots of time browsing through the swap meet I was thinking about putting together a separate post on some of this swap meet goodness. Good idea?

Diecast fans could spend hours just looking through all the scale cars for sale at the New Year Meeting – completely ignoring any of the life size models.

After the swap meet it was off to the parking lot to catch the parade of machinery rolling in and out.

There was everything from certified classics like the Toyota Sports 800…

…to waves of lowdown street machines from all over the Kanto area. The New Year Meeting parking lot is the place to be.

Even though I'd been to the New Year Meeting a couple times before, I still wasn't prepared for the sensory overload that it brings.

This is absolute heaven for those who love kyusha culture.

By the time I was done shooting it was already dusk and the event had pretty much wrapped up. 

I'm glad I stuck around though, as I had a front row seat to watch everyone head home in their nostalgic machines.

Alright then, now that we've had this quick little intro I'll be moving on to my detailed my look at the magic that was the 2012 New Year Meeting.

Stay tuned!

-Mike Garrett

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1

That Hako on equips, soooooo good.

2

Old lotus = 56 seconds @ Tsukuba?!?



video or gtfo!

3

Pretty cool car's there, i would especially love to see more of the swap meet as i have a similar dangerous affiliation with them.

4

seems like forever since you posted the first photo! more more more =D

5

@bakayaru: I could only find a qualifying table from the "summer festival at Tsukuba circuit. It did a lap time of 0.57.911. Source:http://www.jasc.or.jp/result/2002/4/brains_q.html You'll need to translate the page.

6

More pics of the Cosmo!

7

The Sports 800 looks great in green!

8

@bakayaru - check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAA_5j4MMxA

not 56 sec Tsukuba vid but that old lotus is FAAASSST!

9

I love swap meets, old car parts make great decorations

10

Can't wait to read the rest!!!! Much excitement!!!

11

Absolutely awesome cars! I´d like to go there some day!

12

Swap meet please.

13

Please more Cosmo!!!

14

Hi, i found many other interesting pictures of this meeting here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ka_ry/sets/72157629078399665/

15

Nice post! Did you take any snaps of that red Fiat X1/9 thats behind the Lotus Europa? A pic would be muchly appreciated :)

17

'capable of lapping Tsukuba Circuit in 56 seconds!' lol! right ,,,

18

Wow, this brings back memories, Mr. Mike Garrett. I really miss auto-otaku. I can't wait for the awesome coverage! Finally, a refreshing take on Japanese car culture! Thank you! I'll be looking forward to your posts!

19

The lotus can do Tsukuba in that time? Seems like a nice base to start with rather than using all the tuner machines that are so popular. Now if only they were easily to be obtained....

20

Bring on the swap meets pics!







Great post btw!

21

japan has nice cars and i love that 4-door skyline brillant but what i dont understand is how in the hell does this people deck out a car to perfectes?

22

Pls post up swap meet pics.

23

more pics of the vettes please

24

Please make a post about the swap meet!!!

25

you were in Kanto looking at cars? shoulda caught a bulbasaur!

26

240 blew my mind

27

that convertible stingray with sidepipes, hummmmmmmmmm

28

My heart can't take much more

29

This is heaven! Please bring more pictures, and rare cars too! Celicas, Crestas, rotary Mazdas, Galants, S30 Z, etc.

30

Technical Shop Happy's stunning Lotus 47GT <--- NEED spotlight and video

31

loving the swap meet photos, I'd love to see more. plus the mazda porters do look alot like Gachapin :D



MOAR PLZ

33

"benji said:

'capable of lapping Tsukuba Circuit in 56 seconds!' lol! right ,,,"



Yes right. That's what racing cars do.

34

That lotus 47GT HAS RACING TIRES... so of course it can lapt near 56 seconds... if Time Atack cars had those tires, they could do much better too

35

love reading posts like these.. and you definitely should do a seperate post on the swap-meet side of the show!

36

more pics of the trans am in the fifth pic!

37

Whenever I can I like to stroll through the parking lot at events I attend. Whether it's a Hot Rod show, a race event or something else - there's always cool machines to be found outside in these parking areas. The lot at the JCCA New Year Meeting

38

I would love to see said coverage of the swap meet. Great post!

39

thanks for the videos on that Lotus. mind is utterly blown!

makes the last 30 years of progress seem like a waste

40

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41

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