Konnichiwa! That’s right, I’ve managed to escape Australia’s heatwave to join the largest crew of Speedhunters ever assembled in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon.
I’ll be taking a slightly different approach to the rest of the gang while I’m here; expect to see less coverage from inside the Makuhari Messe, and more of a focus on what happens when the entire country’s armada of modified cars and their owners take over the capital city for a week.
My first assignment was a terribly difficult task: attending Nakai-san’s annual RWB New Year meet at Roppongi’s Hard Rock Cafe. While I’ve only had the opportunity to pick up a camera and share my own stories on Speedhunters for just over a year now, I’ve been an avid reader of the site for years. Over those years, one of the stories that impressed upon me most was Sean Klingelhoefer’s coverage of the exact same event.
As Dino drove Ron and I across Tokyo Bay, I had to pause for a moment and think about how surreal it was. At the end of the car ride I’d have the opportunity to create and share my own vision of what’s become an important ritual that supports TAS.
I will usually do my best to avoid repetition and to rehash old ideas, but covering this meet just seemed like the right thing to do. It almost felt a chance to give something back to the community, so hopefully 2018’s RWB annual meet will continue the cycle and inspire someone else to push harder and pursue their dream.
Aside from being told the crowd was much more substantial than previous years, there isn’t anything new or different to report back. In all honesty, it’s just more of the same mind-blowing European cars parked against some of the most iconic Japanese backgrounds.
Sitting down to write this story is literally the first time I’ve paused for more than five minutes since landing at Narita earlier in the week. My body is already aching, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s hard to sit idle and miss out on such an exciting mix of great people, extraordinary cars, and fun locations.
With that in mind, instead of wasting any more time being locked away in my comfortably warm hotel, I think I’d rather let the images do the talking and get back out in the cold. It’s time to resume the endless pursuit of speed and discover something else to share with you all.
Don’t be afraid to use the full-screen mode.
Matthew Everingham
Instagram: matthew_everingham
matt@mattheweveringham.com
Tokyo Auto Salon 2018 on Speedhunters
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Wow. That is a surreal turnout haha.
Makes me wanna head out to Japan asap xD
Do it.
I really wish I could travel to Japan to see this kind of stuff for myself. The only problem is that I don't know Japanese...
The language barrier does limit day to day communication with strangers, but the people are so friendly and helpful that it won't stop you from doing what you need.
As long as you've packed an extra battery pack for your electronics, you'll be fine!
Same here. I don't know any Japanese, BUT, I found out a buddy of mine will be moving to Japan this summer for work. I might have to start saving my pennies so I can get out there after he gets situated.
I can barely speak English at the best of times, and had no issues in Japan. It's an awesome country with amazing people.
I don't speak Japanese but have been twice to Tokyo on holiday. It's great. It's even better when you cannot speak Japanese. When Japanese people come to the UK they point at everything and laugh because the UK is so weird to them. When i and my daughter go to Tokyo, we point at everything and laugh.
Get on the plane, stay at an Airbnb. You'll have a great time. The Japanese are so friendly. They'll help you out.
>>>> get on plane....
Is this Takashi-san's Skyline and a road version of the 917 K I see there ? Wow !
I dont think that is a 917... It certainly looks similar but the headlights and the slant hood are different of those on a 917.
I would love to know the exact model though, it is so cool.
Found it! Bailey T70 Kit car
Don't take this the wrong way, but that totally looks like a sound stage. Tokyo is so clean that it looks fake.
I get the artistic vision, but please remove the green tint..argggh!
Now if only the Nigerians didn’t ruin the experience of Japan for Gaijin.
I passed Hard Rock cafe in october while in Tokyo, it is more or less round the corner from Brewdogs bar. To bad this meet wasn't back then
But at least I saw some nice cars the other nights we where out and about, like the R34 M-Spec Nur at the hotel parking lot 
There's always plenty of cool cars to see around Tokyo.
Even though i've grown tired of the abundance of RWB "builds". You gotta admit these cars always look cooler where they originated from.
That yellow RWB and T70 lola, very nice.
love the pics Matthew
All those neons <3
Looks like such a cool meet.
It was pretty cool. Something that I'll remember for a long time.
We now have the humiditywave instead of the heatwave!