The Challenge Of Modifying In Japan: Project Rough Goes Through Shaken
The JDM Game

How is it possible for Japanese car enthusiasts to get away with that? It’s a phrase I’ve heard countless times on various social media platforms. And for good reason, too – here in Japan there are no shortage of vehicles slammed mere millimeters off the ground, and with exhaust systems so loud that it makes the bosozoku seem tame.

Yes, there are times when the police do take the initiative and crackdown on modified cars, but compared to many other countries around the world, Japan really is a safe haven for tuners.

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Every two years though, that safe haven is challenged as all vehicles are required to undergo an extensive shaken inspection.

I’ve just been through this with Project Rough, and brought my camera along for the ride.

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Vehicle owners in Japan have three options when it comes to the shaken inspection. The first and cheapest is to simply get rid of your car. Some people would rather not deal with the headaches of returning their cars to shaken-legal status or making any necessary repairs, so simply offload them to someone else.

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The second option comes with a lesser headache. As Dino has mentioned previously, a lot of shops in Japan make their living by handling the whole shaken process on behalf of their customers. But this is not cheap, and the set fees plus service starts at around ¥100,000 (US$915 at current exchange rates) depending on the shop, the car, and what’s actually required in order to pass the test.

The third option comes with the biggest headache of them all, but is significantly cheaper than option two, and that’s for an owner to do everything themselves. Just for the inspection, taxes and mandatory car insurance called jibaiseiki, you’re looking at around ¥60,000 (US$550), but if you take matters into your own hands that’s all the shaken will cost.

Given that Project Rough is a bit of a budget build, I’m sure you can guess what option I went with…

I’ll Take Option 3 Please
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During the two years that I’ve owned my ER34 Nissan Skyline GT-T, I’ve held on to every original part that I’ve replaced with an aftermarket equivalent – especially the questionable ones. This means that come shaken time, I’m able to reverse any modification that might fail. The car started out life as an automatic, but the R33 5-speed manual conversion has been officially recorded on the car’s shaken paperwork, so there’s no problems there.

There were a couple of things however that I need to address before thinking about swapping out aftermarket parts. One of those was a faulty sensor that wouldn’t trigger the reverse lights, and the other was the washer bottle pump, which didn’t work. Both would result in an instant fail, so I made a trip to my favorite GT-R specialist, Veruza.

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As it turned out, Kano-san was readying his Z34 demo car for shaken too.

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The guys made short work of the broken switch and installed a compact washer bottle that wouldn’t come in contact with the front driver’s side 255/35 Hankook tire.

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I hadn’t even thought about using the washer the entire time I’ve owned the car, but now being able to use it whenever – like any normal car would – is a nice feeling if I’m honest.

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Next, Kano took a quick look over the car to see if he could spot any other violations. This was way beyond my expectations given that I wasn’t going to be using his services to shaken my car.

“The rear fender may pose a problem,” he said, pointing to the right-side quarter panel. Like most countries, in Japan your wheels aren’t allowed to protrude past the wheel arch, and mine were poking out 2mm (yes, I measured). Kano warned me that depending on the inspector’s mood that day, he would either overlook the small violation or fail it.

It was a gamble I’d likely lose out on, but there was a very quick and cheap fix – I could simply slap rubber fender moldings around the rear wheel arches, instantly gaining an additional 12mm of body width without having to add a wide-body kit to the shaken list. Once the inspection was over, removal would also be quick and painless.

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Surprisingly, there are a ton of these sort of loopholes that shops and enthusiasts use to pass inspection, and I was about to get a crash course lesson on most of them.

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Before leaving, I spotted a set of Cusco upper control arms in Veruza’s used parts pile that looked perfect for refurbishing and fitting in my car. “Wait until after the inspection to install those, as you can’t have them on for the test,” warned Kano.

Anything that is deemed critical in regards to car safety (think brakes, engine mounts, driveshaft, upper arms, etc..) must either be OEM, or have the supporting paperwork to prove their legality. You can try and bring the OEM part and do a side-by-side comparison during the inspection as proof, although this comes with no guarantee of a pass. And even if an item like this does pass, you’d have to do it all over again in two years’ time, so it’s almost always better to switch the part back to stock.

It was at this point that I should have remembered a modification that I had done the the car over a year ago. Unfortunately I didn’t though, and it was going to bite me in the ass later…

The Downgrades
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Once I had the car back home, it was time to make the rest of the changes. First up was removing the V1 projectors I created and reinstalling the original Xenon headlamps.

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Although the light output of the projectors is far superior than the Xenons, and they’re set up in a way as not to blind oncoming traffic, the fact the headlights have been modified was a risk I didn’t feel like taking. With the projector-equipped units now out of the car, it’s the perfect time to clean and update them for V2. I promise I’ll still do a story on how I made V1.

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Next came the hood pins. Nothing can protrude from the hood, so the pins needed to be removed and the holes covered with tape. It’s not the most elegant of fixes, but it gets the job done, though I think I’ll look into flush-mount fasteners that recess into the hood as a more permanent solution.

I had already adjusted the Skyline’s ride height a few months prior when fitting lower profile tires brought back the oh-so-familiar sound of metal scraping asphalt, so I was confident I’d be fine there. Now all that was left to do was stick in the exhaust silencer plug and do the shaken inspection.

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On the day of the inspection, my good friend and shaken expert Masa tagged along to make sure everything went smoothly. My spoken Japanese is fairly decent, but this was a whole new world for me and Masa’s expertize was going to be vital if we needed to butter up the inspectors.

Masa also recommended we go to a pre-shaken center before getting the car fully inspected. Here they do the majority of the shaken test, and perform quick fixes where needed. It costs a little extra to get the work done, but this is almost a must if you have a modified car.

Then it was time for the real deal. After running from office to office and paying all the fees, Project Rough was cleared for inspection. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

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The actual inspection is as clinical and by the book as it gets for Japan.

The first step is a walk-around of the car to check the working condition of the lights, horn and wipers etc, and to confirm the VIN number and plates. Next, the car’s exhaust dB level and ride height was measured, and after the engine was revved to 5,000rpm the inspector wrote some stuff down on a sheet of paper, stamped it, and told me to proceed to the next stage.

Here, a long prong was shoved through the silencer and the exhaust emission level tested. The inspector could only laugh as it passed with flying colors. Next up, the brakes, headlights and speedometer were tested on various rigs, and once again, the paper was stamped and I was told to move on.

By now I was feeling a bit cocky. The last stage is where you pull over a pit area, and some inspectors bang on random things to see if anything falls apart. Seriously, they have a special tool for this. This is also where they check to see if you have changed any parts out.

Remember earlier, how I received some good advice from Kano about arms?

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“ARMS! ARMS!” shouted one of the inspectors, as if I had been caught red-handed with a contraband substance. Shortly after, Masa emerged from beneath the pit and asked me if I had changed the rear upper control arms…

SH*T! I had completely forgotten about the aftermarket rear arms that came with the suspension setup my good friend Frank at Tuner Concept made for the Skyline.

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The good news was, Project Rough had pretty much passed everything thrown at it. The bad news was, I would have to come back another day after I had found some stock arms. If I could make the changes within two weeks, then I wouldn’t have to do the whole inspection over again.

Thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to locate an OEM set of rear arms and have them sent directly to my house within two days.

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After removing the adjustable arms and replacing them with the OEM ones, I put the car back on the ground and immediately noticed that the rear wheels were tucking inward thanks to the newfound camber. I was told that only the upper control arms would be rechecked, but I didn’t want to risk the inspectors thinking the car appeared to be lower, so the wheels came off and I raised the rear a good 2 centimeters for insurance.

With that last little obstacle out of the way, I returned to the shaken center and was rewarded with new paperwork – Project Rough is now roadworthy for the next two years.

As absurd and ridiculous as this experience was, I would gladly play this game over the difficulties experienced in other parts of the world. Just remember that car life in Japan isn’t always as straightforward as it seems…

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During all of this madness, I was also working on my next composite project using all the knowledge I had learned from my airbox.

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Christmas also came a bit early, as Masa also gifted me with his leftover stash of high quality FRP and carbon fiber. His only request was that I use it all at some point, so stay tuned to see the next composite update in the near future.

Ron Celestine
Instagram: celestinephotography

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62 comments

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1
Joonatan Kiviharju

Things could be worse, we have to do this kind of thing every year

2

But it only costs like 50€. And I'm glad we have the inspections. Conditions in Finland are extremely rough for a car but still most older cars are in way better shape than in Australia or US for example. TÜV approved parts and FIA cages are ok too

3

+1
I have to do this every year aswell. BUT... They're not that meticulous here. As long as the car doesn't scrape the edge of the pit, has good bushings, suspension, no leaks, brakes, and the exhaust doesn't go over XX dB, emissions are ok and everything works, you're good to go.
No welded rollcages allowed nonetheless.
And... Every facility, and every technician is a mistery of it's own. I've passed this tests with cars I was certain I was going to fail, and the other way around...

4

Yikes.. Yah I'll stick with my every two years lol

5

+1 from Sweden.

6

Thanks for the great story.

Reminds me of my country of which cars with overly dark (read illegal) tint windows are swapped with standard windows to pass the car inspection. Car asessories shops would gladly swap these windows for a reasonable fee.

After passing the inspection, swap back in the dark tint window.

Hopefully, the car won't be encountering another roadblock to check illegal car window tint.

7

Thanks for reading! How much cheaper is it to swap the entire glass out vs taking the tint off and redoing them afterwards??

8
Jay Soh Tsu Chung

It's cheaper to just swap the windows, because tints aren't cheap to do, especially if you get the better ones.

9

can't wait for the next update...

10

Thinking of a 2 for 1 type of update ;)

11

That is my wgnc34 stagea. Veruza took care of me when it came time for inspection and some performance upgrades. Best RB tuner in Japan in my opinion.

12

ok ok, so I have to put my 2 cents in. I'm an avid reader of speedhunters. However how can you call japan as much as I love the culture, a safe haven for tuners when something as nit-picky as 2mm for wheel gap is a pass or fail scenario. Dude I don't even have to have fenders or doors for that matter to drive down the road. reading this makes me sick I cannot fathom having to spend that amount of money to drive my honda down the street. Let alone anything else. This is ridiculous I dont even have to pass emissions due to the county I live in. I would have to leave the car scene completely if this were a thing here.

13

What makes it so bad is honestly the taxes. It does suck that we have to play these games, but I never worry about police checks, or police hiding in bushes like I did in the States. There are speed cameras but they are market well in advance as the purpose is to slow you down and not earn revenue. Hell even my standard phone GPS lets me know about the cameras lol. Plus all the parts, driving roads, circuits, etc etc. Sometimes you gotta pay to play :(

14

Yeah, rural America is the best place to modify cars. My county just adopted emissions about seven years ago, but the tests are still incredibly basic and only once every two years.

15

Hahah yeaaaaaa... I'd def agree with that but um... rural America is a big no go for me - for manyyyy reasons

16

You'd be surprised, Ron. We're a friendly/welcoming bunch and love fast cars out here in the sticks.

17

I believe you! And I know there are some really cool and decent people out there. I personally just never catch that vibe tho I'd love to do coverage on a bit of the more "sticks" activities

18

If you ever make it out to SE Texas, I'll take you to a discrete early morning meet where you'll be in awe of the machinery and speeds. Occasionally, we'll also make the trek to Houston and mix it up with the city folk. :)
Some of the Houston stuff can be seen on on YouTube channels like Street Car Video. Check it out,

19

Haha my folks live in Houston so I end up in that area at least once a year. Should be back mid December

20

Sweet! Shoot me an email when you arrive and we'll see if we can set something up.

21

Worrrd where can I reach you at?

22

I figured you could see the email I posted under, being this is your article. Do you have an email link on here? I'll shoot you a contact.

23

Ron@speedhunters.com

24

Florida- no inspections, no emissions and a decent amount of high quality racetracks and events

25

I envy Florida for how much the law seems to look the other way over there (I'm talking particularly in the way of "illegal" imports), but it sounds like that state has the greatest collection of straight roads in the country.

26

It's super flat but the roads are still decent. Driving up and down the coast is pretty scenic.

27

And don't forget, the cops don't care how fast you're going unless it's enough to constitute a genuine danger to other motorists.

28

Ice Age that is a false statement. I have been bumped a few times for 10 over on the highway which ended up being a $200 ticket each time. Sad part is, I was going with traffic. Mainly because there were hardly any speed limit signs to go by.

They sure do care how fast you go, it is still their revenue. Especially if you do not have Florida plates.

29

Nope.

I lived in Sarasota County for almost a decade, and I've been paced by cops while I was doing almost 90 - and when I pulled over, they just kept going like I was in their way.

30

You are either an anomaly or Sarasota County doesn't care. But it is still false to say that the state of Florida itself doesn't care.

31

Well it's not a good place to Speedhunt, that's for sure!

32

Everybody have their opinion.. but if i were to make such judgement 1st thing is i need to live in japan like ron do

33

Yessir! Kano-San helped me past my last shaken inspection with the same rubber over fender strips and added a silencer gasket before the muffler because I was about 2mm poked out and 3dB too loud! ¥5000 for an on-the-fly fix was well worth it to me! I would often pick through the parts there at the shop, and can usually find some things in great condition used (like my AC controller!) A lot of people from the base bring in chicken and corona for the shop, and it’s always very appreciated as Kano usually gives out a few shop stickers. I will miss those experiences for my time spent in Japan. Hope to see those projects in the future!

34

+1 for Kano-San! His prices are incredibly reasonable - especially as you said for an on the fly fix. I noticed that a lot of base people bring him food haha. I usually get them coffee and lend them a hand as I am normally just hovering around with the camera lol.

35

We have exactly the same system in Switzerland (and the same ways to deal with modifications): after 5 years for a new car, then 3 years, and then every 2 years. That's the reason why, like in Japan, most cars on the road are in a very good shape. When it comes to modifications, nearly everything can get homologated, considering that you're ready to pay for it (sometimes big money).

36

In France: 4 years after a new car, then every 2 years and more and more cities require the "vignette écotaxe" (who become required in Geneva for French car on 2020 !! ) and each year it become more and more strictly.
And it cost €75

37

Ahh I didn't know Switzerland had the same system. It may be annoying but it def does make sure the cars on the road are more than likely in good shape.

38

Yup. At least the trains run on time.

39

Most governments are greedy, assumptive and overbearing with regard to things automotive, but the one in Japan takes words like "arrogant," "haughty" and "imperious" to unique depths.

Reading this article, I couldn't help but think "who the hell do these people think they are?"

I've often wondered if every government in the world - city, provincial, national, whatever - secretly has an accountant on staff who's only job is to figure out how onerous said government can make its taxes, regulations and fines without provoking a general noncompliance.

The shaken is a textbook example of the collusion so common between the Japanese government and their industry, where the State gets to impose an obnoxious regulation on the population and extract money, and the car companies get to profit from an essentially captive customer base that'll buy new cars just to avoid the hassle.

I'll bet they didn't even buy your car dinner before they did this to it, either.

40

The number of people commenting that shaken is wrongful and money grabbing by the government forget that driving and car ownership is a privilege, not a right.

That said, I can guarantee that I would be first in line to defend that privilege from being taken away, but things like inspections at regular intervals keep it safer for everyone. Do you really want to be take your car out that you've spent thousands of dollars on and countless hours invested into making it yours to be beside a vehicle that has had zero thought put into the regular maintenance let alone anything major fixed properly that could swerve into your car because their bald tires and shot suspension can't keep the car in their lane?

Those are the car that the inspections are after, not to generate money from people like us who love modifying cars. Yes they have stringent requirements that make it a pain to get the car in shape for it, but its not a monthly ordeal that keeps us from enjoying our car the rest of the time.

That aside, I enjoy seeing updates on the various Speedhunter's project cars.

41

"The number of people commenting that shaken is wrongful and money grabbing by the government forget that driving and car ownership is a privilege, not a right."


Incorrect. Having a license to drive and being able to drive is the only privilege. Car ownership is not a privilege seems how you are able to own them as personal property.

42

"Do you really want to be take your car out that you've spent thousands of dollars on and countless hours invested into making it yours to be beside a vehicle that has had zero thought put into the regular maintenance let alone anything major fixed properly that could swerve into your car because their bald tires and shot suspension can't keep the car in their lane?"

Keep in mind that "IF" is the largest word in the English language.

43

He didn't use the word, "if." I, however, have had an oncoming car's wheel eject itself from its knuckle and roll across the road in front of me. I'm all for safety tests, but charging for them when they're mandatory is where it's wrong. With how many bs "surcharges" the government taxes people with on anything we do federal-, state-, and city-related, surely there's a big enough pot there to pay these inspectors from.

44

And now that I think on it, I've also seen a pickup's suspension collapse in one corner as it was turning onto an intersecting street. Likely a ball joint or control arm failure.

45

In Germany, the exam costs only 100Euros every 2 years and can easily be done in your local workshop. Sometimes, when you choose the right workshop, the examiner is suddenly half blind.
BUT the police can stop you at any time and shut down your car if you do not have the necessary papers for the installed tuning parts (which, of course, does not exist in Germany for a R33 GTR) then you can find your car faster on the Tow Truck than you can see. Then come expert reports, everything back to series, new acceptance and approval.
That's all for a car that in Germany was never officially sold the absolute horror.

46

Hi Ron. Seems crazy to me the lengths the authorities go to, to make sure that cars are safe. I mean we have our MOT here in England annually, but I doubt (unless something is inherently dangerous) any tester would fail a car just for a aftermarket modification like the arms you highlighted. Nice article though, good to see how these things are done in different countries! Thanks, Tom

47

Hey Tom

Yah.. a lot of it could be traced back to the bad taste left from the bosos during the 70-80's (?). It is pretty silly but as long as it's easy to get around then I'll play the game to keep driving in Japan ^^ still is hella annoying tho v.v.

48

Glad you got it through! Now get those mods back on!
I could never respond to your reply about how I got the splitter glossy (Mk1 Golf).
I repeatedly added layers of resin and then used wet&dry to flatten it, maybe 3 times. Then I worked through abrasive to finishing polish using a DA sander. To finish it off I applied a couple of layers of wax.

49

Haha as soon as I get back into the country they are going back on ^^

Ah! Thank you! That is actually what I'm going to try this time around. Again, as soon as I get back in the country lol. Cheers!

50

No yami shaken? Haha

51

LOOOOOL seee what had happened was the car the previous previous owners had done that for ages. I didn't want to be THAT FOREIGNER caught with a fake shaken Soo...

52

Holy Christ Ron you've owned that car 2 years already?! Time flies

53

Bruh right?! That's littealy what I said when the misses reminded me that the shaken was coming up. I can remember like it was yesterday wishing I would die on the ferry bringing the car from Okinawa hahah

54
Smugginess Abounds

UK. Choose your classic carefully here and its cheap as chips...

'72 BMW 2002 tii. Daily driver. No road tax - historic exemption. No MoT - 40yr rolling exclusion. Agreed valuation classic insurance - £285 annually, 10k miles, parked off road overnight.

Lovely.

55
Smugginess Abounds

That's with a 45mm drop all round. Full cage and 'improved' engine and box. All noted on the insurance too.

Even lovelier.

56

Even lovelier when you get your MOT done over WhatsApp!

57

Damn! You can fail the shaken if your windshield washer bottle is missing? Thats's crazy and also one of the first things I rip out of my engine bay. I've run no fenders out here, camber, poke, exhaust, no wipers, no rear bumper cover, etc... I commend your risilience to the game. My car would never pass shaken. We have emissions in my area but not an inspection per say. Love your Project Rough! Oh and I am from Arizona, USA nice roads here too can't complain.

58

*laughs and cries in german*

59

"The number of people commenting that shaken is wrongful and money grabbing by the government forget that........"


Forget that the kosoku doro (ALL of them) are the biggest ripoff to car owners in Japan. Before the 2011 earthquake, you could drive just about anywhere in Japan for 1000¥ on the weekends. I used to actually travel in Japan on Saturday and when the fees went back to full price - that was the end of that. Now, I can fly all over SE Asia for a family of 4 for less money than the drive from Kobe to Fukuoka and back. Check the costs for Air Asia flights. There are things I miss about Japan, but getting ripped off by the oligarchs is not one of them.

Oh, let's not forget how Americans can bypass the drivers license system and take the exam for around $50....but we get failed multiple times for no reason and no explanation. Sure, some lucky few got passed, but I wasn't allowed an AT license until my wife came with me for a test and talked about how I had to drive her to the hospital. They never allowed me to get a MT license. So, I've always done shakken on my car except for the time the dealer had to do it when I bought my Sienta. It's easy and ridiculous to pay someone else to do it. No way round racist cops and toll road fees.

60

I thought Germany is the only country that is hard to pass TÜV but it reads like in Japan you have the same problems.
I feel with you Mate, it's a pane in the a**
Congrats on passing "shaken"

61

Wow, quite a bit of hassles for some of the countries out there. No such re-certification required in Ontario, Canada.

We recently had emission testing but that was taken out shortly after a politician with the last name of 'Ford' came into power.

62

Ridiculous..how can they ensure road safety if the day after passing shaken you can modified your car and circulate freely for 2 years?
But the big question is: how all heavily modified car in japan can pass shaken? All Return to stock? And than remodified? Really?

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