On October 7, 2018, there was an automotive gathering in Japantown of San Jose, CA. Home to small Asian-American businesses, the street was catered to automotive enthusiasts who were into Japanese tuning. Shukai took up Jackson St and covered 2 blocks full of Japanese cars ranging from old trucks, bosozoku, Japanese-imported Skylines, and more which you’ll see in a few. Like Wekfest, I never knew Shukai was being held here years prior. I was lucky enough to attend (if I remember correctly) the last Shukai event in Japantown. It’s sad to hear since the community really benefitted from the traffic. You pass by it on any other day and it just seemed too quiet… Additionally, the small town has a different kind of ambiance from it’s surroundings of the commercial and dainty environment of South and West-side San Jose. A breath of fresh air if you will. To add onto the breath of fresh air, I also started my “film” photography journey. That will be covered into another blog post and I’ll share my experience with film so stay tuned!

Shukai 2018 happened 3 months after Wekfest so don’t be surprised if you see the same cars you’ve seen in my Wekfest San Jose 2018 coverage at this event. The only difference – if you haven’t peeked at the photos yet – is that Shukai is an outdoor event. It’s generally the same crowd that has attended Wekfest but in a more concentrated area. The ability to pack that many cars within 2 blocks or more and bring tons of foot traffic was crazy. Finding parking here was a bit of a struggle but it was definitely worth it. Now let’s jump right in!

In the main area is the Voltex “Hawkeye” WRX/STI on Rays Volk TE37V’s.

This FRS was fitted with a Varis Arising II kit and sits nicely on Advan GT wheels. I’m personally not a fan of tire letters but the rest of the car is neat.

One of the OGs! Here is YoungStatic’s, aka Dana, EF wagon that he had built in his own driveway. He hauls *ss on the drag strip utilizing a turbocharged K-series engine and AWD drivetrain. Dana is one of the Honda dudes that’s been in the game for a while and does a lot for the community in spreading knowledge on his YouTube channel for the love of big power Honda’s and VTEC. Do me a favor and subscribe to this man!

Dana’s RHD converted wagon sits on a beefy set of tires which wrap around a set ot 949 6UL wheels.

This wagon line-up goes crazy. Beside Dana’s EF wagon is a Subaru Forester on the famous 3-spoke Rays Trial Try Force Zelda wheels.

Further enhancing the wagon line-up is Valentin Racho’s Subaru WRX wagon on Work CR Kai’s. His wagon is put together really nicely as it pulls off the white-on-white look. I also have a weird obsession with mid-wings on hatches…

A crazy time for JDM enthusiasts… R32 Skylines were eligible to be imported, registered, and driven on United States soil. A quick glance of this R32 Skyline GTR displays Ganador mirrors, Top Secret rear diffuser, and gurney flap/spoiler extension.

Meticulously rebuilt Nissan Z (S30). Not much to say other than everything looks to be redone or modified. Gotta love the fender flares accenting the staggered set of Rays Volk TE37V’s.

This lil’ 1st gen Corolla packing heat under the hood with a 20V 4AGE ITB setup.

This Nissan 350Z (Z33) airred out on SSR SP1’s while featuring Ganador mirrors.

Street drift built Nissan 240SX (S14) with BN Sports bodykit and over fenders.

Early model Mitsubishi Lancer rocking fender mirrors and small wheels.

This NSX was hard to identify kit-wise. There are not many resources to confirm the manufacturer of this kit but “BSM” popped up in my search results as well as Redditors commenting how ugly the kit is and the car is ruined… To each their own but I think this kit is unique and wish there was more information on it.

Itasha-styling on this Sil-80. Itasha are cars decorated with images of anime characters which originated in Japan. It was uncommon state-side but it’s blown up since. There’s some who got it right and others, not so much. This Sil-80 is a good example though.

My favorite angle is this rear 3/4 shot. Shiny Gyarados sticker on the glass of the inverted hatchback, duckbill spoiler, Bomex mirrors, fender flares, and Type X rear spats.

Another angle but in black and white just because…

Mugen-equipped Integra Type R.

Full Mugen Civic EK Hatch. The Mugen kit for the Civic is kind of quirky and it took me some time to get used to but eventually, I started liking it haha.

The Mugen wing is my favorite part of the whole Mugen kit.

I took a detour and went in this parking lot section that had some Pre-90s Japanese cars. Here’s a Datsun 521 truck with some “shakotan” styling cues from the metal overfenders fitting the wide-barreled wheels, to being lowered to the ground. Peaking behind the radiator support is the valve cover of an SR20 that replaced the original carburated engine.

An exception to the Pre-90s is this childhood dream car of mine. Here’s a Toyota Supra (A80) sporting a peak MK IV Supra build with the TRD front lip and wing and the typical CCW Classic wheels.

In the same lot, a stylish pair of shakotan/bosozoku Toyota Cressida’s were parked next to each other. In the same lot, a stylish pair of shakotan Toyota Cressida’s were parked next to each other. Small nod to “NO GOOD RACING” of Japan on the custom fender of the Cressida on the right…

Another restomod build attending Shukai is this Datsun 510 repainted in Nardo Grey. SR20DET makes its home in the clean engine bay and is supplemented with bits and pieces from Greddy and Tomei.

Behind the bronze Rays TE37V’s is a Ferrari brake caliper. Not sure if they actually are Ferarri brakes but it’s a small detail I noticed. Besides that we have a carbon fiber chin spoiler and overfenders exterior wise.

A super clean two-toned 4th gen Toyota Corolla Coupe sitting on a set of SSR Longchamp XR4’s.

Well maintained Toyota Celica Supra.

Vintage Toyota pickup truck carrying 2 Honda motorcycles in its truck bed.

The last car I pictured in the Pre-90s car lot was this Late-80s Toyota Land Cruiser. I didn’t pay much attention to lifted trucks and SUVs at the time but in the early 2020s, I’ve started to take a liking to such trucks; specifically Japanese ones.

After exiting the lot, I made my way back out onto the main street. I spotted this Nissan 180SX Type-X (S13) on a set of SSR SP1 wheels. It doesn’t get any better than that haha. This is how I would personalize a 180SX – except in red!

One of my favorite Integra DC2 builds to date. This DC2 attended Wekfest SJ 2018 on a set of Diamond Black TE37 Saga wheels. When the owner switched to the black Desmond Regamasters, I was even more impressed. Good choice and props to the owner for a clean Integra build. If y’all know the owner, please reach out to me!

This Lexus CT200h is fitted with a WALD Black Bison kit.

Infinit G35 slammed on Work Meister S1 2-pc wheels.

Custom widebody IS300 on an aggressive set of wheels…

I decided to walk around before getting back in my car. No regrets as I came across these few clean cars in the parking lot of Happi House. These are some guys I’ve seen around at local meets in San Jose. First, Jervin Lomboy’s Toyota Corolla Notchback.

One of my favorite Blob-eye WRX/STI’s is owned by Dan, @accidunt. When I met him and Ryann in the Tastea parking lot, I had my Pontiac Vibe on Work Emotion CR Kiwami wheels at the time and he brought up “reverse stagger”. I ran 18×9.5 on the rear and 18×8.5 on the front so that’s why he brought that up. Since then I’ve been thinking about that and now years later with my Civic, that’s how I ran my set of staggered Advan RG-IIs haha. I’ve followed his build for a while and time and time again, his car proves the notion that “less is more”.

Last but not least, an addition to Thomson Ho’s fleet of cars was his 10th gen Honda Civic Type R (FK8) on a set of Advan GT wheels. Thomson’s builds never disappoint… Again, less is more.

I’m glad I was able to attend Shukai! The vibes were great. Everyone was vibin’ and seemed to have a good time. The quality of cars was impressive and I wish I was able to attend the events years prior. It’s not often you see this much Pre-90s Japanese cars with some of the newer generation Japanese cars. In 2024, I’m thinking my Civic is old but there are way older cars and car enthusiasts that still dedicate time and money to building these cars back to their prime condition. Well, I hope y’all enjoyed the coverage on Shukai Japantown 2018! Be on the lookout for the pictures I captured on a Fujifilm Disposable 35mm Film Camera!