It all boiled down to this; a heated paper-rock-scissors match that would decide who would be joining Rich for the trip to the 2001 Tokyo Auto Salon. Our fists staring daggers at one another, it took all but three seconds to decide-I made the cut. Miso ramen, Namie Amuro maxi-singles-soon to be mine! But not after one of the longest flights I've ever had to take in my life. That's right, I can brag about flying for one complete day and doing nothing else. Ask me how I liked watching the last 10 minutes of What Lies Beneath over and over again and I'll cut you. You wouldn't understand the relief and happiness I felt once I stepped off the plane. Yes, there were real Silvias and Skylines...and three of each drove past me within three minutes of touchdown.
It's a totally different world when you're in Japan. The roads are more narrow, food is a tad more expensive, and people are really polite, even if they bump into you. Only four out of the thousands of natives I decided to disturb from their MP3-playing Internet-ready cell phones could speak
English. They were either laughing because I couldn't speak their tongue or because I couldn't hail a cab to save my life. So, it was off to the trains for me. Not only is riding on one quieter than any night at my house, it is also more expensive than a week's worth of gas for my car-one way. But onto more interesting things, specifically the Tokyo Auto Salon.
The Tokyo Auto Salon combines all the American race/show/hot women factors into one place. Times 10. You get to see cars (and we mean fast cars) that have raced on famous Japanese landmarks like Sendai, Daikokou, or any popular drift spot. The list of big name tuners is as impressive as the Giant VIP list on New Year's Eve: Trial, Nismo, Bee*R. You might even recognize a few of these-JUN, Trust, and Tein; all within a two-minute walk of each other.
All those cars that you drool over each month in Option2 (and occasionally ours), we got to drool over in person and leave stains. Top Fuel's rear-driven del Sol (it's no wonder why they're one of Japan's top Honda kings), HKS' pro drag Supra (faster than you can say...too late), the Mugen booth? By far the most lavish tuner booth was Veilside's, where a combination of class and top speed made this a popular destination the entire weekend. President Hironao Yokomaku rented space across from his setup just to accommodate the crowds. It's your ultimate dream come true when you're in this show.
The layout of the show included three main halls, two of which had predominantly Euros, step wagons, and "others". The last featured all sport cars and most of the Japanese tuning companies and manufacturers that you're familiar with. A separate convention hall housed major Japanese publications like Option2, Drift Tengoku, and Gal's Paradise (the staff's personal favorite). It's true, Honda fans, there aren't too many Civics or Integras in this show. In fact, you could count each on one hand. Most of the Hondas were either Streams (sort of like a 2001 Civic five-door hatchback) or step wagons. The popular brew of this import bar was the new Subaru WRX, 2001 spec (see sidebar for more info). Turbocharged and just about to reach our shores, there were plenty of companies that offered at least an upgraded intercooler or a tuned coilover suspension for it. Forged, lightweight racing wheels are still the hottest to have, but Work is bringing back its old school wheel line with its re-release of the original Equip for roadsters and newer vehicles. Carbon-fiber and wide body kits are still in effect, but the move back to clean styling is obvious, just like it is here. Perhaps Japanese and U.S. car freaks aren't so different after all.