It is truly a remarkable thing to see how much our vast automotive community has changed throughout the years. Once upon a time, enthusiasts from all over the world looked exclusively to Japan for inspiration. The three letters J-D-M had a strangle hold on the rest of the world and everybody wanted to have what the Japanese had. In Japan however, a small group of people began taking notice of what America had to offer and developed a liking of American or “USDM” style. These Japanese car enthusiasts then implemented American car culture into their builds and USDM-themed cars developed into its own group. To meet the needs of the growing USDM-scene in Japan, Tetsuya Yamaguchi created an event known as “USDM Jam”. This event would cater to American-car culture fanatics and gave Japanese enthusiasts a place to display their interpretations of the USDM style. Now in its ninth year, Yamaguchi’s event has become recognized worldwide.
USDM Jam 9.0 played host to over 780 vehicles, ranging from lightly-modified USDM-themed builds to full-on American domestic market conversions with left-hand drive swaps and all. Even stock, untouched, vehicles like American-made Chevrolet Avalanche trucks were on-hand—just because USDM is cool in Japan. USDM Jam has to be seen to be believed because over here, we can’t even fathom the idea of converting a legit JDM EK9 Civic Type R to OEM US Civic DX specifications. It is basically a total opposite of what we strive to do here in America. The USDM Jam series has expanded so much throughout its nine-year run that this event was over capacity. Yamaguchi informs us that they have outgrown their current location in Mie Prefecture and are in the process of looking for a larger venue for next year’s event. Check out usdmjam.com for more info (Japanese language required).
