Kakegawa Kaido Racer Event - Japan Photo Archives

I don't think I've ever smiled more than I did at this car meet. The event was held in Kakegawa, Shizuoka - about 3.5 hours out of Osaka, which meant an early start to the day. It was the perfect day to cruise down the highway, have I ever mentioned how much I love the fall weather in Japan?

After a quick stop for lunch, where we stumbled across another car meet at a parking area along the highway, we finally arrived in Kakegawa. Driving through the countryside, I saw a few beautiful cars parked in front of traditional Japanese-style houses. Before even pulling into the event, zokusha-style cars were flying past us and showing off their perfectly styled cars. After spending hours scrolling through pictures of cars like this on the internet, I was so excited to finally see some kaido racer cars in person.

We were a little bit behind schedule, but there were still a lot of cars parked in the field when we got there. We arrived just in time to catch the end of a game they were playing. I had no idea what was going on because I don't understand Japanese, but it must have been a lot of fun because before I knew it people were chasing each other around and putting pies in their friends faces. Although it was late in the afternoon, there were probably close to 100 cars parked there still.

I could hardly believe my eyes, I had never seen so many custom-built cars. I love the amount of effort that goes into this style; the attention to detail is unparalleled. The bright and sparkly paint colours, small and wide wheels, huge widebody kits, and not to mention all of the little accessories that make each car complete. When I think of the best car meets I've ever been to, this one definitely makes the top 3 list. It's my dream to eventually build a zokusha/kaido-racer style car, but I'm happy to live vicariously through these cars for now.