While we love JDM cars, it turns out Japanese enthusiasts have a thing for USDM cars.
It's no secret that American car enthusiasts are a bit jealous of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). After all, the Land Of The Rising Sun does get some uniquely special cars, like the cool Kei cars that are all the rage there. Heck, even the Japanese cop cars are iconic enough to become grand spectacles at car meets.
As The Chronicles proves, however, the grass can be greener on the other side. That's because some Japanese actually love USDM Hondas, and they even meet once a year in the Saitama Prefecture just north of Tokyo. This is like that time when we learned that Japan absolutely goes nuts over Jeeps. So, what gives?
While American JDM fans take inspiration from car builds in Japan, in the case of the Japan-based USDM Honda guys, it's the other way around.
But then it gets more specific than that. These cars take inspiration from the West Coast Honda scene of the mid-to-late 2000s. According to the vlogger, this style of modding is an “interpretation of an interpretation.”
So while this sounds like merely copying, the builds show a combination of Californian tastes and Japanese automotive sensibilities. The result? Honda heaven.
For starters, the video showed several dressed-up Honda Civic Si examples. Many of these were imported from the US, while the meet's organizer himself displayed his very own USDM Acura Integra fitted with body kits and Mugen parts.
Several American-flavored Type Rs were also in the meet, including a mint Integra Type R Comptech catalog car. This means it has all the bits from the famous California-based Honda parts and tuning company that made a name for itself in the 2000s. Think of it as an Americanized version of that bone-stock 1996 Honda Integra Type R from JDM Sport Classics.
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A newer Civic Type R, an FK2, also made an appearance with full-on Mugen kits. This is notable since only 750 FK2 Type Rs were imported into Japan. Sounds really ironic, but do remember that this specific generation was built in the UK.
One particularly strange example was a cut-up single-cam EK model that was converted into a four-door EK hatch. Several Californian builders have done this as EK hatchbacks, at least relatively clean ones have become rare stateside. Seeing one executed in Japan of all places was a weird but pleasant sight.
The star of the meet is a K-series Integra GSR. This very clean build was imported from the US and is sporting US-standard parts and fittings. It likewise gets a supercharger and plenty of PCI Racing parts which is common in the US, but rare in Japan.
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Keyword: Awesome Car Meet Proves Japan Loves California-Style Hondas