Throughout TAS 2025 week, the Peaches Underground Tokyo meet returned for one more yr of brain-melting high quality and infinite selection. Nonetheless, very similar to final yr, there was not a lot ‘underground’ left about it.
However I don’t say that with any negativity. Curating an occasion like this entails a lot greater than meets the attention.
Tokyo automobile tradition is undeniably among the best on the earth, but paradoxically, exhibiting it off in its purest kind is now close to unattainable.
Gone are the times of central metropolis automobile parks stuffed with cool automobiles, a scene harking back to The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift. At this time, any trace of a automobile meet at such venues is met swiftly with a closed gate and the police.
However for Korean-born, Tokyo-based media/clothes firm Peaches, ‘no’ was not an choice. They searched excessive and low throughout the area to discover a venue for over 200 automobiles and a couple of,500 spectators.
And that brings us to the Ajinomoto Stadium automobile park in Chofu, Tokyo.
Luke, one of many occasion organisers, defined that this meet wasn’t about replicating a Tokyo Drift set. As a substitute, it’s about sharing town’s huge and vibrant automobile tradition with the hundreds of worldwide guests who come to Japan throughout Tokyo Auto Salon week.
The occasion remains to be a three way partnership with Takashi-san of Underground Tokyo, with each automobile personally chosen by him.
And Takashi-san’s decisions have been completely on level. Selection was key. With solely 200 slots accessible, Takashi ensured the automobile park wasn’t simply stuffed with Skyline GT-Rs and Porsche 911s. As a substitute, the choice ranged from drift-ready S13s to Bosozoku Laurels and concours-standard classics.
After all, there have been nonetheless loads of GT-Rs and 911s with a few of Tokyo’s greatest in attendance, together with this beautiful white BNR32 on crimson RAYS Volk Racing TE37s.
This yr additionally noticed help from each Nissan and Porsche. Seeing producer backing at fanatic occasions like that is at all times refreshing.
Porsche showcased their 992 911 GT3 RS, commanding respect even amongst such an eclectic mixture of automobiles.
Nevertheless it was Nissan that really stole the present, bringing not one, however two of their most prized automobiles out for the evening. One was the 2013 IDx idea automobile, a tribute to the Silvia and the Fairlady Z.
The actual crowd-pleaser, nevertheless, was the R34 Skyline GT-R JGTC GT500 Pennzoil race automobile. Usually seen at occasions just like the Nismo Competition and different Nissan occasions, bringing it to Underground Tokyo was a daring transfer that strengthened the automaker’s ties with the fanatic neighborhood.
Nissan’s latest efforts within the fanatic house are led by Iso-san, a key determine in Nissan’s Prototype division and a giant presence in Tokyo’s automobile scene. This wasn’t Iso-san’s solely contribution throughout Tokyo Auto Salon week, however we’ll save that story for one more time.
M’s Machine Works additionally made an look with its time assault Cayman. For these unfamiliar, this blisteringly quick Porsche laps Tsukuba in simply 56 seconds. A couple of of M’s’ road GT3-kitted automobiles additionally made their rounds.
Selecting a single spotlight was no straightforward feat, however the Mid Evening 964 constructed by Storage TBK was a particular standout. Mid Evening’s resurgence has sparked pleasure amongst a brand new technology of Japanese automobile fans, and other people have been fairly stoked to see this automobile out and about.
The occasion centrepiece wasn’t a automobile, however a large transportable lightbox designed to point out them off of their greatest gentle. One of many hardest challenges the organisers face is guaranteeing correct lighting for the automobiles, so what higher technique to clear up that than with a studio-grade subtle lightbox for them to drive underneath?
With so many spectators, getting a transparent shot was a problem, but it surely’s clear simply how common this fixture was.
The Low Mind crew was out in full pressure, together with Takuya-san’s Corolla wagon and John’s Corona, which I noticed earlier that day within the Makuhari Messe automobile parks.
Honda Civics have been out in pressure too, and the lineup included a few Kanjozoku-inspired creations.
These two sound machines made positive nobody left with out listening to the house owners’ 2024 Spotify Wrapped picks.
The worldwide automobile scene continues to shift as enforcement round meetups and occasions grows stricter – and Japan isn’t any exception. From the surface, some might criticise organisers or corporations for ‘capitalising’ on the more and more common JDM scene. However the reality is, occasions just like the Peaches Underground Tokyo meet have an actual place. They provide a uncommon probability to share these automobiles and this tradition with those that don’t have the posh of experiencing it year-round.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
