Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

There’s niche, and then there’s Japan’s custom car scene: a world that’s all fringe, no middle. Makuhari Messe managed an impressively diverse haul one Sunday last month, as three rival events flooded the expanses of the Chiba conference center. In the far corner was the Lowrider Car Show, a smorgasbord of Chicano chic complete with lovingly buffed vintage Chevies and tots dressed in gangsta threads. Now into its eighth year, the event has settled into a laidback and surprisingly family-friendly groove—if anything, it all felt a bit conservative, though maybe that was just because of the Newstyle Custom Autoshow going on next door. Here, the dials were set for a very 21st-century brand of hip-hop excess, with cars that were part Tokyo Drift bling, part sci-fi flick: all customized bodywork, interiors and stereo systems that would put most nightclubs to shame. We’ve seen the future, and it felt like Kawasaki on steroids. Outside, the crowd from both events mingled and wandered up the corridor to peer, bemused, through the windows looking down on Moehaku 2010. This large-scale otaku meet was dedicated to itasha (literally, “pain mobiles”): cars, bikes and bicycles adorned with anime characters, which came complete with poseable cosplay enthusiasts. The difference was enough to induce a brain crash of epic proportions, though it was worth it just for the sheer hilarity. Same time next year? Definitely.