Jump to content
SAU Community

Tuning Houses / Visiting / Merchandise etc..


Recommended Posts

Hey guys..

I think i've just about read every topic in this section and its probably been one of the best forums, info and people wise that i've come across in a while. Top work there :D

I've got a heap of questions, but im going to try and keep them on one subject in here!

Regarding visiting.. Im planning on staying roughly 3 months in Japan. I will be staying for the first month with a host family in outer tokyo. After this i plan on doing a bit of travelling via a JR rail pass all over japan..

One of the biggest drawcards for me is its cars and their totally different culture. Also the fact that on my last two trips, i didnt have any time to explore or check out what i wanted to see. Due mainly to the fact i was on a school trip and with parents prior to this.

So this time, i wanna do it my way, and one of the things i really would like to see or atleast get a photo infront of, is some of their tuning houses, cars, cultural areas, and anything that i havent seen before or is different to Australia. (Read just about everything.)

So, i'm keen on visiting some of the bigger name tuning shops, autobacs, up garage etc, and hopefully attending a few events. A D1 round would be very cool, and im definitely hanging out for TAS 2005!

So here are my questions. Generally what are the tuning shops like? Do they sell merchandise that i can buy/use daily? Without my car there i feel a bit silly going to some of these places, so is it worth having a look at? What might i be able to pickup while there?

What about events wise.. I see some of you, rezz, dave, lee have attend some? To a short term gaijin (hoping for long term stay + work), are they relatively easy to get to? I mean is there hope of me getting to some of these places without my own vehicle?

And lastly.. if you were going for a few month holiday where would you go, and what you want to see?

Thanking you in advance guys :);)

If you want to see the some of the best Japan has to offer as far as tuning shops go conveniently without a car, I'd suggest Tokyo. Some of the guys on here (Blitz aka Nick for one) will be able to point you in the right direction as far as tuning shops are concerned. To answer your 1st question, yes, you can buy merchandise you can use daily (eg: clothes, stickers, DVDs, lighters etc) but depending on where you go stock might be a bit lacking.

As for events it really depends on when you decide to come here... although you mentioned the TAS '05, so I assume you're coming around Jan - March?

On the other hand, if you came to Osaka, Troy and I could take you to some cool places by car... and meet the extended SAU/Performance Forums Osaka family.

If I were coming here on a 3 month holiday, I'd go to: Fuji-san, Himeji castle, Hiroshima Gembaku do-mu (Bomb Dome), Koyasan in Wakayama (awesome buddist "temple town" - with one of the best graveyards you'll ever see!) Tokyo Ginza (all vistors have to go there) and take the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Osaka... I'm sure the other guys will have better places in mind though!!!

Hey Rezz thanks for your reply. :D

The story is, we had a girl stay with us for a homestay while she studied here (Brisbane). Now she has offered me the same option of staying with her in Japan. She lives in Tsuru in the Yamanshi prefecture roughly a few hours out of Tokyo. (I think some one mentioned they live near there?) So basically i was going for a bit of a homestay for a month.. then going travelling on my own.. Was hoping to maybe go snowboarding then checking out all the sights and sounds of Japan. Was also hoping to meet some other gaijins on the way, especially the ones who are interested in the same things as me which would be pretty cool! ;):) After i did that i was planning on staying somewhere, possibly back with my homestay, and looking for work, now that i've finally finished my TESOL course :oops: :D

Hey guys,

First of all thanks for the replies :(

Secondly, i have booked my flight and i am soo soo keen to get on tehre now!! Im leaving on the 29th of this month.. Im really looking forward to meeting up with some Gaijins over there, especially to show us around the car scene over there.. Rezz, Dave, Lee, would you guys be up for something like this?!

So Poida, you're coming to Kansai right? So where will be when the TAS is on? If you're in Kansai you can travel with me if you can chip in some for toll/gas :(

Rezz id be more than happy to do that! At the moment i dont really have an itinerary except for staying in Tsuru for the first month or so.. After this i was planning on going somewhere else and checking it out.. Seeing as it would be so close to TAS by the time im out of Yamanashi maybe Osaka should be the next stop on my list

sorry for stealing ur thread but its on similar topic

im coming japan on chrismas day and staying for about a month

i wanna know if u guys got addresses to the popular tuning houses around tokyo area

ill be staying in shinjuku, shibuya area and wanna visit the car museums etc

do you think it would be worth it getting a JR rail pass or are these places all within tokyo vincinity

oh yeah also up for TAS of course.

Seeing as it would be so close to TAS by the time im out of Yamanashi maybe Osaka should be the next stop on my list
You should stay in Yamanashi until TAS then, it's ALOT closer to Tokyo than Osaka!
  • 2 weeks later...
sorry for stealing ur thread but its on similar topic

im coming japan on chrismas day and staying for about a month

i wanna know if u guys got addresses to the popular tuning houses around tokyo area  

ill be staying in shinjuku, shibuya area and wanna visit the car museums etc

do you think it would be worth it getting a JR rail pass or are these places all within tokyo vincinity

oh yeah also up for TAS of course.

Chop, don't tell me you're flying on xmas eve from Sydney on a Qantas flight... b/c I am...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • So stock ECU does not like anything above 10 psi?  That Nistune one is just for "try" if it will be any different, I know it need to be tune for that. I know but YOU may know about these problem but i/we dont. They few little Skylines here let alone people who know anything about tham so that is why iam asking here  
    • So now we have a radiator with no attachments whatsoever. It lifts up with a particularly tight spot between the drivers side air box mount and the lower radiator outlet, but if you've got this far you will sort that too. This is the lower mounts with the rad out so you can see where the rubber bushes go, it is a straight shot upwards Done! Assembly is the reverse of disassembly, with blood less likely to be shed.
    • Right, onto the second last trick. The Air Con condenser is mounted to the front of the radiator and stays in the car when the radiator is removed. There are 2x 10mm headed self tappers holding the top of the condenser to the radiator, remove those The bottom of the condenser is attached to the radiator with clips. You need to lift the condenser out of those clips and clear (up, then forward). f**ked if  could work out how to do that last bit with the front bumper on. I hope you can, and you share the trick.  Bumper removal probably deserves its own thread one day once I've recovered the will to live, but basically you need to remove the wheels, front inner guard liners (clips and 10mm headed bolts), the self tapper between the guard and the bumper at the rearmost point of the bumper (same as an R32 that bit), any remaining clips at the top/front of the grill, an absolute bastard design with a plate that holds the top of the bumper above the headlight each side (only 1 bolt which is tricky to get to, but the plate catches 2 places on the bumper and must be removed....carefully!) and push clips between the bumper and guard under the headlight. If you've done all that you will be faced with wiring for the fog lights on both sides and in ADM Q50 RS at least, 4 nasty tight plugs on the driver's side for the ADAS stuff. So, the clips at the bottom look like this on drivers side (looking from the front) And on the passenger side (also from the front), you can see this one is already out Clearance on both of these are super tight; the condenser needs to move up but the upper rad support mount prevents that, and the radiator can't move down far because it is (rubber) mounted. Once you achieve the impossible and drop the condenser off those mounts so it does not stop the rad moving, you are good to go
    • OK, next the shroud needs to come off and there are a couple of tricks. Firstly, there is a loom from near the passenger side headlight to the fans, coolant temp sensor etc and there is no plug to undo.  In my case I was OK to leave the shroud on top of the engine so I just undid the passenger side fan plug and about 10 of the clips which gave enough free wire to put it aside. The fan plugs were super tight, the trick I used was a small falt screwdriver to push down on the release tab, then a larger flat screwdriver to lever the plug out of the fan unit....be careful with how much force you apply! If you need to remove the shroud altogether for some reason you will have to deal with all the plugs (tight) and clips (brittle)....good luck. I removed all of the clips and replaced them with cable ties that I will just cut next time. Also, in the Red Sport / 400R at least, the intake heat exchanger reservoir hose is bolted to the shroud in 2 places with 10mm headed bolts; so remove them (the hose stays in the car; no need to undo it at the t fittings down at the radiator lower mount. Once you've dealt with the HX hose and the wiring loom, there are 3x 10mm headed self tappers holding the top of the shroud to the radiator; remove those.   The shroud then lifts out of the bottom mounts where it sits on the radiator, up and onto the engine out of the way. Simples
    • Ok, disregard my “rate them” comment, sorry for my unrealistic input
×
×
  • Create New...