Let’s jump right back into the second half of the Central Circuit track day photos that Yasu helped me capture last month. Hopefully you guys have seen Part 1, if not, well, it’s right before this post so it’ll be easy for you guys to find. If you love Civics, these are the photo sets you want to see because Osaka can’t get enough of their EG/EKs. Honestly that’s one of the things I love about this entire region. They just have this crazy undying loyalty to the Civic and have such a specific way in how they style them that makes any enthusiast appreciate the craft. There is also this rich history that oozes out of these cars that only people from this area can showcase to the rest of the world. “Civic is culture” as Yasu puts it, and no truer words have ever been uttered about the Kansai region. There really isn’t much else for me to say other than that. The photos speak for themselves. Thanks again to Yasu for carrying to weight for me while I’m still unable to make the trip back to Japan. I hope you guys enjoy his camera work…

Yuji from YELLOWDRAGON’s K-swapped EG Civic built by ASLAN in their signature style…

T. Ryuji’s NO GOOD RACING-adorned helmet and gloves on the roof of his EG6…

Takuya’s K-swapped EK9 in action…

The blue BAPE camo-themed EG with the crazy cage from HOMIES WORKS and PROTO-TYPE once again driving through the paddock area…

Any time you have a track event with this many cars you’re bound to have some that don’t leave the way they came in…

Have you guys had a chance to see one of Yasu’s other cars that he recently acquired? This BMW M6 is a car that he’s been talking about trying to buy forever and he finally found one. Then he put suspension and wheels on it before getting the car tuned to 700+ horsepower. Why? I don’t know. He lives 10 minutes away from home to his shop, lol…

Looks like Takuya went off at one point and absorbed some gravel that is now in places it shouldn’t be…

Meanwhile, Ryuji’s EG remained nice and gravel-free…

The INGS+1 kitted Zenki DC5 Integra representing Signal Auto on on the track getting some laps in…

This RPS13 180SX looked super interesting, built by Car Make Kamidaira, but unfortunately Yasu didn’t get into detail much with this one…

The STP-styled EG definitely gave off some classic Richard Petty Nascar vibes…

This Exceed by Mode Parfume front lip looks like it has seen better days…

The next run group lined-up at the starting grid to prepare for the next session…

This clean black Mugen CR-X Pro.2 was one of a few CR-Xs at the track that afternoon…

The aggressive front face of the Technical Auto EG6…

Here you can get a better idea of just how many Civics were present that day, and this was just one specific run group. Central Circuit isn’t terribly big either compared to other more well-known tracks…

Don’t know too much about the YellowFlags EG9 Ferio but it definitely does have a very unique look about it…

A random A45 AMG on TE37s appears yet again…

EG Civic on Enkei RPF1 wheels wearing a full custom WHARP RACING livery…

If you guys were wondering what that crazy-wide EK from Part 1 looked like on the track, here you go. This thing is pretty gnarly-looking with the massive flares…

Take a look at these custom front wide fenders on this EK9 to house those front staggered Volk RE30s…

The Maziora orange Signal Auto EK with the custom cut-out headlight and unpainted front end…

The NO GOOD RACING Blue Shark in attack mode…

Don’t know much about “HOMIES WORKS” or what type of shop they are but the name is fucking cool, lol…

YELLOWDRAGON EG6 leading the way…

Kakeru’s EG6 from NGR in action…

Eventually Yasu moved around to get some better shots of the racing so you guys can see just how crowded it got…

Technical Auto EG6…

So cool to see a Mugen CR-X Pro.2 on the track…

The bright Milano Red on Kakeru’s Civic really popped under the bright sun…

The Idemitsu Motion-themed Civic being directed in the pit area…

The next run group preparing to go out consisting mostly of EG and EK Civics…

If you ever wondered what part of Japan loves their Civics more than any other part of the country, this should be a clear answer…

Been following this Civic and its owner on various social media outlets over the past year. The car seems to always be active and at different events…

Another glimpse of the Zero Fighter chrome orange EG6…

Idemitsu in Motion…

The former ACROSS EK9 set to go out…

While the current ACROSS EG6 was ripping through Central Circuit…

Surprised with so many liveries being copied and represented here in North America why no one has attempted this one yet…

Red Bull-themed EK9 from PANIC…

The Katsumata EF9 Civic SiR made an appearance…

One of the Civics that wasn’t fortunate enough to leave unharmed that afternoon…

Revive Works EK9 CTR dressed in blue…

Front end damage on this Puma-themed EK. I saw on another site that it also had some damage to the driver’s door too which has since been repaired…

I imagined it looked something like this…

The other side of the WHARP RACING EG remained undamaged…

Looks like all the INGS+1 aero remained intact on the DC5 Integra…

Japan forever has the best trailers and automotive transport trucks…

The silver EG that we opened-up our coverage of in Part 1 saw perhaps the most damage of the day with both the front and rear being hit significantly…

Unfortunate but definitely repairable. These things happen but that’s just racing for you…

Of course Yasu would tease us with one more photo of the 180SX we all wanted to see more of. Sadly that was it. Who knows when we’ll ever see this car again. Maybe I’ll run into it when I get my opportunity to go back…

That’s a wrap for this set, thanks for looking!…

Alternate Title: I Met A Korean Car Girl In Osaka (LOL, yeah right, I would never!)

So, we are back in Osaka for a few days, just catching-up with old friends and meeting new ones. I had a couple of friends from America ask me if they could possibly see some car stuff while they were in town. Hearing so many interesting stories and lore over the years from Osaka, they wanted to see if it was real. Is Civic culture as big as its been portrayed to be? I wouldn’t normally try to put anything together since I enjoy being lowkey while I’m here but Sara was in town as well, so it was a good time to get car enthusiasts together again. So, a meet happened very last minute on a Wednesday. Many of us haven’t been able to reconnect since the borders re-opened so it was time to pump some life back into the car community in Kansai! Everyone be safe out there and abide by all the rules and regulations please!!

For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram!!

Joey Lee (@stickydiljoe)
Sara Choi (@sara.choi)
Yasutaka Shimomukai (@exceed_jpn)

MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR FUTURE VLOGS!! I got plenty of interesting stuff coming for you guys to watch!

Photo Coverage Website – WWW.STICKYDILJOE.COM
Official Chronicles Merchandise – WWW.CHRNCLS.COM

You know what I enjoy the most about going to various car events in Japan? I’ll most certainly always come across something that is interesting or that I’ve never seen before. And I’m being completely honest. That’s why I’m open to seeing everything possible while I’m out here. There will be times when I go to a meet or show back at home in the States and I’ll genuinely ask myself, like why did I even come to this? Lol. That sounds terrible but I mean, you get so used to seeing what you see at home that traveling is so incredibly important to keep the creative juices flowing, you know what I mean? When I was planning out my trip, and I use the word ‘planning’ very loosely, I put together a list of events that were happening during my stay. That way I didn’t miss an opportunity to go see something new. It just so happened that while I was in Osaka, there was a Central Time Attack Challenge (CTAC) happening in nearby Hyogo. I had a great time last year when I went to Central for a Honda time attack event so I wasn’t about to miss this one. CTAC has some pretty fast, competitive, time attack cars at all their events. Most are Hondas but there are other makes and models competing as well like RX-7s, R35 GTRs, etc. There were a couple guys that we knew that were driving that day too so Yasu and I made a day of it. What I quickly came to realize is that car culture in this region is absolutely thriving in 2023. The parking lot was full of spectator cars as well as support vehicles, the paddock was jampacked with cars, and the sounds of straight-piped exhausts were bouncing off the walls as cars ripped through the straights of Central Circuit. What a fantastic day this was…

For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram!!

Joey Lee (@stickydiljoe)
Yasutaka Shimomukai (@exceed_jpn)
Sara Choi (@sara.choi)

MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR FUTURE VLOGS!! I got plenty of interesting stuff coming for you guys to watch!

Photo Coverage Website – WWW.STICKYDILJOE.COM
Official Chronicles Merchandise – WWW.CHRNCLS.COM

Well this was a fun one. After Der and Kristian arrived in Japan, it was time to get Act 2 of my adventures in Japan going. I had a lot planned but didn’t want them to miss out on anything so I waited for them first. Kristian had never been to Japan before to do strictly car-related things so it was important to provide him with the best experience. Being that it was the weekend of Osaka Auto Messe, and the boys were in town, we decided to host another late night meet. I didn’t want to risk getting in trouble again with over 300+ cars showing up to a parking area so we moved the event outside of the city to the quiet island of Awaji. The longer distance made for some fun driving and of course, any time you throw a bunch of straight-piped Civics into an area that’s supposed to be peaceful, a little bit of chaos comes into play. Let’s just say that we were up to “no good” again in Osaka…

See what I did there?

For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram!!

Joey Lee (@stickydiljoe)
Yasutaka Shimomukai (@exceed_jpn)
Kristian Wong (@studytuned)
Ryan Der (@ryan.der)
Battlecraft (@battlecraftparts)

MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR FUTURE VLOGS!! I got plenty of interesting stuff coming for you guys to watch!

Photo Coverage Website – WWW.STICKYDILJOE.COM
Official Chronicles Merchandise – WWW.CHRNCLS.COM

As I near my return to Japan in just a few days time, I’m reminded that I still have photos from my last trip that I still have not posted yet. It’s not for lack of trying however, I’ve just been a tad bit on the busy side. I also probably took like an entire month off just to recover and re-adjust my body clock, only to get right back into packing my suitcases as I head back to Japan for Wekfest in May. I actually had gone through and processed all these photos on my laptop while I was in Japan but after I got back home, I looked at them on my office PC where I typically do all my editing and was unhappy with how they looked. My Lenovo laptop is brand new so I had no idea what the color calibration was like compared to my PC so there ended-up being a drastic difference between the two. The color grading on the Vlogs isn’t terribly different, since I was already using previous settings I had imported from my PC. Photos are a different story though since I pull them directly from my camera and different settings, time of day, and what I’m shooting are big variables in how I edit. Often times now I find that the photos that I post on Instagram while I’m in Japan are very different than the actual photos I process and keep for my own catalog…

Nonetheless, we are at the final version of these photos from the Central Time Attack Challenge event I attended back in late January. Central Circuit has somehow become a staple for me to set foot on now whenever I go back to Japan. There just always happens to be an event going on there. It’s not that surprising I suppose, as Central Circuit is a local track in Kansai that is easily accessible and not too expensive to rent. There’s always someone willing to host a track day and always enthusiasts who are down to bring their cars out. I mean, Kansai people literally use their highway system as a race track so it makes sense that they actually drive on a race track sometimes for practice, lol. Not much else to report on this event, I don’t even have lap times for you guys. I just spent most of the day in the pit area and focused on the cars when they weren’t out on the track. These events are always fun because they’re so chill and everyone is so welcoming. I think the pandemic really helped the Japanese appreciate seeing foreigners again because they were closed off for a couple years from visitors. Now that the borders are open, I’m expecting them to not give a shit that I’m there and just pretend like they don’t see me—which is honestly what I kind of prefer because I like to lurk in the shadows and be a voyeur. I also want to stay out of trouble too and if you have seen my previous adventures in Osaka, you KNOW that it ain’t that easy

Enjoy!…

I don’t recall seeing this EF9 from Real Company prior to this trip. Either it is a new build or a car that was recently redone, I can’t say. Hard for me to miss a Honda out there like this one, especially in the Kansai area…

Auto Select R35 GTR running their front carbon “Devil Spoiler Version 2”, Kansai Service front fenders, Kansai Service rear over fenders, Voltex GT wing, Craftsquare mirrors, Volk TE37Ultra, and sideskirts that look to be the top section of a Varis Magnum Opus skirt…

Naoki Tanaka’s EG6 from DOMINATION on Weds Sport TC005 wheels, vented FRP front fenders, a Sergeant front bumper, and Doobie front lip….

The rarely seen Kurumadoh front fender extensions on this yellow AP2 with CR/Type-S front lip…

Usui’s EF8 CR-X wearing full Mugen PRO.2 aero with Lexan glass replacements and a full carbon fiber roof-skin…

The Real Company EF9 pitted next to Takahiro Ikegami’s EF9 from WHARP Racing…

Sho’s E-AT Civic wearing a classic Cabin Racing livery which was completely self-built from the ground-up…

Ryoto Nakajima’s &G Corporation Honda NA2 NSX getting warmed-up…

Spark plug change on Usui’s CR-X…

The engine bay on the CR-X is extremely clean as it has been shaved smooth and completely resprayed. There’s a B16A swap within which has a custom blue wrinkle valve cover, NGK spark plug wires, and blue silicone cooling hoses to match the blue interior…

The Cabin-styled Wonder Civic has rear acrylic replacement glass for the rear quarter windows and rear hatch…

A closer look at the details on this classic Mugen MR-5 wheel wrapped in Yokohama Advan A050 rubber…

Makotu’s EF9 Civic was actually wrecked on the track about a month after this event. It looked pretty bad too and didn’t look salvageable. On this day however, it looked like its usual self with just a carbon Type-T style hood, OEM moldings removed, and a set of Enkei NT03 wheels…

Matoku is from one of the Kansai regions long-standing Osaka car clubs, Magu Namu…

Coincidentally, Kenneth Lau was also in Japan in January. I hadn’t seen him since Attack pre-pandemic but since borders had finally re-opened, he was able to return. His Integra Type R has been stored at ASLAN all along so he was able to bring the car to get some laps in at Central Time Attack Challenge…

A detailed look at the carbon fiber duct from AP Racing which attaches to the caliper itself to help cool the big brakes. You can also see a section of the Quaife sequential gearbox in the background…

Nothing better than a full day of car activities with the boys…

The Petronas-themed EF9 SiR from ASLAN and TEMPLE Racing…

The Hitozuma Engineering Suzuki Alto getting a re-fuel and tire change…

This Wonder Civic is also completely gutted inside with a full roll cage. Interestingly enough, the whole interior has been repainted in this light lavender color that I’ve never seen before. If I remember correctly, the engine bay is also painted that same hue…

The cool thing about going to Central Time Attack Challenge events is that it isn’t just solely focused on Hondas. There’s always some good variety there especially the collection of R35 GTRs that show-up to compete…

Great to see Varis Magnum Opus aero being used put to use over in Japan. We don’t come across it very often probably because of its price and the fact that the Magnum Opus line isn’t nearly as popular as the regular Varis aero components. It’s a much more subdued, classier look and people that spend money on Varis stuff probably want it to look aggressive. The GTR stuff looks fantastic however, and it flows so well with the lines of the R35. This one above has the Magnum Opus front lip, side skirts, and rear under shroud. The only thing it is missing from the catalog is the wing. This one is ever-so-slightly more aggressive than the catalog car because it features the addition of Kansai Service front fenders…

Real Company’s flagship Honda CR-X race car featuring modified Mugen PRO.2 aero, Volk TE37 wheels, and a B18C Type R swap under the hood…

Sho’s Wonder Civic and Makotu’s EF9 around lunch time when everyone was taking a break…

All the track day essentials; HKS race fuel, a hydraulic jack, a torque wrench, and some spare Advan GT wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE71RS…

Another angle of the Varis Magnum Opus GTR from ENDLESS…

Quick tire-pressure check on the G-Project R35 GTR…

This EF9 Civic was propped-up with some jack stands awaiting a new set of tires…

Pretty cool to see the people from Fujimura Auto Rocket Dancer still active and participating in motorsports activities. If it isn’t apparent already, when you hear the name “Rocket Dancer” when it comes to aero parts from Japan, you’re actually talking about Fujimura Auto Kyoto…

Really liked this photos of the Real Company and WHARP Racing EF9 Civics with all the chaos surrounding them…

The modified rear bumper of Kenneth Lau’s Integra Type R propped-up off the ground utilizing the DC2’s built-in air-jack system…

A quick glimpse of the Mooncraft rear hatch. modified rear bumper, and custom wing set-up on the AP2 S2000 as Advan A052s get shaved down…

I honestly can say that of all the classic race car liveries, the PIAA livery has never really been one of my favorites, but it seems to suit the Real Company EF9 very well. Maybe it’s the boxy-lines of the Civic paired with the very linear PIAA graphics that work well together…

Chargespeed front lip and Mugen MF10L in 4-lug…

Single Bride driver seat inside with a bolt-in roll cage…

I don’t know what else to say, it just looks rad…

Usui’s CR-X PRO.2 with its primary set of Work Meister CR01 wheels mounted…

Bummer that this Civic is wrecked now. There was so much front end damage that it was visible past the firewall area…

The legendary Fujita Engineering (FEED) Afflux GT3 RX-7 making an appearance at Central Circuit for some testing. A rare sight of the rear hatch and how the Afflux GT3 wing has to be positioned for it to open fully…

For this particular CTAC event, there was a dedicated RX-8 class competition so it presented some RX-8s that I’d never previously been exposed to before. This silver one had a rare Auto Craft Version 2 front paired with a custom front splitter…

GTRs lined-up and heading over to the starting grid area…

This one was nice and simple sitting on new Rays Volk Racing GT090…

This white RX-8 also had the Auto Craft Ver. II front…

Ikegami’s Mugen M5 in motion as they were figuring out some axles issues on the JACCS-styled EF9…

Kenneth Lau and his widebody Integra Type R head into the pit area…

The ASLAN-prepped Petronas EF9 and Integra…

I love how they cut the hood just so they could clear the fuel rail from the TODA Sports Injection kit and then went on to paint-match it to the exterior…

The M&M Honda Hyper Widebody DC2R getting loaded onto a trailer and back into hibernation…

Shoya’s KUMEKAWA FARM FD2 Civic Type R wearing what looks to be a full custom widebody kit…

I actually saw this same FD2 on a tow trailer at a rest stop in Awaji just a few days before the CTAC event. It definitely looks so much more at home at the track…

Ton and the ASLAN EG6 did some testing in preparation for the Attack Tsukuba event…

For the final session, many guys did whatever they could to achieve their best possible lap times that afternoon. Here they are adding some tape to block off all the gaps in the front end of the Civic to make the car more aerodynamic…

Inside the Wonder Civic was a Solex-carbureted DOHC ZC engine. You can also get a better look at the bright lavender draped over the engine bay and interior…

The aspect of going to these style of circuit events in Japan that I enjoy the most is just the overall relaxed vibe. Everyone seems to just be having a good time with their friends and even strangers just have this level for respect for one another. Enthusiasts just help out their fellow enthusiasts whenever they can and everyone gets along…

The TENYAWANYA DC5 Integra Type R with its modified rear bumper with diffuser along with the spaced-out vented front fenders…

The KUMEKAWA FARM CTR has such oddly aggressive lines. I wonder where this kit was adapted from and what it was originally meant for. Or if it’s a complete total one-off…

Kuro-chan’s EG6  Civic with Exceed front lip and custom front splitter before it went through a full makeover for Osaka Auto Messe…

I literally only see Keiya Katsumata’s EF9 Civic SiR every year only at Central Circuit for this event. And it always looks exactly the same, almost as if it were frozen in time…

Kuro-chan is good friends with Yasu and if you know Yasu, he can be a bit of a troll sometimes. He was making fun of Kuro’s Mikihouse ‘livery’ and went and peeled the “O” off the car right before he went on the track, lol…

Real Company EF9 with a pair of spare Volk TEs and Advan A050s for the final session of the afternoon…

You can get a good glimpse at the gusset plate on the blue cage inside the CR-X in this shot. I think I might have gotten an shot of the interior in the Vlog if you want to see more of this EF8…

Hiroyuki Iiri’s “Shark-7” Full Stage FD was out for testing but only ran a few laps in the morning before being loaded back onto its trailer. Iiri is a former Japanese Super GT driver and also owns Central Circuit…

Naoya Sumi from Hawk Auto Project presenting TEMPLE Racing…

FEED Afflux GT3 once again…

Paint-matched Craftsquare mirrors and GT wing airfoil is a good look on this AP2…

And we arrive at the conclusion of this set with a shot of the ASLAN Petronas EF9 all packed-up on to the two-tiered trailer as the day came to a close…

Oh and here’s the Vlog episode in case you missed it!

Back to Japan I go, thanks for looking and follow me on everything for further updates!!…

After Wekfest Japan and Doridore, we had a day-off to just do regular life, touristy things. Obviously I’ve been to Osaka many, many times but Nana had yet to fully experience what Osaka was all about. So we spent a day just showing her around before waking-up early the following morning to go to Central Circuit. Zerofighter was hosting one of their Honda One-Make races there and it looked to have a pretty solid collective of competition cars. Things get super interesting later in the day when it starts to rain pretty heavily but overall, it was another fun day out in Japan doing car stuff. Enjoy!…

For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram!!

Joey Lee (@stickydiljoe)
Yasutaka Shimomukai (@exceed_jpn)
Nana Kogawa (@nanakogawa)

MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL FOR FUTURE VLOGS!! I got plenty of interesting stuff coming for you guys to watch!

Photo Coverage Website – WWW.STICKYDILJOE.COM
Official Chronicles Merchandise – WWW.CHRNCLS.COM