Tag: tokyo

  • Tokyo Living | RO Explore

    Tokyo Living | RO Explore

    I don’t know how, but here we are again with another Japan trip. I seriously love this country and have been here more times than I’ve visited my own home country of Vietnam. The friendly culture, the food, the convenience stores and the efficient train systems keep me coming back every year. Our goal this year was try to just enjoy living in Japan instead of having a bunch of things on the agenda to hit. We stayed in Tokyo for about two weeks and did some exploring around the country.

    First things first, we had to get some convenience store food.

    Julia had to have the waffle ice cream sandwich before we headed to our Airbnb.

    On the first day, we decided to take a shinkansen down to Kyoto and Osaka, so we can get some Kobe beef for Keith’s birthday. Our first stop was the Nijo Castle in Kyoto where amazingly enough was still well preserved.

    For lunch, we went to Nishiki Market where there was a line of street food vendors that had all of the exotic Japanese food.

    This egg sandwich was so light and fluffy!

    At the end of the market was a Mameshiba cafe, which is a chain of dog cafes that features Shibas! We dropped all the plans we had for the day just for an hour with these pups.

    Keith was the chosen one. You’re not allowed to pick up the dogs here, so when one crawls up in your lap to nap, you are now a dog bed. Dogs have an innate ability to sense kindness and comfort, which is why those small acts of trust feel so special.

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    The last thing to see in Kyoto was the Inari Shrine.

    Whole lotta gang shit.

    Time is the only enemy.

    It was Keith’s birthday, so we celebrated with some A5 Wagyu Kobe beef!

    The next morning, we ventured out to Odaiba to check out Team Lab to check out the art installations.

    It’s seriously an amazing place with so many installations. Perfect for the gram.

    We got dinner afterwards at one of my favorite things to eat in Japan, gyukatsu which is basically a deep fried steak.

    Delicious!

    Always so cool to see some JDM cars, like this Chaser with Work VS-KFs.

    Me and Julia were hungry for some late night food, so we decided to check out this ramen spot near our Airbnb. It’s one of the top 10 in Tokyo!

    Seriously, so good.

    Gotta have ice cream after every meal.

    If you want to get some sick ass neon dirty street style photos, check out Kawasaki Warehouse.

    It’s a replica of the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong which used to be like a black market.

    Finding some cafes to take breaks and the food here is so aesthetically pleasing.

    Had to take the wife to a fancy dinner for dealing with all of the car stuff we’ve been doing.

    We ate the Sky Restaurant at Sky Tree which had a beautiful view.

    Came home to these drunk beauties photos by Tanya.

    More adventures to come! Check back for more and if you have any questions leave a comment!

    -NGUMINH

     

     

  • Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 | Event Coverage

    Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 | Event Coverage

    Tokyo Auto Salon is a world famous international auto show by Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee. It is held at Makuhari Messe convention in Chiba, Japan, where they display the latest and greatest in Japanese performance and dress-up display. We started the year off by attending this world famous event, and we were definitely more than impressed. It is quite similar to our famous auto trade event, SEMA, in Las Vegas, Nevada; however, just imagine seeing the awesome Japanese styling just consistently throughout the entire event.

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    One of about 11 halls filling up fast with media, attendees, and those involved in the Japanese automotive industry.

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    Over at Rush Motorsports we spotted a familiar face, Sara Choi.

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    Nissan GT-R R35 on Mikado Hayabusa wheels.

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    Rush Motorsports Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 on Mikado Hayabusa wheels.

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    Forgiato x Liberty Walk Audi R8.

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    Over at the Toyota Gazoo Racing booth you have school kids taking notes, and learning a thing or two about the history of Toyota Gazoo Racing.

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    Liberty Walk Mini Cooper R56.

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    Liberty Walk Audi R8.

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    Liberty Walk Nissan Fairlady Z S30.

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    Bunch of Liberty Walk merchandise everywhere.

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    The Subaru BRZ STi.

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    Liberty Walk Maserati.

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    WALD displaying the latest wheel and brake products.

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    Defi showing off the latest for the newest Mazda 2 Demio.

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    The latest from Vossen x Work.

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    This VW has a mixture of USDM and JDM styling.

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    The AIMGAIN ND Miata. One of the nicest ND builds of Tokyo Auto Salon.

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    Really love the rear end appearance of the whole AIMGAIN GT kit

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    The AIMGAIN X STANCENATION Toyota FRS. As you can see this version of the kit includes no rivets at all.

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    One of a few simulators around TAS.

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    326POWER suspension essentials.

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    Crazy 326POWER Toyota Prius.

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    Vertex was in the house. Quality steering wheels.

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    Kenda Nissan S15.

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    These two Nissan GT-R showcasing truly beautiful hand-crafted paint work.

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    The Kuhl Racing ND Miata.

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    Y33 Cima tucking ridiculously all around with butterfly doors.

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    Pandem Rocket Bunny E36 M3.

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    Microvans and K-cars were amazing. Something you definitely do not see in the US.

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    Probably our favorite build of Tokyo Auto Salon was this red Spirit Rei 180sx.

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    The fitment and everything was on point.

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    Garage RiseUP FD3S RX-7 bringing an update to the whole FD front end.

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    Car Modify Wonder; loved them all.

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    Greddy Rocket Bunny ND Miata. Another over fender build.

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    Got Aero?

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    BN SPORTS kitted Toyota 86.

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    COCKPIT TATEBAYASHI Nissan Skyline GT-R.

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     We highly recommend anyone that is able to head out to Japan to give Tokyo Auto Salon a look, because you surely will be impressed by nearly every car.  And if you do, be sure to bring a long a good amount of money, because there are ridiculous deals on car parts for cheapy cheaps.

    More photos in the gallery below.

    Photos by @shaviw and @nguminh.  Please check watermark to give credit to the correct photographer.

  • RO in Japan | The First Day

    RO in Japan | The First Day

    I have a problem with being easily bored of life. Sometimes, I feel like I’m stuck in a forever struggle of working, stressing over life and my happiness. We spend the best part of our lives in school, learning how to survive and perhaps thrive in this modern world of ours. After that, we spend our entire lives working to obtain a salary, so we can afford ourselves simple pleasures.  If you look at the big picture, we are all just stuck in this infinite loop of our modern lives. Once in a while, you have to wake up from this matrix and leave everything behind and take what you have to explore the other 99.9% of the world. Having an adventure in Japan should be a bucket list for everyone in the world. No matter what part of the world you’re from going to Japan is nothing you will ever experience, the culture, the food and the people will grant you a brand new perspective in life.  I hope in the next series of post will convince you to use those saved up vacation days and explore Japan.

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    This was my room for the entirety of the trip. It was nice and cozy and ridiculously cheap. If $150/a night hotel rooms isn’t your thing then try going on Airbnb.com. Plan your dream vacation on a budget.

    These types of stays not only give you a feel of local life but often come with the added benefit of a more personal, authentic experience that traditional hotels can’t always offer. However, when it comes to vacation ownership, some people might find themselves locked into agreements that no longer serve their interests.

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    These were the companions on my second Japan trip excluding the samurai guy. Brendan, Neel and Vinh. It was all of their first time going to Japan and they were super anxious and excited to experience the culture.

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    Last year, this sushi place that shot out your orders left a lasting impression on me. I had to make sure that I took the guys here for this ridiculously cheap sushi. $1 a plate!! This sushi place is a chain restaurant called Genki Sushi. You can find it in Shibuya near the famous cross walk.

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    Brendan and his signature raised eye brow look, the yellow happy face was trying to copy him in the back.

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    This is my favorite place in Tokyo and oddly enough it’s a Starbucks! Find this at the roof top Starbucks in Harajuku.

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    Next stop was Odaiba! Where the famous Gundam stands tall for tourists. 

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    The Diver City Plaza behind the Gundam is an awesome mall with an even more awesome food court. Definitely a place to shop and grab some delicious food.

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    The guys were definitely awestruck by the Gundam even put the phones down just to take it all in.

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    Sometimes you need to put the phones down and live in the moment.

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    About a block away from the Gundam is Joypolis where they have a real Initial D simulator game. Joypolis also has some other awesome games to enjoy in the 4 story building. It was like a Chuck E Cheese, but 100x better.

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    About another block away is the Toyota Mega Web museum. This is a spot to geek over classic cars and the new Toyota models.

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    I honestly didn’t recognize some of these classic Japanese cars, it was refreshing to see these cars in immaculate condition.

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    Hallway of Collectibles.

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    Funny how they had an Americanized theme hall way of cars.

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    Upstairs celebrated Toyota Motorsports and the future of Toyota.

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    Would not mind having this van for long road trips.

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    The new Toyota Crown Athlete.

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    What was cool about this display, you could get into the car and just get a feel of how it would be driving this car.

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    The re-released Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series.

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    For some reason Vinh wanted to test out this tiny handicap-able car.

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    To find this area all you need to do is follow the Ferris wheel.

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    After Odaiba, we headed out to Shinjuku to meet up with Brendan’s friend Will from Rennstall.  While we were waiting, there were bands playing outside the station for the fun of it. None of them had hats out or a donating jar, just wanted the exposure.

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    Made our mark.

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    Will and his friends took us out to an Izakaya for food and drinks. The Japanese have this thing were they like to get pissed out drunk, so most Izakaya and some restaurants offer a all you can drink service.

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    I just wanted to stick to the finer things in life like this egg and yakisoba on a skillet.

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    Vinh was too tired from today’s activities and knocked out while we were grubbing.

    That sums up our first day in Japan, crazy how what we did on this day took about 3-4 days last year. I recommend getting a pocket WiFi so, you don’t waste anytime getting lost. The company JCR Pocket Wifi is what I used because you can pick it up from the airport when you land. Make sure you check back for more Japan posts!

    -NGU ASS