Tegiwa in Japan – Day 6: JDM Shipping Yard, Kakimoto Racing & Teramoto!
Tegiwa in Japan – Day 6: JDM Shipping Yard, Kakimoto Racing & Teramoto!
Day 6 of our Japanese adventure began at a shipping yard in Osaka – the final resting place for cars before their global export. This place was overflowing with iconic JDM metal! From Civic EG’s to S15’s to legendary Skyline’s and a rare Hakosuka GTR finished in Millenium Jade, it was a true feast for the eyes.
Spotted amongst these beauties was our latest acquisition – a Honda Acty HA4 patiently awaiting its voyage to Tegiwa HQ. We couldn’t resist giving it the Tegiwa treatment, proudly emblazoning it with our decals. This Acty is looking immaculate – the cleanest we’ve ever imported, boasting features like air conditioning, unworn seats, and a surprising lack of patina!
We then headed towards the legendary Kakimoto Racing, renowned for their exhaust systems and performance parts. Their showroom was a treasure trove, overflowing with everything from gleaming wheels and potent engines to their signature exhausts and walls adorned with motorsport memorabilia.
What was really cool was the hand sanitiser bottle sat in the end of an exhaust tip and the handrails made out of exhaust pipe!
The cherry on top? Two monstrous R33 Skyline GTRs built for domination in their respective disciplines. One, a track-focused beast, was primed for ripping up the asphalt. Its counterpart, a drag strip monster, left no room for doubt with its imposing parachute strapped to the rear.
As we made our way to the next stop, the unexpected became reality. Cruising through the bustling streets, we stumbled upon a sight that stopped us in our tracks – the coolest Honda dealership, ever! This unplanned stop revealed a towering, five-story structure resembling a giant matchbox, overflowing with Hondas. The pièce de résistance? An NSX-R GT300 car perched atop this mechanical masterpiece. Sadly, a closer look proved elusive – this beauty was accessible only by car lift, not by showroom explorers like us.
Next on the agenda: Teramoto, a company specialising in go-faster goodies for both cars and motorbikes. The star of the show? The ingenious T-Rev valve. This marvel of engineering alters the crankcase’s internal pressure, allowing for freer-revving engines. We even got to test it out for ourselves on a Subaru Levorg. Teramoto’s showroom was another treat, packed with goodies and allowing us to indulge our inner biker with a chance to test-sit their motorcycles.
Day 6 was a perfect example of how the Japanese adventure keeps surprising us at every turn. Join us next time for our final day in Japan, where we promise more JDM delights and a touch of bittersweet goodbyes!