Shukai 2018 in San Jose's Japantown District
Daily Slideshow: Sixth annual Shukai has almost everything.
Something for everyone
The annual Shukai Show that takes place in San Jose put on by founders Cary Inayoshi of Wheels N Meals and My Nguyen of Headliners went off once again recently. At a lot of outdoor meets you'll get a parking lot or even a parking structure to have everyone show off their hard work, and commune with other enthusiasts. Well, that is where Shukai is different. With the Shukai show, you'll get seven long blocks of import goodness, a multitude of food trucks, and lots of local shops catering to the guests.
It's free!
Back in 2013, the first Shukai show set things off by doing things very different right from the jump. Cary and My looked to bring people back into the local "J Town" of San Jose, which is just one of three registered Japantowns in the whole United States. With that focus in mind, the Japanese term for "meeting" or "gathering" which is "Shukai" was chosen. When the event kicked off it was one of the few events that were completely free to guests that legally shut down city blocks. Now, five years later, Shukai has remained true to that ethos and has never strayed away from bringing folks of all ages together in a beautiful historic neighborhood for the love of cars.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
All about a good time
Another thing that sets Shukai apart from other shows is that there is no judging, trophies, or any competitive angle to the cars. However, there are prices and raffles for items that were donated by local companies with all the proceeds benefitting San Jose's Japantown area. This again is all about just having a good time. So milling about the blocks you'll find not only auto enthusiasts but entire families who just happened to be in the area on a sunny Sunday.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
Mixed company
The range of cars that showed up at Shukai is just crazy when you walk through and see a Skyline GT-R, a Ferrari 458, and a classic Ford Model A just parked together. Take a few more steps and you'll see an Evo X, a Toyota Sienna, and an F-Series M3.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
Even two-wheeled transportation
Down on the intersection of 6th St and Jackson is where there was a good dose of modified scooters, mini-bikes, and Groms among others. Then travel a bit more and you'll run into a neat assortment of VIP style cars featuring all manners of crazy camber and ostentatious interiors.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
What more can I say?
Walk a bit further and you'll run into all of the stance vehicles that are slammed so low that you have to wonder how the hell they managed to get there without bashing in a wheel on some random pothole.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
Keep Shukai alive
This 1969 coupe Corolla has been dressed up with an aggressive demeanor coming from a chin spoiler and a pair of fog lamps mounted on the bumper. Under the hood is a Toyota 20-valve variant of the 4A-GE setup with an ITB-fed twin cam.
This Corolla is a perfect end to our journey as it takes what was old and makes it new again. Just like introducing San Jose's J Town is for a whole new generation that may not have taken the time to gather together and appreciate it. Sadly, word is that this will be the last Shukai run by the Wheels N' Meals staff and the Headliners team. I really do hope that individuals will step forward and help to bring this show back once again next year.
For even more pictures of what came to Shukai just click here and here.
>>Join the conversation about the 2018 San Jose Shukai right here in Club Lexus.
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