As I descended to the basement level, the smell of stale, humid air mixed with exhaust fumes began to fill the elevator.
For a split second I thought the elevator went through a portal straight to Malaysia, but the lack of two-step and rev battles told me I was still in Japan.
The doors open to Takashi-san’s secret underground meeting in Tokyo – timed to the Tokyo Auto Show – and a parking garage filled with people and cars.
The location was not disclosed until the morning of the meeting and even then the details were sent privately with specific instructions on what to do, where to park and how. no to attract the attention of the police stationed in the immediate vicinity of the scene.
Sharing or discussing the meeting on SNS was also strictly prohibited.
As I watched Takashi-san running around nervously, I thought that things might have gotten a little out of hand.
“The parking staff are complaining that there are too many people and they are asking us to leave now.” he said, confirming my suspicions.
I immediately felt sorry for Takashi-san and was a bit annoyed that word had obviously spread far beyond the invited.
Why do people have to ruin a good thing? Can’t people follow simple instructions?
The atmosphere of the venue is perfect for underground meetings and I’m sure a lot of time and energy has gone into securing the venue so hopefully it hasn’t been ruined for future use.
On the other hand…
But maybe I’m looking at everything wrong? It is possible that I am being overly critical of the situation and need to look at things from a different perspective.
Because even though there were far more people than Takashi-san expected, everyone who was there was incredibly polite, friendly, and most importantly, respectful.
And you can’t blame him anyone for wanting to participate.
Everyone was having an incredible time, including Takashi-san, who was so happy that people were having fun at his secret/not-so-secret event.
The more I think about it, perhaps the key is to strike a balance between having fun and crossing the line into disrespect.
If we can maintain this balance in the future, car culture can continue to be a wonderful experience to be a part of personally and best of all – share it with others.
I wasn’t the only Speedhunter at this meeting; Toby was also in attendance and took a closer look at some of the cars that caught his eye, so stay tuned for that story.
Mina otsukaresama desu!
Ron Celestine
Instagram: sky photography
