During TAS 2025 week, the Peaches Underground Tokyo meet returned for another year of brain-melting quality and infinite variety. However, much like last year, there was not much ‘underground’ left about it.
But I don’t say that with any negativity. Curating an event like this involves much more than meets the eye.
Tokyo car culture is undeniably one of the best in the world, yet ironically, showing it off in its purest form is now near impossible.
Gone are the days of central city car parks filled with cool cars, a scene reminiscent of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Today, any hint of a car meet at such venues is met swiftly with a closed gate and the police.
But for Korean-born, Tokyo-based media/clothing company Peaches, ‘no’ was not an option. They searched high and low across the region to find a venue for over 200 cars and 2,500 spectators.
And that brings us to the Ajinomoto Stadium car park in Chofu, Tokyo.
Luke, one of the event organisers, explained that this meet wasn’t about replicating a Tokyo Drift set. Instead, it’s about sharing the city’s vast and vibrant car culture with the thousands of international visitors who come to Japan during Tokyo Auto Salon week.
The event is still a joint venture with Takashi-san of Underground Tokyo, with every car personally selected by him.
And Takashi-san’s choices were absolutely on point. Variety was key. With only 200 slots available, Takashi ensured the car park wasn’t just filled with Skyline GT-Rs and Porsche 911s. Instead, the selection ranged from drift-ready S13s to Bosozoku Laurels and concours-standard classics.
Of course, there were still plenty of GT-Rs and 911s with some of Tokyo’s best in attendance, including this stunning white BNR32 on red RAYS Volk Racing TE37s.
This year also saw support from both Nissan and Porsche. Seeing manufacturer backing at enthusiast events like this is always refreshing.
Porsche showcased their 992 911 GT3 RS, commanding respect even amongst such an eclectic mix of cars.
But it was Nissan that truly stole the show, bringing not one, but two of their most prized cars out for the night. One was the 2013 IDx concept car, a tribute to the Silvia and the Fairlady Z.
The real crowd-pleaser, however, was the R34 Skyline GT-R JGTC GT500 Pennzoil race car. Typically seen at events like the Nismo Festival and other Nissan events, bringing it to Underground Tokyo was a bold move that strengthened the automaker’s ties with the enthusiast community.
Nissan’s recent efforts in the enthusiast space are led by Iso-san, a key figure in Nissan’s Prototype division and a big presence in Tokyo’s car scene. This wasn’t Iso-san’s only contribution during Tokyo Auto Salon week, but we’ll save that story for another time.
M’s Machine Works also made an appearance with its time attack Cayman. For those unfamiliar, this blisteringly fast Porsche laps Tsukuba in just 56 seconds. A few of M’s’ street GT3-kitted cars also made their rounds.
Picking a single highlight was no easy feat, but the Mid Night 964 built by Garage TBK was a definite standout. Mid Night’s resurgence has sparked excitement among a new generation of Japanese car enthusiasts, and people were pretty stoked to see this car out and about.
The event centrepiece wasn’t a car, but a giant portable lightbox designed to show them off in their best light. One of the toughest challenges the organisers face is ensuring proper lighting for the cars, so what better way to solve that than with a studio-grade diffused lightbox for them to drive under?
With so many spectators, getting a clear shot was a challenge, but it’s clear just how popular this fixture was.
The Low Brain crew was out in full force, including Takuya-san’s Corolla wagon and John’s Corona, which I spotted earlier that day in the Makuhari Messe car parks.
Honda Civics were out in force too, and the lineup included a couple of Kanjozoku-inspired creations.
These two sound machines made sure no one left without hearing the owners’ 2024 Spotify Wrapped selections.
The global car scene continues to shift as enforcement around meetups and events grows stricter – and Japan is no exception. From the outside, some may criticise organisers or companies for ‘capitalising’ on the increasingly popular JDM scene. But the truth is, events like the Peaches Underground Tokyo meet have a real place. They offer a rare chance to share these cars and this culture with those who don’t have the luxury of experiencing it year-round.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
