It was already 10:30pm, and I had spent the entire day shooting – behind the camera, in front of it, and everywhere in between. Normally, that would have been my cue to call it a night; after nearly a month on the road, sleep had become more valuable than anything else. But this wasn’t a normal night. It was my last night in Japan, and we had gathered a group of cars that made sleep feel completely irrelevant.
I always try to bring my own car along for nights like this; it’s one of the main reasons I keep a daily driver in Japan. But this was an all-Nissan cruise, and my R34 GT-R had long since been shipped back to the States. My Integra wasn’t exactly invited to this party, so instead, I found myself in the passenger seat of a brand-new 2026 Z Nismo, camera in hand, ready to document whatever unfolded.
Ironically, after years of wishing I could be part of the driving experience, I’ve come to realize how much I miss being an observer. When you’re driving, you feel everything, but you can’t capture it. You can’t freeze the moments that eventually become the story. Riding shotgun gave me that ability back, and it reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.
The Z belonged to Nissan’s press fleet, but behind the wheel was my friend Satoshi Iso, who works for Nissan Motor Co. and is a true enthusiast. It’s always reassuring to know there are still people who genuinely care about car culture inside major manufacturers.
Like most proper Tokyo night drives, ours began with a stop at 7-Eleven.
This particular 7-Eleven is one of my favorites in the city as it’s unmistakably Japanese. The combini’s iconic orange, green, and red stripes reflect across glossy paint and polished metal, creating scenes that could only exist here. Some of the guys were filling their tanks, while others lined their cars up out front, so I moved around quickly, as stops like this don’t last for long.
Inside, I grabbed one last egg sandwich. The ones back home in the US are good, surprisingly good, but they’re still not the same. There’s something about the original Japanese version that feels different. Maybe it’s because there’s no crust, maybe it’s because they’re cut into two triangles, but either way, I made the most of my last 7-Eleven egg sandwich, at least for this trip.
Our next stop was an underground parking structure, somewhere deep within the city. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you where it was if I tried; Tokyo has a way of disorienting you, even with navigation.
There were seven cars in our cruise, including Dino’s Bayside Blue R34 Skyline GT-R, a car he’s had since new in 1999. Alongside it were a silver R33, two S15s, Ryo’s beautiful restored red Hakosuka from our Wild Cards crew, and a Pandem R35 GT-R that can look equally at home on the street or in a show booth. Then there was Sudo-san and his creation.
Sudo-san’s car started life as a left-hand drive US-market 240Z that wore ‘432’ badges it didn’t deserve. Instead of removing the badges, Sudo-san embraced them by building his idea of what a modern 432 could be.
At the Z’s heart is a fully custom billet S20 engine, bored and stroked to 3.2 liters. The block itself was manufactured in Dubai because Sudo-san had already pushed the original motor beyond its limits in his time attack Hakosuka.
Among those who know, Sudo-san has a reputation. Some jokingly call him one of the final bosses of Japanese tuning, and after seeing what he’s built, it’s hard to argue otherwise. It helps that, at one point, he had the quickest R32 Skyline GT-R in all of Japan. He’s owned another since new, and has been tinkering with it ever since.
These were the kinds of nights I grew up on in Southern California. Nights spent with friends, cars, and nowhere specific to be. Eventually, we made our way toward Umihotaru PA.
Floating in the middle of Tokyo Bay, Umihotaru is more than just a rest stop. The drive there, through perfectly straight tunnels under the water, is what makes it special. If you’ve ever seen an infamous Video Option Wangan/Aqualine segment, you’ll recognise the roads.
When we arrived, the energy was already there. Groups of locals gathered, engines revving, conversations overlapping. Familiar faces appeared from the Tokyo Drive Club, fresh from organizing their recent Underground meet at Tokyo Tower. Even here, in the middle of the bay, the community felt small.
By the time the cold became impossible to ignore, we retreated inside another 7-Eleven for warmth. Standing there, I realized this was exactly how I wanted my last evening in Japan to unfold. There was no schedule or any expectations – just cars, friends, and the freedom to let the night take us wherever it wanted.
Another perfect Tokyo night that, like always, ended far too soon.
This type of nighttime cruise, hitting the convenience stores and just driving to hang out, is my absolute dream! One day I’ll get to do it in my own cool car, but for now, we live vicariously through your photos.