For the longest time, our friends Alex ‘BanaweBoy’ Lim and Justin ‘Buzzhype’ Santos had been telling us to try going to Wekfest in Japan. Wekfest is a festival that originated from the United States. It’s a celebration of car culture that showcases the best of the best custom cars. It eventually made its way to Nagoya, and it’s the same event that our colleagues have been attending.
This year, Macoy Dubs brought along Top Gear Philippines head of video Charles Banaag and yours truly to see Wekfest Japan. To put it simply: It was everything we thought it would be. Probably even more.
See, last year, we were able to put out content from Wekfest Japan courtesy of BanaweBoy’s photos. From the outside looking in, obviously, the show looked great. But once we finally made our way inside the Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall, it was downright overwhelming. It was like Tokyo during Tokyo Auto Salon week all over again.
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The hall was massive, and while I don’t know the official count, it felt as if there were more than a hundred cars inside. Mind you, all of these were meticulously curated, so each one deserved a proper gander, not a quick look.
The builds were quite insane. From wild widebody Mazda RX-7s and crazy-looking Hakosukas to the cleanest, most pristine classic Euros, the show had them. Speaking of RX-7s, I estimate there were 20 at the show alone.
Of course, the show had all the other holy grails of car culture—multiple examples of the Nissan GT-R, Honda NSX, Toyota Supra, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Admittedly, I felt there was a shortage of Supras and Evos at the show, but at least we still got to see a few really good ones.
What were also in abundance were the R32 and R33 GT-Rs, as well as 180SX Silvia S13s. There was a healthy number of S2000s, too, much to Charles’ delight. Various generations of the Civic and Integra Type Rs also showed out, which I’m sure also had Macoy all smiles.
Personally, my favorite of the show was the R34 GT-R finished in deep green metallic paint. We were told it was owned by a Filipino: Mark James of Moontech. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to have a chat with him, but he did launch new merch in collaboration with Stance Pilipinas / Manila Fitted. Perhaps in the future, we can get to meet the guy, too.
The show in and of itself was also an enjoyable experience, I assume even for non-enthusiasts who were there just to accompany friends and family. The venue was well-lit, the music wasn’t being blasted into our ears, and there was more than enough space for attendees to move around. Everyone respected the cars on display—that includes all event-goers, even the youngest enthusiasts who swung by. There were also food stalls just at the back of the hall. But most important, there were seats outside where people could rest, especially for the ones like us who basically spent the whole day on our feet.
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to join BanaweBoy and the Stance Pilipinas crew at Doridore. It’s a drifting event that happens just after Wekfest Japan and is a couple of hours away by car from Nagoya. Much like Tokyo Auto Salon, Wekfest + Doridore is a pilgrimage we want to make, too. So if schedules and budgets permit, hopefully, we can go back next year. In the meantime, we’ll leave you with more photos from Wekfest Japan 2026. Scroll on below, and enjoy.
More photos from Wekfest Japan 2026:
