The most outrageous car show in Japan is back!

Tokyo Auto Salon: The latest, greatest car mods for 2025

This year’s show lacked some of my favorite kitchy offerings of years past, but if you’re a dude whose burning desire is to turn his car into a babe-magnet, Tokyo Auto Salon is the show for you.

Manly, eye-popping paint job? Check. The latest in furry dashboards? Check. Kawaii accessories to suggest you’re got a soft side? Check, check, check.

Traditional Japanese motifs murmur that a Nippon danshi is at the wheel…

Or if subtlety’s not your jam, plastering your ride with the logo of the racing apparel manufacturer that makes you drop an f-bomb just to order a jumpsuit just might be.

Unashamedly align with the oligarchs…

or aim to impress with the ultimate eco-flex: a Monster Prius.

Color-changing paint is so last year, but gorgeous gradations are apparently in

Going for a custom etching job says you’re a sucker for commitment…

but if you’re just etching-curious, you can start with a wing mirror

Drown out the competition with a rolling DJ set-up (and baffle riders with the world’s most confusing doors)

or reel them in with all their favorite brands

Reveal you’re still a paintball-slinging kid at heart.

or win Dad of the Year by getting your kid a custom car to match your own

Kit out your modest minivan with the ultimate in wood paneled camping comfort

or indulge your dreams of speed while ogling the mandatory drag racers

And (because Japan) drift racing is A Thing, even if you have to drive a Brave Little Toaster all week doesn’t mean you can’t trick it out with ground-effect skirts for a little hairpin rubber-burning on the weekend

There’s even a booth for those who want to make their Tokyo Drift dreams a reality: this company offers three-day drift-racing experiences for weekend dragsters

And finally, it wouldn’t be Tokyo Auto Salon without significant booth-babe action.

This year the trend veered a bit darker…

and was replete with some rather counter-intuitive come-ons

There were plenty of relatively modest upgrades on offer, like custom wheels

and animated taillights

but if you’re in it for the over-the-top displays

and how to turn ordinary car into something that begs for a mini-me model version and skateboard homage, get thee to Tokyo Auto Salon to upgrade your fantasies for 2025.

Tokyo Auto Salon is still going strong through Sunday, January 12, 2025

Where: Makuhari Messe

Hours: 9:00 – 18:00

Admission: Adults ¥3000

You can buy tickets online in English with your phone here. They aren’t selling any paper tickets at the gate—you have to buy your tix online before you arrive. The ticket-buying process doesn’t work in a PC browser, so you need an Android or iOs smartphone to both buy the tickets and display the QR code that’s scanned for admission at the entrance.

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had