Louwman’s Toyota World Raamsdonkveer, 14 September 2024: It was time of year again for all JDM enthusiasts and car lovers to find their way to Louwman’s Toyota World for another edition of Go Japan. Go Japan is a family-friendly event that brings together JDM enthusiasts of all ages. Louwman’s Toyota World Museum opened its doors to all car show attendees. It’s one of the unique locations in the Netherlands for a car event. Go Japan had it all, from a show paddock filled with the best of the best of JDM cars, a Best of Show contest, a rev battle, and a moment to admire some unique builds. With some good blessings from our weather gods, it was the right combination to attract thousands of visitors and around 1500 JDM cars.
Text:Willem van Lamoen
Picture:Willem van Lamoen
Once again, Louwman’s Toyota World Museum was transformed into a JDM heaven. The parking lot was the place to admire the most exquisite cars Japanese manufacturers had ever built, from the newest to the oldest ones, like a 1979 Mazda 818 SL coupe or this beautiful (NL car) 1968 Honda S800 convertible. Honda’s S-line was produced from 1966 to 1970. After this, Honda didn’t make any S roadster until the S2000 debuted in April 1999.
One of the eye-catchers on the paddock was the 1990 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) from fellow JMD lover Jarno Hasselman, aka Drift_yata. Hasselman spent around three years restoring and bringing his Miata back to life, dedicating every penny and time. He just finished the car and debuted it at Louwman’s Toyota World for Go Japan 2024. Hasselman swapped the engine from a 1.6L to a 1.8L for more power. He also installed BC coilovers for more stability and added a custom-made exhaust from a 4 to 1 header. This build taught him to have a lot of patience because while wanting to start her up for the first time, they encountered wiring problems, which they couldn’t figure out at first until they stripped the whole wiring harness out of the car to find out that it was just plugged in wrong.
During the show, there was a group of people that you couldn’t miss because they brought the beat with them, playing their music in ‘Papiamento,’ not Papiamentu (the native language of the southern Caribbean island part of the Dutch kingdom). They were from our neighboring island, Aruba, and were straightforward to spot by the flags on the cars.
We also caught up with local JDM enthusiast/lover Rishi Sewgobind, who was showing off his latest build, which is still in the making. His EKk20 is very clean and straight, with an E-street tune from the man himself, Sneakytuning, pushing 240whp approximately on pump gas.
Bradley came out with his EGK20NOS, who also brought a friend all the way from Roermondt, the Puche_2zzGTET starlet.
We also spoke to the 402 team, who told us it was a well-visited event that they were happy about and how it was. 402 Automotive has already announced its next edition in 2025. Monitor their website in the coming weeks for the exact date.