My interest in cars started long before I was old enough to drive or even understand what made a car special. As far back as I can remember, cars were already part of my life because of my dad and my older brother.

My dad owned a 1977 Nissan Skyline GTX, which became one of the first cars I ever knew about. Before I was born, he also had cars like the Isuzu Bellett GT. Growing up, he would tell me stories about going to auto shows in Japan during the 70s and 80s, back when the car scene was still developing its identity. Hearing those stories as a kid made cars feel exciting and familiar even before I experienced anything myself.

My brother continued that influence. We both grew up around Japanese car culture, and he took it even further. He worked as a test driver for Nissan, and he was also an amateur race car driver. Whenever he visited me from Japan, he would share his experiences, show me photos, and talk about the cars he owned, drove, modified, and raced. He went through a long list of them too. Mazda RX7s, Nissan Skylines, Fairladys, BMWs, Mercedes Benzs, Porsches, Volkswagens, and more. He treated every car like a project and always had something new to show me.

He was also part of a car club called Midnight Club back when they were just getting started. Through that scene, he became friends with the owner of the original Black Bird Porsche. He was one of the mechanics who helped build and tune that car. If you know anything about the Wangan world, you know how iconic that car is. The anime and manga Wangan Midnight were based on the real street racing culture in Japan, especially the Midnight Club. Hearing my brother talk about the Black Bird and the people involved made everything feel even more real. It felt like I had a small connection to a piece of automotive history, long before I understood how legendary that world actually was.

These moments with my dad and brother shaped my early love for cars. They exposed me to the culture, the history, and the passion behind it. Even before I understood engines or modifications, I understood the feeling that cars were something special.

That is where it started for me. A family surrounded by cars, stories passed down, and a childhood filled with influences that eventually turned into my own passion.