Article by: James Bennett
Photos by: James Bennett

Each year in Del Ray Beach, there is an annual festival called Hatsume. This is the Japanese celebration of the first bud of spring. What better a place in Florida than the Morikami Museum and Gardens. During the festival, there were sumo wrestling demonstrations, kaido drum performances, martial arts and weaponry exhibitions, as well as the current features of the museum and gardens. For the first time, a car show featuring "Japanese-only" cars was held.

The JDM challenge was limited in registration, the weather was bad with the rain... but there was still support from car entrants. We were on hand to help out with the event. We had on display our Kazama Widebody RX7, Tarmac Terror STi, Spoon Everything S2000, JDM 5th Generation Prelude, and our upcoming project bB. The entertainment from the festival was worth while. The gardens were definitely awe-inspiring. The same goes for the cars who won at the show. They were awarded trophies, as well as cash prizes from $500-100. Congratulations to all of the winners! We hope to see you next year at the JDM Challenge at Hatsume.