Little Tokyo, Big MeetCar shows can be fun both for attendees as well as competitors. While some shows offer extra entertainment, like dance competitions, DJs, motocross exhibitions, and skateboard demos to bring people in and keep them there, Nisei is a bit different. Its reputation is that of tradition and trend setting, and it's all about the cars. Many competitors build their cars strictly for Nisei, and many made the trip to downtown Los Angeles from as far away as Oregon, Arizona, Las Vegas, and even Seattle. Northern and Southern California joined forces with crews like Kosoku, DPK, DOODS!, and Plus One, displaying high-end builds with one-off custom wheels and fab work. As you'd expect, the competition gets tougher each year and 2008 was no different. Honda Civics, S2000s, and Integras dominated the sweltering parking lot, with trends leaning more toward hard-to-find Japanese wheels and race aero once again. The Volk RE30 was by far the wheel of choice this year, with competitors steering clear of the wild-colored wheels common in the last couple of years and instead opting for subtle white, bronze, or the now infamous Mag Blue hues. K swaps are still the power choice for most, though thoroughly built B-series engines could be found down just about any aisle, both boosted and naturally aspirated. Of course, old-school Hondas like the EF and DA chassis always make their presence known at Nisei and, like a proud platoon, they helped fill a number of spots at this year's show, which was no surprise to us. It's amazing to see some of these models reaching their 20-year marks and looking cleaner than the day they rolled off the dealer lots. Nisei is OG when it comes to SoCal meets and fortunately is showing no signs of slowing down. If you didn't make it out this year, make sure you get yourself there in 2009!