Japanese Domestic Market(JDM)Culture

You've probably heard the word "JDM" at least once before, whether you're an automotive expert or a newbie enthusiast.It stands for "Japanese Domestic Market" and refers to cars that were made by Japanese companies, obeying the country's regulations. Simple enough. But, Japan is a country like any other, so what then makes these JDM cars so special and sought-after that a whole automotive subculture has arisen around them?

For decades, Japanese automobiles have been a cornerstone of not just the American automotive market, but also the global market.However, Japanese imports in America really became central during the mid-1970s, which would eventually evolve into what we see before us now.

Drifting, tuning, and other "outlandish" automotive modifications soon followed. Before we realized it, every country's imports, notably Japan's, had developed their own culture. The concept behind the JDM lifestyle was simple: import a genuine Japanese sports automobile into the United States.

It may appear simple, but there's a lot more to the tale, such as what triggered it, why Japanese automobiles were ideal for this type of lifestyle, and where the culture is today. Here's the "true" narrative behind Japan's domestic market in an attempt to answer such queries (JDM).
To really comprehend how Japanese automobile culture found its way to the United States, we must first consider what everyone in the United States is so passionate about. Japanese automakers began producing excellent sports cars in the 1980s. The Toyota AE86, the original GT-R/Skylines, and others are examples. Drifting and other types of motorsports gained popularity in Asia not long after.

Until that time, the only automobiles available to Americans were muscle cars and pricey European exotics. These Japan-based sports cars, on the other hand, were the ideal blend of the two worlds: the affordability of an American car combined with the performance and pedigree of a European vehicle. Eventually, those of us in the United States caught on, resulting in the large fan following that exists today around JDM automobiles (and Japan's automotive market in general).