One of the most popular videos on our GTChannel YouTube page is our short film documenting the time when the late Paul Walker flew to Japan to visit legendary GT-R tuner, Mine’s.

Paul Walker trying on the Mine's R34 GT-R for size

That one video has garnered well over 28 million views since it was first uploaded to our channel in 2011. If you’re reading this then there is a good chance that you have already seen it yourself and you know what happens in the video.

What you may not know is how Paul’s trip to Japan came to be in the first place. It would be easy to assume that Paul visited Japan as some part of a press tour or PR strategy to build hype for the Fast and Furious films he’s famous for. Though, that would be wrong.

The real story is actually much more simple, and pure than that. It starts with our friend Jason Kusagaya, a fellow enthusiast and someone who used to work with Mine’s but is currently at Denso.

Paul Walker (right, kneeling) talking to Jason Kusagaya (center) as Mine's founder Michizo Niikura (left) looks on.

Paul Walker was just as much of a car enthusiast as anyone reading this. That being said, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that Paul was no stranger to enjoying track days with his GT-R or any of the other various cars in his collection. It was at one of those track days that Paul met Jason.

Specifically, the two met at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, CA. Jason and Paul did what you would expect two gearheads to do at a track day: talk about cars. The pair realized they had a lot in common and became fast friends, even hanging out outside of track days and car shows. In fact they would meet regularly at a restaurant and talk cars over a meal.

When Paul learned that Jason can speak Japanese fluently, he asked if Jason would accompany him, his business partner Roger Rodas (who also tragically passed away in the same accident that claimed Paul’s life), and his daughter Meadow on a trip to Japan. With Paul becoming a big fan of Japanese cars, we can imagine that he was pretty excited about visiting the mecca of JDM.

Paul, Roger, Meadow, and Jason planned the trip for August 2009. Jason wasn’t particularly thrilled about the timing since Japanese summers can get pretty toasty but it was the best time for them to go since Meadow would be on summer break.

At this point our very own Taro Koki stepped in to help facilitate some choice visits for the group to make during their trip; including a stop at Spoon HQ.

Taro also arranged for the Japanese GTChannel film crew (now the founders of “Built By Legends”) to be on hand to film Paul Walker’s visit to Mine’s.

Jason Kusagaya (far left) snapping a picture of Paul Walker with Mine's founder Michizo Niikura

Before the group visited the legendary tuner shops Jason remembers Paul really wanting to soak in Japanese culture and not make the trip about his own celebrity status. Paul made it a point to stay as low key as possible.

“In Japan we mostly traveled in a private car to stay off the radar. Paul was very 'regular' and not flashy. He did not act in a way to draw attention to himself, which may be why he was not recognized by the public during our travels.

Michizo Niikura (left), Paul Walker (center), and Tarzan Yamada (right) solidifying their JDM bromance.

Paul was very inquisitive, intrigued, super polite, and respectful with Japanese culture and customs during the trip and throughout our friendship.” says Jason.

Paul even had the opportunity to get adventurous with the local cuisine.

“He was open about trying food he never ate before. Some people are very particular with foreign food, especially when the foreign food is raw. He was, I would say pretty adventurous, as we ate Fugu (puffer fish that if not filleted correctly, is poisonous), and ankimo (monkfish liver) sashimi.” Said Jason.

Tarzan Yamada eloquently describing his experience driving with Paul Walker

When Mine’s founder Michizo Niikura learned that Paul would be coming to visit, he reached out to Tarzan Yamada to come by at the same time. That is why Yamada-san is featured in the video taking Paul for a ride along.

Paul enjoyed the trip so much that he was excited to return.

“Paul's appreciation and interest in Japan was so great that on that fateful day, just before he jumped in the Porsche Carrera GT with Roger Rodas we were planning a trip to Japan in April to see the Sakura (cherry blossom) displays.” said Jason.

Unfortunately, the group never got to go on that second trip as both Paul and Roger tragically lost their lives in an accident while driving that Porsche Carrera GT just moments after their conversation with Jason.

While this story does have a sad ending, we wanted to share it because we thought it was important to really show how genuine Paul Walker was. Despite all his fame and celebrity, he really was just a regular guy who was passionate about cars and loved sharing that enthusiasm with other regular people who shared the same interests.

Paul Walker enjoying his time behind the wheel of Mine's Nissan R35 GT-R V-Spec

“Paul was just a down to earth, regular guy, easy going, the whole time I knew him. Our mutual passion for all things automotive was the catalyst for a great friendship.”

Paul Walker was a great car enthusiast but he was also a good person, father, and friend. We hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at one of our favorite moments in GTChannel history.

Paul Walker's Visit To Mine’s Japan - The Back Story