Japan Basically has a Harbor Freight for Gearheads and it’s Basically Heaven

If someone here in America wants to build a car, there is a pretty standard way of going about it. Of course, the amount of money spent is going to depend on the route of the build.

If somebody wants to be frugal, they can head to the junkyard or maybe buy some used parts off of the internet. Lots of people have used to places like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to find great deals.

Then, we have the other end of the spectrum. If somebody is looking for something a little bit higher-quality, brand-new parts can obviously be ordered from a retailer. Break out that checkbook, though.

In Japan, though, there’s one store that’s not really like what we have here in America. For the budget-minded enthusiast, they can head into an “Up Garage” store to do all of their shopping.

The general idea behind the store seems to be a one-stop-shop for everything aftermarket. Instead of having to source parts from all over the place, an enthusiast can come to Up Garage for a mix of new and gently used parts on a budget. It really seems like the store is a mix of Harbor Freight and Goodwill except strictly for auto parts.

By following along with the video below from JDM Masters, we get a tour of the amazing facility. After watching something like this, we’re not sure why these sorts of shops aren’t more popular here in America. Perhaps the demand simply isn’t as high as it is over in Japan. On the other hand, though, how cool would it be to be able to shop in a parts store like this one?

We have to warn you because once you click on this video, we think that most people are going to want to go see it for themselves!