On Aug. 5, the Fujiwara Tofu Cafe in El Monte hosted its annual car meet celebrating the iconic car featured in the 90’s street racing anime, Initial D, the Toyota AE86. This event brings car and anime fans together from all over the greater Los Angeles area.
With the popularity of vintage Japanese cars growing in recent years, it is common to see a wide array of different car models at these types of events. Since opening three years ago, the annual AE86 meet marks an important time for the Fujiwara Tofu Cafe.
The Fujiwara Tofu Cafe is a cafe based on Initial D, and the cafe of the same name in the series. Initial D tells the story of 18-year-old Takumi Fujiwara, who enters the world of illegal Japanese street racing and rises to become the best racer in his prefecture. In the show, this cafe is owned by Fujiwara’s father. However, unlike the shop in the show, the real life version sells boba, coffee and more…