EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — Bone Stock Beauties
Japan has been the source of some truly extreme car cultures. Sadly, a “custom car” was the type of vehicle deemed most unseemly by Japanese women in a recent survey. No matter. Despite a western eye...
View ArticleART CORNER: Bosozoku Cats and Kyuusha by San Mamiya
San Mamiya is a brilliant artist from Japan that operates mainly on Instagram. With an apparent fondness for old cars, bosozoku cats and the superdeformed style that populates manga, his illustrations...
View ArticleGRAND TOURING: Tohoku, Part 01
For the last year or more, most of our visits to Tohoku have been single minded – helping with the recovery efforts. This trip was a chance to relax, tour the glorious countryside, meet people and, of...
View ArticleEVENTS: 2015 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals
Take a dollop American car kulture, filter it through the distance of 5,500 miles and 12 time zones, sprinkle in a dash of home grown Japanese cars, and you get the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals....
View ArticleEVENTS: Toyota UK’s 50th Anniversary
In 1965, a motorcycle distributor named Pride and Clark became the first company to officially sell Toyotas in the UK. Toyota recently celebrated 50 years in the United Kingdom with a gathering of...
View ArticleTUNE UP: Kujira Crowns in K-pop video
A couple of Kujira Crowns, both in wagon and sedan form, have popped up in the most unlikely of places — in a K-pop video. At first glance this may seem unusual because, according to the Toyota South...
View ArticleJNC THEATER: Time Taxi takes you back in a Toyota Crown
Forget Deloreans, what would a time traveling car in Japan look like? A kujira Crown, apparently. In the drama Time Taxi an MS65 cab takes people back to rectify their mistakes — as long as they have...
View ArticleEVENTS: 2015 Mooneyes All Odds Nationals
If you’re looking for high-powered GT-Rs and the like, Mooneyes shows are probably not for you. The cars you find at a typical Mooneyes event celebrate the art of customization, whether it’s on kei...
View ArticleEVENTS: Old Car Heaven, Part 01
Recently I was invited to accompany the Prince Driver’s Club to Kyuusha Tengoku, or Old Car Heaven, on the outskirts of downtown Tokyo. With many cars expected, we were asked to assemble on site at...
View ArticleGRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 01
After a longer than usual break between our tours, we decided to take a full week off and continue our Western Coast explorations through the Chubu and Kinki regions. As we embarked, the outer bands of...
View ArticleVIDEO: Classic car commercials in Australia would be unthinkable in the US
When Ricky told me to check out the Shannons video about the Isuzu Car Club of Australia gathering, I did. But the thing that absolutely blew my mind wasn’t even an Isuzu. It was this classic car...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Nakagin Capsule Tower, 1972
Designed by Kisho Kurosawa, the Nakagin Capsule Tower is one of Tokyo’s most famous buildings, and a symbol of Japan’s post-war emergence as an innovator of industrial design. The building consisted of...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Fukuyama Station, 1975
Fukuyama Station in Hiroshima Prefecture is located right by the 399-year-old Fukuyama Castle. Bullet trains whiz in and out of the station on a daily basis, and over 20,000 people pass though it every...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Kujira Crown taxis await you at Ginza Tokyu Hotel
Described as “a quiet oasis in the throbbing heart of the world’s biggest and busiest city,” the Ginza Tokyu Hotel was opened in 1960. It was the first hotel of Tokyu Hotels, one of Japan’s most...
View ArticleVIDEO: Who did it better, Toyota USA or Toyota UK?
Recently, Toyota subsidiaries on both sides of the pond put out a call to enthusiasts and owners, assembled them at a race track, and filmed the experience. In the US, it was to promote the new Supra...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Amago Bridge, Iwaki Prefecture, 1977
For our first Showa Snap of the Reiwa Era, let’s go back to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture in August of 1977. The Amago bridge traces its origins back to the times of the samurai. It was part of the...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Chiyoda, Tokyo, 1972
Tokyo’s subway system is a confounding wonder, but as late as 1972 the metropolis still had streetcars that drove alongside traffic. Here in the Chiyoda district, 510 Bluebirds, Cedrics, Sunnys, Corona...
View ArticleKIDNEY, ANYONE? MS75 Kujira Toyota Crown Coupe
The fourth-generation Toyota Crown is one the most outlandish designs in the company’s long history. The space-age front end was like nothing else at the time, and like nothing else since. Predictably,...
View ArticleSHOWA SNAP: Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, 1974
The Shibuya Crossing, also known as the Shibuya Scramble, is the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. It’s the intersection Sean’s Evo, Han’s Veilside RX-7, and the Drift King’s Z (digitally)...
View ArticleART CORNER: Look at these amazing cars made out of cardboard
Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with all your used Amazon boxes? Perhaps these incredible cardboard cars can spark an idea or two. YouTuber Papa Ken has several videos showing off his...
View Article
