Tag Archives: shuto

VIDEO: Behold, a loop of Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway in 1986

While most people are downing large quantities of Netflix right now, here’s something a bit more relevant to our interests: Home videos of driving through Tokyo in the Showa Era. It’s a clockwise loop of Tokyo’s Shuto, and speaking of … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 at Asakasa Mitsuke in the 1970s

In preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 Route at Akasaka Mitsuke was rushed to completion. Below the highway, Aoyama Street (National Route 246) intersects with Sotobori Street. Crossing under the right-most branch is the Benkei … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: A fleet of convertible Toyota Crowns are ready for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

We would be in the first week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if the coronavirus hadn’t thrown a giant pole vaulter’s bar into the entire world’s plans. The first time Japan’s capital hosted the Olympic Games was back in 1964, … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: The Shuto, circa 1969

The Shuto is the beltway system that circles downtown Tokyo, home to many a traffic jam during the day, and fleets of street racers at night. Construction began in 1962, and in this postcard from 1969 or 1970, you can … Continue reading

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NIHON LIFE: Japan proposes changes for easier expressway navigation by foreigners

Japan’s expressways are famously difficult to navigate. Most are named for the far-away places they head to and are difficult for non-native Japanese speakers to remember. That may all change, the Ministry of Transport is proposes an alphanumeric system to help us gaijin not get … Continue reading

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PIXELLATED: Gran Turismo Sport in-game trailer looks amazing, and you can now race on the Shuto

Playstation owners, rejoice! Your racing sim is here. After a console generation of Forza giving Gran Turismo a run for its money, it looks as if Turn 10’s David has not beaten Polyphony’s Goliath. In graphics alone, Turn 10’s Forza … Continue reading

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Friday Video (sort of): S40 Crown in Reborn Toyota campaign promising “Fun to Drive, Again”

Toyota has launched a mysterious website called Reborn-Toyota for the Japanese market. The sparse page has nothing but a slideshow depicting actor “Beat” Takeshi Kitano and singer Takuya Kimura dressed as 16th century daimyo warriors looking gangster behind the wheel of a piano black S40 … Continue reading

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NIHON LIFE: The Shuto, Tokyo’s Elevated Expressways

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Expressway — Shuto Kōsoku Dōro (or just the Shuto) — is Tokyo’s answer to handling large volumes of traffic traversing the megalopolis.

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Friday Video: Freeway Speedway

It’s kind of hard to believe we’ve gone this long without any mention of the Freeway Speedway series. The six films followed a young driver making his way in the illegal Shutoku battle scene of the 80s and 90s. At … Continue reading

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