Registration has opened for the 4th annual Japanese Classic Car Show. If you want to show off your ride in front of thousands of kyusha fans sign up now because spaces fill up fast. Also remember, this year the show is in a new, bigger location in Irvine, CA. See you there!

Rotaries are big in Australia, the preferred vehicle of choice for road warriors and hoons alike. From achingly mint restorations to massive-horsepower drag monsters shod in 18-inch rims, the land down under has got it all. For a sampling of the pistonless potpourri available there, take a look at the Mazda Car Club of Queensland’s Car Show last weekend. Thanks to B1500boy from our Vegemite Sandwich Bureau, owner of over 50 nostalgic Mazdas and counting, for the pics!

Just a quick reminder for those of you from or visiting NorCal this weekend. Be sure to check out the Z Owners of Northern California’s Blackhawk Datsun/Nissan Extravaganza in San Ramon on June 28. All manner of Datsuns are welcome - 510s, Zs, and Roadsters. Doors open at 10 AM. For more information, check out the ZONC website.

For the first time in its 42 years, the Palo Alto Concours D’Elegance will feature a small section on Japanese cars. Only a select few cars, some of which will be featured in the next issue JNC, have been invited to attend thanks to efforts by David Swig of Motoring J Style, which we told you about in our 2007 coverage of the show.

The debut of Japanese cars at the Concours will not be quite the splash we hoped, since the organizers have not yet made them eligible for judging and awards, but it still represents a step towards recognition. Most of the other cars that enter into this event cost over six digits, so the nostalgics will be in good company and hopefully bring some awareness about Japanese classics to this niche.

The 2008 Palo Alto Concours D’Elegance will be held on the campus of Stanford University this Sunday, June 22. Doors open at 7 AM.

Things have been pretty frantic here at JNC headquarters, so we’ve missed posting on an event or two. Most notably, from the Better Late Than Never Bureau, the Z Car Club Inland Valley’s Datsun & Nissan Car Show. Check out Dan’s fantastic pics here.

And from the Roo Bar Bureau on the other side of the world, Aussie JNCer Dave Carey attended last year’s Bay to Birdwood vintage car event with his Isuzu Bellet and wrote an excellent piece about it. Accompanied with some drool-inducing photos of Down Under J-tin that we don’t get to see in the States, we just had to post it up. Read all about it here. Thanks, Dave!

Our English friends across the pond at Old Japanese Car gathered in Leeds this past weekend to represent the J-tin at a car show in the Yuke. Take a gander at this fantastically preserved Datsun Violet (aka 710) sedan, one of the most under-appreciated members of the vintage Nissan family. That wing mirror to the right belongs to a pretty mean looking 610, and the first Sunny imported to the British Isles waay back in 1968 was there as well. Even Japanese-influenced machinery from neighboring Asian nations made guest appearances. Now saunter over our forum and OJC to check out more photos.

The town of Carlisle in southeastern Pennsylvania is synonymous with mega car gatherings. A few summers ago, we went to the All Ford Nationals and there were probably more Boss Mustangs at that one event than all the surviving Toyotas Coronas in the country put together. These shows are huge. Traditionally, Japanese cars have been bunched together with European imports, kit cars, and replicas, making them seem like part of the category marked “other.” But finally, in 2009, they’ll have their day in the sun.

According to a recent press release, cars from Japan will take center stage at the 2009 import/kit/replica show. Say the organizers, “Although there were relatively few Japanese cars in the US in the 60s, by the 70s Americans had come to recognize the fun and excitement of these cars.” The event will be May 15-17, 2009. Mark your calendars to remind yourself to buy a 2009 calendar so you can mark that.

UPDATE: Here are some pictures from this year’s event posted in our forum courtesy of oleyline.

Thanks to Toyotageek for the tip!

[Cars at Carlisle via Toy700and800 Group]