MSN UK Picks Top 50 Japanese Cars: So another media outlet tackles the question of the top Japanese cars of all time. Since it was a British outlet, we’ll go with the 1965 Daihatsu Compagno, which was apparently the first Japanese car imported to the UK. There seem to be some, uh, glaring absences. No mention of the hakosuka Skyline, Mazda RX-3, AE86, and such. See for yourself.

Hat tip to cappo.

Okay, okay. We can’t keep the rabid Nissan nutters at bay any more. Luckily, as with most nostalgic car shows in Japan, the New Year Meeting has heavy emphasis on Skylines with a hearty helping of Fairladies and Sunnies on the side. But we’ve got some Other Marque love in here as well. Hino and Suzuki, anyone? Click through to see JNC operative Derek Y’s final transmission. (more…)

At first, this 40,433-mile 1985 Subaru GL surprised us by popping up in Phoenix, Arizona. What does a state need with a quirky, all-wheel-drive hatchback if they don’t even know what a snowflake is? But it makes sense that such a cream puff would only survive in a winter-less wonderland. Northerners bought these to drive into the ground, and most Yankee Subies have been returned to the earth in flakes of iron oxide. (more…)

The beauty of Kimi Kurasu Machi carrot shochu is that it combines three Japanese crazes — that of regional delicacies, alcohol, and limited edition products — and wraps them all in a label illustrated with nostalgic cars. (more…)

The floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center is much sparser than it has been in recent years, but SEMA 2009 is still several times the size of some Central American nations. We were heartened to see more and more OEM automakers getting in touch with their roots. (more…)

As if Toyotaku weren’t already miffed enough that the long-awaited return of the AE86 was packin’ a Subaru 2.0L boxer under its sloping hood, here’s a little salt for that wound: it appears that the top line version of the Toyota FT-86 will actually be a Subaru. (more…)

Our buddy Murilee Martin over at Jalopnik has been documenting old cars still in service in his hometown of Alameda, California. “The Island that Rust Forgot,” he calls it.

Out of 480 cars “Down on the Street,” 61 have been Japanese, starting with a 1966 Datsun 411 Bluebird. The only rules are they have to be on public streets and must be driven. Take a look.

We have our own “Sightings” thread that’s 21 pages and counting. See a nostalgic in the wild? Post up a pic!

Despite a flagging global economy that’s hit Japan particularly hard and reports of the world’s auto manufacturers bailing on this year’s Tokyo Motor Show left and right this year, there are now some surprising rumors surfacing. If true, the 41st Tokyo Motor Show may be a retro revival of sorts.

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By the way, the crew at JCCS have released a demo reel to get you primed for the 5th annual show. It’s scheduled for Oct 3, 2009 in Irvine, CA. Mark your calendars now!

You can also play Where’s Dan? by watching this vid.

We’ve mentioned this before, but if you go to Tokyo you can visit the headquarter buildings of at least three Japanese automakers. Here’s the Nissan home base in the upscale Ginza district. Naturally, the hot new car was the Fairlady Z/370Z and there were no less than five of them on display out front. (more…)