Author Archives: Skorj

EVENTS: Akio Toyoda shows up at Cars & Coffee Tokyo

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Skorj

At a recent Cars & Coffee event in Tokyo, the usual proceedings were disrupted when a formation of Lexus supercars arrived on the scene. Emerging from the fleet was the most famous man in Japan’s auto industry: Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 2000gt, ae86, akio toyoda, c10, cordia, csp311, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, lexus, lfa, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-3, rx-7, s800, SA22/FB, silvia, skyline, sports 800, sprinter, sprinter trueno, te27, toyota, VehiCROSS, yotahachi | 33 Comments

NEXT VERSION: 2015 Honda S660 review

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Skorj

At the time Soichiro Honda made the decision to jump head first into automaking, the Japanese government was deep into kei jidosha, pressuring car manufacturers to create cheap, utilitarian microcars that would mobilize its citizenry. Honda-san had no interest in that, opting instead to develop a … Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged honda, S-Series, s660 | 19 Comments

NIHON LIFE: A kei car Sunday

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Skorj

For a number of years we’ve passed a lone Subaru 360 perched atop a rack built from scaffold over a similar-age Sambar truck. I kept thinking, “I must stop and photograph it before it disappears.” Like a Honda S500 no … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged jimny, kei, sambar, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki | 7 Comments

SPOTLIGHT: Fastest “car” at the Tokyo Bayside Classic Cup

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Skorj

What’s mid-engined, twin-cam, hits 11,000rpm, and laps Sodeguara Forest Raceway faster than most things that were on the track at the recent Tokyo Bayside Classic Cup season closer?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged honda, S500/S600/S800, Sodeguara Forest Raceway, t360, Tokyo Bayside Classic Cup | 11 Comments

EVENTS: Cars & Coffee Tokyo at Daikanyama Tsutaya

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Skorj

In recognition of Honda’s return to Formula 1, the regular Sunday Morning Cruise in Daikanyama, Tokyo recently extended an invitation to “all Honda and other classic Japanese cars.” There was little excuse not to take the S800 out for an … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged accord, acura, beat, honda, Lancia, n-one, n-series, NIII, nsx, Odyssey, s800, sports 800, toyota, Tsutaya | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Sunday morning at Daikoku Futo

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Skorj

Located right off the famed Wangan Bayshore Route in Yokohama, Daikoku Futo PA is a congress for car fiends. As die-hard fans of JDM-land know, representatives of any and every type of Japanese tuning subculture come together to appreciate the many facets of … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, ae86, bosozoku, c10, c110, civic, contessa, corolla, daikoku futo, datsun, Fiat 500, figaro, Hakosuka, hino, honda, kenmeri, levin, luce, mazda, motorcycles, nissan, rx-4, s800, skyline, Spitfire, sports 800, sprinter, toyota, Triumph, trueno | 13 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 02

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Skorj

The annual Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival offers something few other shows can claim: the chance to see its cars driving through public streets. It’s not simply witnessing them in motion, though It’s the fact that those public streets are in Tokyo, in some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, 410, Cedric 31, contessa, crown, datsun 210, e70, gloria, hino, mark II, nissan, prince, publica, s30, s50, s60, skyline, sports 800, sprinter, subaru, subaru 360, toyota, x30 | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: New use for a Toyota Hiace

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Skorj

The Honda S800 has been a great steed for Grand Touring, but it’s going off to get a tear down to look at some possible valve clearance issues. Who needs a flatbed?

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged hiace, s800, toyota | 9 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 01

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Skorj

Unlike last year‘s clear blue skies and balmy weather, this year’s Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival was held on a cool, wet Saturday. The annual event, put on by the Toyota Automobile museum, welcomes all marques and takes place in a … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 110s, 117, 2000gt, 510, bluebird, cedric, Cedric 31, corolla, cosmo sport, datsun, datsun 210, e10, E50, gemini, honda, honda z, isuzu, levin, mazda, Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, nissan, sambar, sprinter, subaru, subaru 360, TE55, toyopet crown, toyota, trueno | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Boso Hanto, Day 02

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Skorj

On Day 01 of our Boso Hanto tour we visited visited hallowed ground, a Skyline specialist shop, and stopped for the night with some curry and a bit of Honda tourism. Welcome to Day 02, where we continued through the peninsula in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 521, beat, Boso Hanto, c110, chaser, dyna, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, Hypermini, jeep, life, mazda, minka, mirage, mitsubishi, nissan, s800, skyline, subaru, suzuki, t2000, Tokyo Bay Aqualine, toyota, wangan, yommeri | 13 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Boso Hanto, Day 01

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Skorj

To a lot of Tokyoites, Chiba-ken is nothing more than the place go to if you are flying into or out of Narita airport. On the train or bus, you pass unsavory industrial areas, docks, recycle depots, and a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 510, bluebird, Boso Hanto, bre, c10, c110, cherry, datsun, gloria, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, honda, kenmeri, miler, prince, s54, s800, skyline | 23 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 02

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our journey to the Ise Peninsula, we crossed Ise Bay by ferry. While our navi plotted the quickest route to our next destination via a number of linking bypasses and expressways, we chose a twisting road designated … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 230, cedric, century, cr-v, Grand Touring, honda, Ise Peninsula, Ise Shima Sky-Line, life, nissan, toyota | 10 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 01

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Skorj

Our destination for this tour was Mie Prefecture, some 250 miles southwest of Tokyo on the far side of Ise-wan (the same wan in Wangan, meaning “bay”). Known for its ancient craft ceramics and as the birthplace of the ninja, … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, nissan, toyota | Tagged 312, c10, copen, crown, daihatsu, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, hiace, Ise Peninsula, s120, skyline, toyota, vanning | 16 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, The Salt Road – Part 02

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our trek down Shio no Michi, Japan’s famed Salt Road, we stumbled upon a collection of kei jidosha, the ruins of Iiyama Castle, and traced the path of salt dealers from the era of shogun and … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged bluebird, cedric, datsun, Grand Touring, honda, nissan, t360 | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, the Salt Road — Part 01

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Skorj

Having not been away in a few weeks, we decided to take a Monday off and spend three days exploring Nagano Prefecture and some of the less traveled valleys near the Northern Alps. Using our usual form of taking the main … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, kei, mitsubishi, subaru, toyota | Tagged barikan, corona, cr-v, Grand Touring, honda, jeep, kei, life, mitsubishi, rt40, subaru, subaru 360, subaru r-2, t40, toyota | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Mobara Twin Circuit

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Skorj

As some of you might know, I own a dark gray Honda S800M Coupe, and it has landed me right in the middle of Tokyo’s S-car scene. When some friends went out for a day of circuit racing, I decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, motorsport, nissan, suzuki, toyota | Tagged corolla, csp311, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, levin, Mobara Twin Circuit, nissan, s500, s600, s800, silvia, sprinter, suzuki, te27, toyota, trueno | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Kanto

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Skorj

Since the opening of the Yamate Tunnel, provided traffic is light of course, traversing Tokyo to join the out-going expressways has become a lot easier. In ten or fifteen minutes, you can join the Joban for a quick run out … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, nissan, Prince, toyota | Tagged a60, c210, cedric, celica, compagno, compagno berlina spider, coupe 7, coupe 9, daihatsu, Grand Touring, hillman, honda, honda 1300, Kanto, life, midget, minx, nissan, s500, s600, s800, skyline, skyline japan, sunny cab, tn360, toyota | 20 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 02

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our Chubu grand tour, we escaped Tokyo by expressway northwest into the mountains. Our return trip took us on roads less traveled, over some of Japan’s most famous winding passes known as touge. We had made … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, Prince, subaru, toyota | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, ae86, b110, b120, bellett, c10, carol, chubu, corolla, coupe 7, datsun, datsun 221, fairlady z, familia coupe, gc10, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, hillman, honda, honda 1300, honda 145, Ini, isuzu, kp47, levin, mazda, miler, minica, minx, mitsubishi, n360, nissan, prince, s30, sanitora, skipper, skyline, sprinter, starlet, sunny, sunny truck, touge, toyota, trueno, usui | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 01

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Skorj

With an extended weekend available and being rather tired of Tokyo one tedious week, we decided to explore Chubu. North of Tokyo but with its name meaning “central”, Chubu is the region between Kanto (the greater Tokyo area), and Kansai … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged Chubu Touge, corona mark II, datsun, datsun 220, fairlady z, gloria, Grand Touring, gt-r, gto, hardbody, mitsubishi, nissan, pickup, police car, prince, r34, skyline, toyota, truck, ute, yamaha, yd125, z31 | 15 Comments

Grand Touring: The Kii Peninsula via the newly opened Shin-Tomei Expressway

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Skorj

Earlier this year the first section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway opened for traffic, marking a new era for Japan’s highway system. Naturally we went exploring, taking this newest road to one of the oldest inhabited regions of Japan, the Kii Peninsula.

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged accord, ae86, beat, brz, c10, corolla, cr-v, debonair, hachiroku, Hakosuka, honda, impreza, kei, kii peninsula, levin, mitsubishi, shin-tomei, skyline, sprinter, sti, subaru, subaru 360, tokaido, tomei, toyota, trueno, vino, wrx, yamaha, yamano magic | 9 Comments