Tag Archives: violet

Abandoned Japanese cars of the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone

The Fukushima plant meltdown following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. Today, there’s an area of about 143 square miles that’s still part of the nuclear exclusion zone deemed unsafe … Continue reading

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Nissan T12 Bluebird becomes 80s retro-electric “Newbird”

Eighties culture and fashion is, like, so rad these days. Nissan has gotten in on the fun by 80s-fying a T12 Nissan Bluebird — what we would have called a Stanza 5-door in the US — with a modern powertrain. … Continue reading

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Happy 710 Day from JNC

Back in post-Oil Crisis 1976, small cars were finally getting some attention as Americans shifted from land yachts to compacts. Datsun positioned the 710 as one that didn’t feel like a penalty box. As touted in this ad, it boasted … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Learn how to color like concept car artists, courtesy of Nissan

Have you ever wanted to draw cars like professional designers? Specifically, using color to light the car so it jumps off two-dimensional paper like a proper three-dimensional object? To help kids (and adults) deal with more coronavirus quarantine time, Nissan … Continue reading

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Happy 710 Day from JNC

The Datsun 710 isn’t as revered as some of its ancestors, but let’s not forget, they were formidable race cars too. Happy 710 Day from JNC!  

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SHOWA 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 Hama … Continue reading

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GALLERIES: Nissan says the Stanza Wagon is as iconic as the Datsun 510

Vindication. It’s a good feeling. Earlier this year when Ryan published a Consider the Following article about the many charms of the Nissan Stanza Wagon, the comments section got rather heated. Some couldn’t believe a Pulitzer-esque publication like JNC would sing the … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Shakotan Sleds

We’ve shown you the JDM rarities, competition machines and museum pieces of JCCS, but we know what you really came here for — Nihon sleds slammed on some vintage barrels. It’s the quintessential Japanese modified car look, and there was plenty of it on … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2017 Nissan Jam, Part 04 — Nissan Forever

Why do people love Nissans so much? Our final installment of our Nissan Jam coverage, offers an explanation. Perhaps it’s the sheer diversity of not just the cars from the factory, but that of the custom styles they inspired. Speaking of inspiration, the … Continue reading

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Happy 710 Day from JNC

A JNC public service announcement: On this and very 710 Day, please make sure you fill up whatever’s under your 710 cap. Image: NICO Club

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EVENTS: 2016 Classic Japan show in Australia

One of our favourite nostalgic car shows in any country is Classic Japan, which is held in Melbourne, Australia in December every year. Melbourne is 1000 km away from JNC‘s Australian HQ in Sydney, so it’s also an opportunity to … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2016 Nissan Jam, Part 03 — Editors’ Choice

We’ve saved the best for last in our 2016 Nissan Jam coverage. It wasn’t easy choosing our favorites, but the cars in this post, for one reason or another, caught the eyes of the JNC staff that attended the show. 

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EVENTS: 2016 New Year Meeting, Part 04 — The Streets

In the last two installments of our 2016 New Year Meeting coverage, we prowled the parking area to find as much diversity in marques and models as there were in customization styles. In our final installment of the 2016 New Year … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Beautiful dioramas of model cars from Japan

Takuji is a Japanese artist who places 1:43 and 1:64 scale minicars into beautifully constructed dioramas. From AE86s on touge roads to Mitsubishis tearing through a rally stage to mechanics tuning Skylines in a garage, each scene is a slice of … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08 — Editors’ Choice

As is tradition, each year we conclude our JCCS coverage with list of our favorites, and each year it gets harder and harder to choose. I asked the JNC staff to each pick the two cars that they liked the most, and provide a … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Road & Race

The last installment of our JCCS coverage was a homage to bone stock beauts, but a huge contributor to the popularity of Japanese cars has always been their tunability. Here are the JCCS cars that were built for street and circuit, not preservation. 

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ART CORNER: The illustrations of U井T吾

For this installment of JNC‘s Art Corner, we feature another artist from Japan. U井T吾, 27, is a Kyoto-based artist whose day job is in character design for board games and social gaming. Fortunately for us, he’s also an enthusiast of old Japanese … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Datsun 510 sells for $247,000

The past twelve months have seen astounding prices for Japanese cars at auction, but perhaps none were as astounding as a bone stock Datsun 510 that sold recently at the Raeford Concours D’Elegance for $247,000, including the auction house’s 10 percent fees and … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Nissan Jam, Part 02

One of the great things about an event like Nissan Jam is the sheer diversity of cars it brings out. Sure, there are Z and Roadster gatherings in SoCal, and 510s are bound to show up wherever you go, but there … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Identify these nostalgic Nissan race cars by sound

Pop quiz, hotshot. Five nostalgic Nissan race machines tear down a straight. You have only the glorious sounds of their motors to identify whether they are the 1971 Safari 240Z, a touring spec B110 Sunny Excellent, the turbocharged 240RS, the OG Prince Skyline GT … Continue reading

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