Author Archives: Ben Hsu
NEWS: Akio Toyoda voted Best Dressed CEO
In addition to being Toyota’s petrolhead honcho, Akio Toyoda has been given Japan’s Best Dresser Award. The man who fast-tracked the Toyota 86, Lexus LFA and Lexus RC F to production was bestowed the honor by the Men’s Fashion Association, which has … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 4-door Hakosuka GT-R up for auction
A 1970 Nissan Skyline GT-R sedan will cross the block at RM Auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona in January. After the floodgates opened in Monterey earlier this year, there has been a frenzy of invisible trans-Pacific activity. Moneyed gaijin are trading their dollars for Nihon steel … Continue reading
EDITORIAL: Why 2014 is the Year of the JNC
Ever since we founded JNC way back in late 2006, we’ve been waiting for this year. We knew it would be an important milestone, but this particular orbit around the sun has exceeded even our wildest expectations. Here’s why 2014 is the year of the … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial
Tagged Bullet Train, hot wheels, infiniti, jccs, lexus, mazda, nissan, shinkansen, toyota
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NEWS: Honda reveals another retro kei car
Look on the back of Honda‘s latest JDM-only kei jidosha and you’ll see “N/” — the letter N and a forward slash. Apparently the way to pronounce that is N-Box Slash. This is the fifth offering in Honda’s revived N-Series and the second retro-styled car in … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the rarest special edition JNC?
The Japanese love their special editions. Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, a final run series or just some odd color combo, JNCs have a lot of bizarre option packages on their cars. What’s the rarest special edition JNC? In 1975 … Continue reading
QotW: What are you most thankful for?
Though symbolized by the turkey, Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for what you have. When what you have is an old Japanese car, however, it may be easier to curse your skinned knuckles than count your blessings. What are … Continue reading
VIDEO: Happy Doukoho Eve, Everyone!
On November 22, 1978, over 3000 bosozoku motorcycles and cars swarmed the streets of Tokyo, cruising, parading, revving and generally causing a ruckus. On the following day a new Japanese traffic law would require helmets for all motorcyclists. So a huge … Continue reading
REMINDER: SevenStock 17 this Saturday
Just a friendly JNC reminder to attend SevenStock 17 this Saturday, November 22. It’s at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Stop by the JNC booth and say hi.
NEWS: Mazda knows it’s the lone steward of the rotary engine
Recently Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai was quoted saying there are no plans for a rotary engined sports car. Fans interpreted that as the rotary was dead as a doornail, picked up their pitchforks and got ready to march on Hiroshima, … Continue reading
Posted in News
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EVENTS: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show
Well miracle on ice! You’ll ever guess which Japanese automaker set up a Heritage Corner at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
VIDEO: Watch Motorweek review the AE86, AW11, and S13
This is the greatest thing ever to hit the internet. MotorWeek, one of the top three automotive TV shows from Owings Mills, Maryland, just put up some “retro reviews.” They review the AE86, S13, and AW11 when new, a good decade before anyone in … Continue reading
RIP Ken Takakura, 1931-2014
Ken Takakura, one of Japan’s most famous actors, has passed away at the age of 83. Known as the Japanese Clint Eastwood, he portrayed many tough guy roles, from noble ex-cons to hard boiled detectives to chivalrous gangsters, but you might know him … Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
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GALLERIES: The American Honda Collection, Part 01 – Small Beginnings
Soichiro Honda was born on November 17, 1906 in a small Shizuoka Prefecture village. If you had told his parents, a blacksmith and a weaver, that one day their son would put the family name on a worldwide automotive empire responsible for some of … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greatest nostalgic Honda?
Today is Soichiro Honda’s birthday. Though Honda-san passed away in 1991, many of the last cars he saw go into production are quickly passing the 25-year threshold into classic-dom. We can’t think of a more appropriate time to ask: What’s the greatest nostalgic Honda? The … Continue reading
25 YEAR CLUB: The Infiniti Q45 is officially a Japanese Nostalgic Car
Flipping through the channels on your massive cathode-ray television in the fall of 1989, you probably came across a mysterious commercial for a yet unknown brand of new automobile. Only instead of the actual car, the spots cast your living … Continue reading
PRODUCT GUIDE: SSR Mk III Neo
If there’s one thing SEMA has no shortage of is new wheels. Most of them are so hideous you instinctively cover the eyes of any nearby children but once in a while there’s a new school barrel we can get … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greatest Japanese nostalgic wagon?
The Venn diagram of JNC readers and wagon lovers has a pretty big overlap, and it’s easy to see why. Both types of cars are practical, a lost art among automakers today, and Japan is one of the few places … Continue reading
RIP Aritsune Tokudaiji, 1939-2014
Noted Japanese automotive journalist Aritsune Tokudaiji has passed away a week shy of his 75th birthday. In the early days of Japanese motorsports, the Tokyo native drove for the Toyota factory team. Upon retiring in 1969, he went on to co-found … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 SEMA, Part 02 — Bosozoku style comes to America
If there was one thing we learned from SEMA this year, it is that you must widebody all the things. From Beetles to Benzes, everything is being massively flared, often with bolt-on over-fenders, ducktail spoilers and turaichi shakotan stances. Bosozoku style has finally come to America.
Posted in events
Tagged 240sx, 370z, Akira Nakai, bosozoku, c110, fd3s, fit, FRS, gt-r, honda, Kei Miura, kenmeri, lexus, Lexus RC, liberty walk, mazda, nissan, r35, Rauh Welt Begriff, Rocket Bunny, rx-7, s14, scion, sema, silvia, skyline, wataru kato, z34
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