Author Archives: Ben Hsu

Daikoku by Day

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Ben Hsu

You’ve all heard of the stories of Daikoku Parking Area. On weekends, it serves as the gathering area for a multitude of Japan’s outrageous car cultures, from hashiriya street racers to bosozoku bikers to crazy vanners with more fiberglass than … Continue reading →

Japanese Backyard Collection of J-tin

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

This backyard stash of J-tin was just sitting about on a quiet suburban side street. The owner of this trove may not want to be revealed so I won’t mention any names, but he did say that the majority of … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, honda, japan, kei, nissan, subaru, suzuki, toyota, vans, wagons | Tagged datsun b310, honda, honda n360, honda s600, honda s600 coupe, nissan caravan, nissan datsun, nissan sunny, nissan sunny b310, subaru, subaru r-2, suzuki, suzuki mighty boy, toyota, toyota celica, toyota crown, toyota sports 800, toypet crown | 6 Comments

Japan Sighting: Denso Corona Wagons

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Random Japan sighting: Isn’t it nice to know the Corona wagons employed by Denso are still in service? I thought these were KE70 Corollas originally but apparently they are Coronas! Closeup after the jump

Posted in japan, toyota, wagons | Tagged toyota, toyota corona | 9 Comments

Seibu Keisatsu's Skyline vs. Mercury Cougar

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Ready for some Detroit vs. Japan action? A C210 Skyline chasing down a 1970 Mercury Cougar, perhaps? In fact, it’s the episode of Seibu Keisatsu in which the chief adds a new car to the fleet, the Super Machine-X Skyline … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, seibu keisatsu, Video Games | Tagged nissan skyline, nissan skyline c210, nissan skyline japan, seibu keisatsu | 12 Comments

Japanese Elevator Car Park

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Surely you’ve all heard of the car park elevators in Japan. You drive your car into a cradle and it goes up like a Ferris wheel. Unlike most, this one is not covered by walls to look like an actual … Continue reading →

Posted in japan | 4 Comments

Ice Coffee & Hakosuka Skyline

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Not much to report from Japanland today. I’m drinking plenty of coffee, not only because I’m busy writing articles and making appointments, but also for the awesome toys that you get free with the canned java. In this case, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, japan, minicars, nissan | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Mooneyes Cruise Night in Yokohama

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Ben Hsu

So despite popping awake at 4am due to ungodly jetlag and traipsing all over the Nos2Days show, I went to check out Mooneyes’ cruise night on Saturday, where I nearly passed out from a mixture of gasoline fumes and exhaustion. … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, honda, japan, jnc, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, suzuki | 20 Comments

EVENTS: Nos2Days

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Ben Hsu

The full event report is up. Enjoy!

Posted in events | Tagged nos2days, nostalgic hero, nostalgic hero show | 11 Comments

Nos2Days Day 1 Sneak Peek

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Ben Hsu

So this is why I’m in Japan and posting Friday videos on Thursday – the first ever Nos2Days show in Yokohama. As you might have guessed it lasts two days and is sponsored by the best selling Japanese classic car … Continue reading →

Posted in events, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, suzuki, toyota | Tagged datsun, datsun 240z, hakosuka skyline, kenmeri skyline, mitsubishi, mitsubishi galant gto, nissan, nissan fairlady z, nissan skyline, nos2days, nostalgic hero, nostalgic hero show, subaru, subaru 360, toyota, toyota crown | 4 Comments

Your Weekend Dose of Seibu Keisatsu

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Here is your Friday video. But it’s Thursday, you say? Yes, there will be no Friday post this week because I’ll be on a plane to Japan! Hopefully the forthcoming pictures will make up for it. This clip is once … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan | 3 Comments

Japanese License Plate Cell Strap

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Surely you have noticed the Japanese cell phone strap craze. Why you’d want a bouquet of plastic cartoon characters dangling from your mobile, we do not know. But if you’re looking for a cell deco with an automotive theme, peep … Continue reading →

Posted in nostalgic gear | 5 Comments

2009 Toyotafest Registration Now Open

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Calling all Toyotaku! Registration for the 2009 All Toyotafesti is now open! Come celebrate the joy of ‘Yotas ownership with your fellow enthusiast. This year the show is back at the Queen Mary in Long Beach due to popular demand. … Continue reading →

Posted in events, toyota | Leave a comment

Goertz Myth Watch, Part III

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We opened up a can of worms last month when we questioned the conventionally held belief that Albrecht Goertz designed, among others, the Toyota 2000GT and Datsun 240Z. If you want to see yet another misinformed article about this piece, … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota | Tagged albrecht goertz, datsun 240z, nissan fairlady z, toyota 2000gt | 11 Comments

Dogs Love Vintage Hondas

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

If you like dogs and nostalgics, this Honda Dog wallpaper gallery has everything you need. Full gallery after the jump.

Posted in honda | 11 Comments

OSCA Winner: Kiwi Series One Mazda RX-7

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Ben Hsu

I’ve been on a SA22/FB RX-7 kick recently. I think it’s because the styling was so radical for its time, and the rotary engine suited that theme perfectly. It was practically born to race, and began taking checkered flags as … Continue reading →

Posted in mazda, motorsports | Tagged mazda, mazda rx-7, osca | 2 Comments

Some Seibu Keisatsu for Your Weekend

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Whew, it’s 2:30 AM and we just got back from a ridiculously long but productive day writing articles, scoring a free desk on craigslist for the JNC office, and attending important meetings about ad sales. Just one more day until … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, seibu keisatsu, Video Games | Tagged datsun, nissan, nissan cedric, seibu keisatsu | 7 Comments

Pitroad, Sunny Tuning House

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Cheater_5, the JNC reader who introduced us to Auckland’s Tama Autos, has a another great post about Pitroad, the Chiba-based Sunny tuning house responsible for the pulse-quickening B310 TS Cup car pictured above. They make everything from suspension parts to … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, tuning shop | 3 Comments

Tama Autos of Auckland, New Zealand

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We love checking out sites created by JNC readers and lately we’ve really gotten into cheater_5’s A B110 Perspective. As you can guess from the title, the man is obsessed with Sunnys, and he owns an uber-cool sanitora, or Sunny … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota, tuning shop, wagons | Tagged toyota, toyota corolla e70, toyota corolla ke70, toyota corolla panel van | 8 Comments

Nissan 370Z Designer Is an S30 Owner

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Well whaddya know. Randy Rodriguez, one of the key designers of the Nissan 370Z, is an S30 fan at heart, according to this Canadian Press article. He’s owned 10 of them, in fact, and currently drives 1977 280Z that he … Continue reading →