Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Toyota names its moon rover with the FJ40-inspired grille the “Lunar Cruiser”
With its legendary ruggedness and durability, the Toyota Land Cruiser has already overcome the roughest terrain on all seven continents on Earth. Now, Toyota has set its sights on a new frontier for the Cruiser to conquer: the moon. The … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite Tomica story?
Last week was the 50th anniversary of Tomica, and for many non-Japanese readers these little cars were the first intro to oddball JDM cars like Skylines, Crowns, Demios, and StepWgns. For me, personally, it was family trip to Asia in … Continue reading
After 54 years, Mazda Bongo production ends with a whimper
After half a century in production, the Mazda Bongo has reached the end of the road. For most North American readers this is probably not a big deal, as the Bongo looks like any number of nondescript one-box vans from … Continue reading
Isuzu Plaza museum hosts special Hillman Minx exhibit
Earlier this month Isuzu opened a new, temporary exhibit at its wonderful Isuzu Plaza museum. The exhibit features Isuzu’s earliest passenger car, the Hillman Minx. There are precious few examples of these cars left, and in fact one of them … Continue reading
Kawasaki heritage parts program also creates desk art out of cylinder heads
Following in the footsteps of Japanese car companies, Earlier this year Kawasaki launched a Heritage Parts program. The first item to be reproduced was the cylinder heads for the 1972-76 Kawasaki 900 Super 4 and the 1973-78 Kawasaki 750RS, also … Continue reading
You can now get Mazda RX-7 rotary engine-themed face masks in Japan
The march of car-themed face masks continues as Japan struggles to deal with COVID-19. Though Japan’s coronavirus death rate — a little over 1,000 — is pretty mild compared with that of the US, themed masks are still doing brisk … Continue reading
QotW: What would be the baddest Nissan-Honda combo?
Last week we learned that Japanese officials asked Nissan and Honda to merge. Both companies said, “No thanks.” The automotive world was either denied a tremendous opportunity or spared a harrowing tragedy, depending on your perspective. Let’s say that the … Continue reading
JCCS 2020 World Matsuri Week adds international registration package
If you hadn’t heard already, the in-real-life version of the 2020 Japanese Classic Car Show has been postponed to next year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the organizers are taking JCCS virtual, and taking the opportunity to welcome … Continue reading
Nissan’s new spokesperson is Japan’s Brad Pitt, and he’s driving a Hakosuka Skyline
Nissan has a new flagship commercial in Japan, and it’s kind of a big deal. Not only does it star several greatest-hit classics from Nissan’s past, but the leading man is actor Takuya Kimura. The significance of this team-up can’t … Continue reading
Posted in cm
Tagged 2000gt, 240zg, c10, corolla fielder, fairlady z, Hakosuka, Haruhi Yanagida, nissan, r32, RAV4, S30Z, Safari, skyline, takuya kimura, toyota, wagons
11 Comments
VIDEO: One man’s obsessive collection of high-mileage Acuras
There are all kinds of eccentric car collectors out there, but even among those Tyson Hugie is an oddball. And as he’s a friend of JNC, we mean that in the nicest way. Most of the Honda collectors we encounter … Continue reading
RIP Tetsuya Watari, 1941 — 2020
Tetsuya Watari, one of Japan’s most famous crime drama stars, died from pneumonia on August 10. His death was announced on Friday after a private funeral with family members. Watari played the leading man in several movies and television programs … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged c210, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, r30, s130, seibu keisatsu, skyline, tetsuya watari, the big city
6 Comments
NEWS: Japan’s government tried to merge Nissan and Honda
It’s no secret Nissan is not doing well, hit with already flagging sales before its CEO was arrested in a high-profile case of corporate scandal before COVID-19 crisis even entered the picture. In an effort to rescue it, Japanese officials … Continue reading
QotW: What will your favorite cars be like when they become robots?
In the 22nd century rotary-powered Mazdas will have taken the form of mobile suits of armor, and these RX-78s will agile and intuitive to operate, not unlike Mazda cars of today. We could also see an Infiniti G3000 covered in … Continue reading
That new life-size Gundam robot in Japan is basically a Mazda RX-7 from the 22nd century
Giant robots are serious business in Japan. Construction has just finished on a 59-foot Gundam robot in Yokohama, and it’s not even the first. If you’ve been to Odaiba, Tokyo where Toyota’s MegaWeb showroom is located, you have probably seen … Continue reading
Posted in Nihon Life
Tagged gt-r, Gundam, mazda, nissan, r35, rx-7, sa22c, Shiro Nakamura
9 Comments
Why Toyota’s Heritage Parts Program for the 2000GT was so challenging
Toyota announced in 2019 that it would reissue parts for the A70 and A80 Supra. Last month, they added the 2000GT to the GR Heritage Parts Program. The initial list for each model is pretty short, to be honest, and a … Continue reading
JCCS to go virtual and worldwide for 2020
Of all the events on the auto show calendar, the Japanese Classic Car Show ranks as one of our favorites. Unfortunately, it cannot be held this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the organizers have something special planned that … Continue reading
Here’s what modern cars would look like with their predecessors’ wheels
There’s a new Facebook page that seems to have nothing but photochops of new cars with old wheels. Specifically, the images on the aptly named Unnecessary Wheel Swaps are of modern vehicles wearing the wheels of their predecessors. The ND … Continue reading
