Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: Behold, the Isuzu Sumida bus
Pre-war photos are very difficult to come by, but Isuzu has just released a video comprised of images of the Isuzu Sumida bus from 90 years ago. The Sumida was one of Isuzu’s earliest designs, introduced in 1929. In fact, … Continue reading
Happy 25th Anniversary, Sony Playstation
On September 9, 1995 the original Sony PlayStation went on sale in the US. There were only 10 original games available at launch, and the shining star among of them was Namco’s Ridge Racer. Sure, it didn’t have any licensed … Continue reading
Nissan Z Proto: I am manual, hear me roar
Nissan is really coming on strong with the Z Proto teasers. It was only Monday that they seemed to hint at a manual transmission. Many of you jokesters said that it was probably just the gear selector for a CVT, … Continue reading
Happy 910 Day from JNC
The Nissan Bluebird 910, also known as a shorter, four-cylinder version of the original Nissan Maxima, saw no shortage of racing action. Nissan even entered it in the 1981 Safari Rally, equipped with a turbocharged Z18ET said to output 230 … Continue reading
Nissan is giving up on the March and handing development over to Renault
Oh, Nissan. You would not be you if you didn’t follow a week of promising teases of the new Z without some crushing disappointment. Turns out, Nissan is completely giving up on the March, and handing development over to Renault … Continue reading
BIKES: The Honda Trail Cub will be available in the US
The Honda Trail 125 motorcycle, successor to the once popular bike known colloquially as the Hunter Cub, is coming to the US. The stripped down, toughened up version of the Super Cub has been a favorite for outdoorsy types for … Continue reading
QotW: If you could only own one car from each Japanese marque, what would your garage look like?
We know there are lots of brand loyalists in our readership, but this is a game some of the JNC staff have been playing offline. What if the Honda Heads, Toyotaku, Mazdafarians, and their ilk were forced to consider a … Continue reading
The seventh-generation Nissan Z Proto appears to have a manual transmission
A new teaser trailer for the seventh-generation Z Proto seems to imply that the car will be coming with a manual transmission. Not only does it show a brief clip of a driver’s hand coming to rest on a gear … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 at Asakasa Mitsuke in the 1970s
In preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 Route at Akasaka Mitsuke was rushed to completion. Below the highway, Aoyama Street (National Route 246) intersects with Sotobori Street. Crossing under the right-most branch is the Benkei … Continue reading
For absolutely no reason for it at all, there’s a Datsun 510 is in this Little Caesar’s ad
In a new Little Caesar’s Pizza commercial, the butt of an orange Datsun 510 peeks in from stage left. It is an example of “oddvertising” and the primary thing featured, in this case a combination telephone-saxophone, is not the thing … Continue reading
Is this the rear of the seventh-generation Nissan Z Proto?
The official reveal of the seventh-generation Nissan Z isn’t until September 15, but here’s a sketch that might reveal a never-before seen rear view of the Z35. The line drawing comes from Nissan Senior VP for Global Design Alfonso Albaisa … Continue reading
Nissan teases next-generation “Z Proto” coming September 15
Nissan has released another video teasing the next-generation Z sports car. In the video they call it the Z Proto, and say only that it’s “coming soon” without further details. A tweet by Nisssn says the concept will be revealed … Continue reading
ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees
There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars … Continue reading
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
