Author Archives: Skorj

GRAND TOURING: Mt Fuji and the Toyota 2000GT, a meeting of Japan’s icons

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Skorj

Mount Fuji holds a unique position in the minds of both Japanese and visitors alike. There is nothing else quite like it anywhere else in this world, and even many of those who have never visited the country are aware of … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 2000gt, cappuccino, fto, galant gto, honda, mark II, mazda, Mazda Hakone Turnpike, miata, Miata ND, mitsubishi, mt. fuji, s660, suzuki, toyota, x70 | 10 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Isumi Matsuri

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Skorj

If there’s one thing that gets carriage-loads of people enthused, it’s trains — especially in Japan, where everyone loves trains. So, combining a wide range of Showa Era kyusha with a summer matsuri (festival) and organizing it at the most famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 310, b10, B360, bellett, bluebird, cappuccino, cony, corolla, corolla levin, crown, daihatsu, debonair, e10, Expo '70, gemini, gloria, Hakosuka, hijet, hino, honda, Insight, Isumi Matsuri, isuzu, Kurogane, Leo, mitsubishi, nissan, publica, s120, s40, s800, skyline, sprinter, sunny, Taxi, te27, toyota | 24 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 03

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Skorj

In Part 02 of our grand tour through central Japan, we experienced some of the best touge roads the country has to offer. After making it as far west as Matsue City, we decided to head back home to Chiba via a … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 180sx, beat, cappuccino, carol, celica, cr-v, dr30, Grand Touring, honda, honda z, Lapin, mazda, nissan, r30, r32, s13, skyline, subaru, subaru r-2, suzuki, toyota | 27 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 02

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Skorj

Part 01 of our grand tour through central Japan took us to Toyoma, a city that revealed not only castles but a trove of classic Toyotas. After prying ourselves away, we headed inland.

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged cr-v, fairlady z, fc3s, Grand Touring, honda, kei, mark II, mazda, minica, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-7, s30 z, suzuki, swift, toyota, toyota 86, trucks, x70 | 10 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 01

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Skorj

After a longer than usual break between our tours, we decided to take a full week off and continue our Western Coast explorations through the Chubu and Kinki regions. As we embarked, the outer bands of a seasonal typhoon loomed over Japan. … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged a40, barikan, c10, celica, corona, corona mark II, cr-v, crown, fairlady z, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, honda, kujira, mark II, nissan, r34, s130, s60, skyline, t40, Toyama, toyota, x20, x60, x70 | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Mazda Hakone Turnpike and Izu Skyline

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Skorj

While living in Tokyo has many problems, finding a place to go for a drive is not one of them. There are countless skylines, touge, and turnpikes, all challenging and spectacular roads within a short distance of the capital. For this … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged Ebina PA, fd3s, gt-r, honda, Izu Skyline, JSDF, mazda, Mazda Hakone Turnpike, Mega Cruiser, nissan, porsche 911, r35, rx-7, S500/S600/S800, touge, toyota | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Okutama Sunday Meeting

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Skorj

A short time ago, we were invited to attend the monthly Okutama-ko Sunday kyusha meeting. Loosely organized by the well-known Isuzu shop Eagle Sports, it always attracts a wide range of cars. This weekend was special though, as GT-B driving … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 1600gt, 312, 510, a10, a20, a40, b210, bellett, bluebird, c10, c110, carina, celica, csp311, daruma, fairlady, FairladyZ, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, kenmeri, mazda, nissan, piazza, prince, roadster, RX-7 SA22, s30 z, s54, s600, silvia, skyline, sports 800, sunny, toyoda aa, toyota, VehiCROSS, yonmeri | 13 Comments

EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 01

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Skorj

At this year’s Nostalgic 2 Days show, we were on assignment to meet a very specific person, a towering figure from the golden age of Japan’s automotive history. Before our appointment — which will be covered in the next installment — … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 2000gt, 510, 6M, bellett, bluebird, c10, c130, capella, cosmo sport, dekotora, Endless brakes, fairlady z, familia rotary coupe, Garage Iwasa, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, Isuzu Eagle Sports, kpgc10, Laruel, Lotus Elan, mazda, nissan, nos2days, Nostalgic 2 Days, prince, r100, r30, rocky auto, rx-2, s30 z, s54, s600, skyline, soarer, sports 800, toyota, UnLimited Kustoms, z10 | 14 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Tohoku, Part 02

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Skorj

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the twin disasters — a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami — that struck Japan off the coast of Tohoku in 2011. In remembrance, we are re-running a series of stories that relate to the event’s aftermath. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, kei, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged 117, 280zx, 300zx, 520, 521, aomori, b120, barikan, cedric, corona, cr-v, datsun, debonair, fairlady z, fukushima, gloria, Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, iwate, jeep, kei, life, mitsubishi, Mutsu Bay, nissan, rt40, s130, sanitora, sunny, t40, tohoku, truck, y30, z31 | 17 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Tohoku, Part 01

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Skorj

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged 117, accord, aomori, c10, cb7, cr-v, crown, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, honda, inakadate, isuzu, iwate, jeep, kgc10, kpgc10, kujira, maewaka, mitsubishi, ms65, nissan, r34, s60, sendai, skyline, tohoku, toyota | 13 Comments

EVENTS: Old Car Heaven, Part 02

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Skorj

While Part 01 of our Old Car Heaven coverage concluded with a mob of rare Mitsubishis, we begin this installment along the perimeter of the show and a bevy of box vans. The Nissan Caravans were part of the Nissan Commercial Car … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, 240rs, 330, 430, 935, barikan, bus, c10, caravan, cedric, cedric 130, city, civic, corona, cosmo sport, crown, csp311, daihatsu, e20, f40, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, Fairlady Z432, ferrari, ff-1, gloria, gto, Hakosuka, honda, honda z, HopeStar, Initial D, isuzu, Junior, kenmeri, KITT, kpgc110, Lotus Europa, mark II, Mazda T1500, midget, nissan, piazza, pontiac, porsche, prince, r30, s110, s30 z, s54, seibu keisatsu, shelby, silvia, skyline, skyline sport, subaru, t40, toyota, wagons, x30 | 18 Comments

EVENTS: Old Car Heaven, Part 01

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Skorj

Recently I was invited to accompany the Prince Driver’s Club to Kyuusha Tengoku, or Old Car Heaven, on the outskirts of downtown Tokyo. With many cars expected, we were asked to assemble on site at 06:00 in the morning. The early … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged a20, b110, c10, celica, cherry, clipper, colt, crown, datsun, e10, e70, F30, galant gto, gloria, Hakosuka, hiace, honda, kujira, lancer, leopard, masterline, mazda, mitsubishi, ms75, nissan, Old Car Heaven, porter, prince, rally, s10, s54, s60, safari rally, sambar, silvia, skyline, skyline sport, sprinter trueno, subaru, sunny, toyopet, toyota, vamos, wagon | 29 Comments

GRAND TOURING: A Miura Hanto Sunday Drive

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Skorj

For most, the term “Sunday drive” means a leisurely excursion, to no place in particular, just a way to exercise the family car. In Japan, it can include a number of things — blissfully empty touge, kohi (coffee) and kuruma (car) … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged ff-1, Grand Touring, honda, Miura Hanto, s600, s800, sports 800, subaru, toyota | 27 Comments

NIHON LIFE: How to park your car in Japan, Part 03

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Skorj

Welcome to the final installment in our multi-part treatise on short-term automobile storage in Japanese society. In Part 01 of the investigation we studied what was within and without the bounds of the law, as well as the ubiquitous steel-bar-rising-up-out-of-the-ground parking lots. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged 240z, century, city, datsun, honda, isuzu, kei, Nihon Life, nissan, Parking, president, s30 z, toyota, VehiCROSS, yakuza | 32 Comments

NIHON LIFE: How to park your car in Japan, Part 02

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Skorj

Sure, owning your own kyuusha in Japan sounds like a lot of fun, but where do you put it? In Part 01 of our damning exposé on the topic of parking an automobile in Japan, we illustrated what was legal and illegal, and did a … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged ae86, civic, corolla levin, delica, honda, mitsubishi, Nihon Life, Parking, s800, toyota, type r | 36 Comments

NIHON LIFE: How to park your car in Japan, Part 01

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Skorj

Finding public or street parking in Japan’s major cities is sometimes chotto muzukashii — a Japanese saying for “a little difficult,” said through clenched teeth with a trailing “iiiii…” it essentially means, with typical Japanese subtlety, impossible. So there is naturally … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged a70, ae86, az-1, c10, corolla levin, fairlady z, fd3s, fj60, fronte, fuji rabbit, Hakosuka, honda, land cruiser, mazda, Nihon Life, nissan, Note, origin, Parking, rx-7, S15, s30 z, s800, silvia, skyline, sprinter trueno, subaru, supra, suzuki, toyota | 19 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Onsens of Yamagata Prefecture

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Skorj

Having toured Aomori and Iwate Prefectures previously and discovered many interesting sights along the way, we decided to again return to the northern coasts, this time to explore the Prefecture of Yamagata and the Sea of Japan Coast Road.

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged ae86, b120, bluebird, corolla levin, datsun, gt-r, honda, honda z, isuzu, isuzu 117, life, mark II, mitsubishi, nissan, r32, sanitora, skyline, toyota, U11, x30 | 42 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Summer Evening on the Wangan

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Skorj

The O-Bon is an annual festival that honors the souls of one’s ancestors. Many Tokyoites head to their hometowns to visit the graves of their forebearers, leaving the city strangely free of its dreaded logjam traffic. In other words, it’s the perfect … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged Caterham, century, chaser, DeTomaso Pantera, gt-r, honda, integra, Integra Type R, isuzu, isuzu 117, JXZ100, lamborghini, mini, Nihon Life, nissan, nsx, r32, r34, s800, skyline, toyota, vw, wangan | 13 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Lake Okutama Getaway

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Skorj

In the far western outskirts of Tokyo, Okutama-ko (Lake Okutama) has been a popular weekend destination for many years. The scenic touge on the north and south sides of the lake provide a popular destination for weekend motorcyclists and kyuusha drivers … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 117, a20, ae86, c10, cedric, celica, csp311, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, Okutama-ku, S500/S600/S800, silvia, skyline, sports 800, sprinter trueno, subaru 360, touge, toyota, yotahachi, z31 | 23 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Commuting above-ground

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Skorj

Living in Tokyo’s 23-ku has many benefits, and detractions too I suppose. However, one of my great pleasures is the early morning commute across town. Many years ago I decided to ditch the usual meek-gray-mouse-crammed-onto-the-Ginza Line experience for a motorcycle.

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged ae86, century, corolla levin, CrossCub, Hakosuka, honda, Lancer Evo 9, mitsubishi, nissan, s660, s800, skyline c10, SuperCub, toyota | 21 Comments