Author Archives: Steve Chang
Toyota’s painstaking J40 Land Cruiser restoration continues
The saga of Toyota’s J40 restoration continues. Earlier this year, Toyota embarked on a journey to bring a well-worn 1982 Land Cruiser back to life. Though it had only 130,000 km (about 81,000 miles) on the odometer, its age and … Continue reading
Toyota bids Happy 86 Day with updated GR86 in ‘The Buddy’ commercial
Toyota has updated the GR86 and launched a new ad campaign to go along with it. The improvements are minor, but the commercial, titled “The Buddy”, is a beautifully shot homage to motoring. Brief Archival glimpses of an AE86 are … Continue reading
How Japan is able to create one-off ‘Initial D’ manhole covers
What’s most notable about Japanese manhole covers may not be their intricate designs, bright colors, or tie-ins to popular franchises like Pokémon or Gundam. What really boggles the mind is how Japan is able to manufacture seemingly one-off examples of … Continue reading
Posted in Nihon Life
Leave a comment
Nissan welcomes new Patrol with heritage lineup
Nissan Australia has published a tribute video celebrating over six decades of the iconic Patrol nameplate down under. As production of the 5.6-litre V8-powered Y62 draws to a close, the film highlights how the Patrol evolved into a foundational piece … Continue reading
Can an AE86 actually beat an R34 Skyline GT-R in a race?
The R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R is often seen as the pinnacle of JDM performance cars, but can the humble Toyota AE86 actually give it a run for the money? With a 15-year age gap and 200-horse power gap the mismatch … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged ae86, keiichi tsuchiya, Max Orido, nissan, Nob Taniguchi, r34, skyline, toyota
3 Comments
Japan’s top mapo tofu chain celebrates Initial D’s 30th anniversary with dishes inspired by cars
Initial D is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and one of the more delightful collabs is with Chen Mapo, Japan’s number one restaurant for spicy tofu. After all, the entire touge racing series begins with Takumi delivering tofu to … Continue reading
QotW: What’s an automotive T-shirt that you wish existed?
Today, July 20, is T-shirt Day in Japan. It was chosen to coincide with Marine Day, which celebrates the ocean, on the third Monday of July, but also because T is the 20th letter of the alphabet. The T-shirt isn’t … Continue reading
Blacked-out Century SUV replaces Prime Minister’s Century sedan
For years Japan’s Prime Minister has rolled in style in a traditional Toyota Century sedan. However, when it came to choose her new ride Sanae Takaichi opted for a new Century SUV. Videos of her motorcade, which features the SUV … Continue reading
Posted in News
5 Comments
QotW: How has ‘The Fast and the Furious’ impacted your local car scene
Twenty-five years ago today, on June 22, 2001, The Fast and the Furious hit theaters. Love it or hate it, the movie and its sequels have left a massive footprint on the movie industry, car culture worldwide, and Instagram reel … Continue reading
Here’s Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda doing the viral boat race dance
Despite helming the biggest car company in the world Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda never fails to have a good time. Whether he’s racing under his alter ego Morizo, trolling the press by showing up at a rally event in a … Continue reading
The Toyota TE27 nose works surprisingly well on a Suzuki Jimny
We’ve seen all manner of Nissan nose swaps. There’s the Hakotora which takes a C10 Skyline mask and puts it on a Sunny Truck. But there’s also the Sunny nose on a Suzuki Carry or the R32 Skyline kit on … Continue reading
QotW: What license plate frame would you rock on your car?
Today, June 15, is National License Plate Frame Day, which is not a thing in Japan because owners are not allowed to remove their license plates, ever. Here in the US, the license plate frame is yet another way to … Continue reading
Japan’s carmakers to jointly relax standards for what makes a part defective
It’s well known that Japanese carmakers employ the highest quality standards in the entire industry. Parts with even the smallest defects are discarded, ensuring that the finished product will be the benchmarks by which all others are judged. However, due … Continue reading
Posted in News
4 Comments
We regret to inform you that Mitsubishi has desecrated the Eclipse name even more
Mitsubishi has once again exhumed the Eclipse name and slapped it on a car completely unrelated to the sports coupe it originated with. We’re not sure what’s more incongruous, the fact that the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback is an electric … Continue reading
QotW: Which Japanese crossover will be the first classic?
If you lived through the 90s, you saw the rise of crossovers as the downfall of humanity. They were called names like soft-roaders, cute-utes, faux-by-fours. It seemed impossible that people would one day think of them as desirable classics, but … Continue reading
QotW: Why do you like cars?
Today, May 25, is Car Day in Japan. It was established by Yanase, one of the largest importers and dealer chains in Japan, in 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding on May 25, 1915. One of … Continue reading
Posted in News
14 Comments
After a decade, the new Shuto Route 1 between Tokyo and Haneda is almost complete
One of the things non-car things that car enthusiasts can appreciate about Japan is its amazing infrastructure. Whereas pothole-riddled roads in the US are perpetually bandaged over, Japan goes through great lengths to completely rebuild entire roads when needed. Tokyo … Continue reading
Toyota to reprise starring role in ‘Baywatch’ reboot, and it’s the only realistic choice
The hit 90s television show Baywatch is getting a reboot. While cars weren’t typically an integral part of the story, they still played a key part in defining the show’s the perpetually sunny beachscape. It was announced yesterday that Toyota … Continue reading
