Category Archives: Culture
Toyota remakes MR2 pinball commercial for Superbowl
During last night’s big football game, Toyota ran a rather unexpected ad for the new Supra. In it, stunt driver Greg Tracy wheels and drifts an A90 through a giant pinball machine. It’s not a new concept, because not only … Continue reading
A new Nissan ad depicts the auto industry’s last 30 years
While most of America was watching the commercials between a big contest of Jeep crossovers and Dodge pickups, Nissan released a new advert tracing the arc of automotive trends of the last 30 years. Using only Nissan cars and a … Continue reading
JNC LIBRARY: Sam Mitani’s The Prototype is a thriller with Japanese cars at its center
In the world of spy thrillers, full of CIA agents, gunfights, and global power balance-changing secrets that cannot fall into the wrong hands, there typically aren’t a lot of Japanese cars mentioned. However, when the author is former International Editor … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged 370z, beat, brz, cappuccino, Crown Majesta, delica, fuji speedway, honda, kei, lancer evolution, lexus, Lexus GS, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-7, Sam Mitani, silvia, suzuki, The Prototype, toyota
6 Comments
Japanese Nostalgic Train: The iconic Odakyu 7000 Series “Romancecar” makes its last voyage
Imagine a classic Japanese vehicle, avant garde in its time, beloved by fans, and part of a record-setting and influential legacy. For fans of Japanese nostalgic train, that vehicle is the Odakyu 7000 Series LSE Romancecar. Since 1980, this Japanese … Continue reading
VIDEO: Walk through Toyota history with this new Crown ad
Not content to update a mainstay of Japanese culture with the debut of the new Century last week, Toyota has now unveiled a redesigned version of Japan’s second-most time-honored model, the Crown. The fifteenth generation goes on sale today, marking an … Continue reading
Posted in cm
Tagged 2000gt, a20, ae86, celica, cm, corolla, crown, e10, fj40, Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept, land cruiser, Mirai, prius, S220, s30, sprinter trueno, toyota
11 Comments
VIDEO: Suzuki Jimny ads sure beat the crap out of these kei SUVs
We continued to be tickled by the fact that Suzuki is releasing a lot of archival footage showing the evolution of their products. From animated history lessons to old ads, the company seems to be digging deep into the vault for this stuff … Continue reading
VIDEO: Classic car commercials in Australia would be unthinkable in the US
When Ricky told me to check out the Shannons video about the Isuzu Car Club of Australia gathering, I did. But the thing that absolutely blew my mind wasn’t even an Isuzu. It was this classic car insurance ad, which … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Japanese artist recreates Initial D touge scenes with amazing model cars
It’s an iconic scene from the pages of Initial D — Takumi Fujiwara’s AE86 touge-battling Keisuke Takahashi’s FD RX-7, drifting through a hairpin. A Japanese artist known as Shinga on Twitter has recreated the moment, but as much as the finished product looks … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged ae86, corolla, fd3s, Initial D, mazda, rx-7, sprinter trueno, toyota
8 Comments
VIDEO: Toyota’s football game ad had some vintage Aichi steel
The unavoidable championship football game that happened Sunday night isn’t a place you’d normally see some vintage Aichi steel, but if you were watching closely during the Superb Owl commercials, you might have caught some in Toyota’s “One Team” spot.
VIDEO: Dance through the decades with the Honda Accord
Hey, what better way to declare the pedigree of your products than to show decades’ worth of history? Honda’s latest spot, called “With Every Era,” takes you through Accord generations along with era appropriate song and dance. We’re always happy to see automakers be proud of … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Initial D author’s new racing manga has begun
Four years after the conclusion of Initial D, author Shuichi Shigeno has embarked on the development of a new racing manga. The first chapter of the series, MF Ghost, has kicked off in Japan’s Weekly Young Magazine, where Initial D began … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged gt-r, impreza, Initial D, MF Ghost, nissan, r35, toyota, toyota 86
13 Comments
CLASSIC CM: Behold, a solid half hour of Suzuki commercials
Do you have some time to kill? Well, then perhaps you can watch a solid half hour of Japanese Suzuki TV spots, ranging from 1978 to 2000, ranging from sincere to zany and selling everything from scooters to off-roaders. Michael … Continue reading
RIP Glen Campbell, singer, songwriter, Datsun man
Legendary singer-songwriter Glen Campbell passed away on Tuesday, August 8 at the age of 81. A prolific musician, Campbell played guitar on some of the most famous American songs of the modern age, including “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, “Viva … Continue reading
Decorate your home with this Nissan Skyline 60th anniversary merch
Although the Skyline’s official birthday was back in April, the 60th birthday party for Nissan’s most famous model is still in full swing. The company has developed an entire catalog of goods that are all themed around the Skyline. While most automaker apparel is cringeworthy, some of … Continue reading
VIDEO: FJ40 Land Cruiser stars in Hankook ad
We all know the FJ40 is legendary in its off-road capabilities. It’s also one of the hottest SUVs in the very hot segment of classic SUVs that are skyrocketing in value. It’s no wonder then that a beautiful Coronado Beige example stars … Continue reading
VIDEO: Why must Honda torture us with this horrible tragedy?
Honda is apparently on a quest to make grown car-loving men and women weep like little babies. In its latest ad, titled “You Are the One,” a girl is cruelly separated from a beloved family member, an EF Honda Civic. Get … Continue reading
