Category Archives: Grand Touring

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

GRAND TOURING: New use for a Toyota Hiace

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Skorj

The Honda S800 has been a great steed for Grand Touring, but it’s going off to get a tear down to look at some possible valve clearance issues. Who needs a flatbed?

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged hiace, s800, toyota | 9 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Boso Hanto, Day 02

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Skorj

On Day 01 of our Boso Hanto tour we visited visited hallowed ground, a Skyline specialist shop, and stopped for the night with some curry and a bit of Honda tourism. Welcome to Day 02, where we continued through the peninsula in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 521, beat, Boso Hanto, c110, chaser, dyna, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, Hypermini, jeep, life, mazda, minka, mirage, mitsubishi, nissan, s800, skyline, subaru, suzuki, t2000, Tokyo Bay Aqualine, toyota, wangan, yommeri | 13 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Boso Hanto, Day 01

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Skorj

To a lot of Tokyoites, Chiba-ken is nothing more than the place go to if you are flying into or out of Narita airport. On the train or bus, you pass unsavory industrial areas, docks, recycle depots, and a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 510, bluebird, Boso Hanto, bre, c10, c110, cherry, datsun, gloria, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, honda, kenmeri, miler, prince, s54, s800, skyline | 23 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Okinawa

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Ben Hsu

To Americans, the name Okinawa immediately conjures images of US military bases. However, the archipelago located south of Honshu, Japan’s main landmass, is also a popular subtropical tourist destination. Okinawa literally means “a rope in the open sea” and is comprised of a 600-mile … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 730 Day, a20, buses, celica, Comfort, corona, cressida, daruma, fb, honda, Honda S-Series, land cruiser, mark II, mazda, rx-7, T210, taxis, toyota, x30, x80 | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Tokyo and Nagoya Street Scenes

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Ben Hsu

We saw plenty of nostalgics on our recent trip to Japan, and we’ll have more coverage of those as soon as we go through the photos. In the meantime, please enjoy these omiyage, or souvenirs. You’ll be glad to know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged be-1, celsior, corolla, decotora, e90, estima, fuso, gloria, Grand Touring, legacy, Legacy BH, lexus, Lexus LS, mitsubishi, nagoya, netz, nissan, r33, shinkansen, skyline, sprinter, subaru, tokyo, toyopet, toyota, y31 | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Late night blast in the S800

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Ben Hsu

While in Tokyo for the big Motor Show, we took Skorj’s Honda S800 coupe out for a mini-grand tour around the city. At night, of course.

Posted in Grand Touring, honda | Tagged Grand Touring, honda, s800, shibuya, tokyo | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Journey to Subaru of America’s History Collection, Part 02

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Ben Hsu

In Part 01 of our journey to Subaru of America‘s headquarters, we got a rare glimpse inside the “attic,” a jaw-dropping treasure trove of the automaker’s most important cars. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as the nondescript New Jersey warehouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, subaru | Tagged concept, ff-1, Justy, leone, subaru, wrx, XV Crosstrek | 6 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Journey to Subaru of America’s History Collection, Part 01

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Ben Hsu

You’d never guess as you drove by, but in a nondescript warehouse just across the Delaware river from Philadelphia lies the most eclectic stash of boxer motored, all-wheel-drive vehicles in the US. Earlier this year, we at JNC had the rare opportunity … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, museums, subaru | Tagged 22B, brat, ff-1, impreza, Justy, legacy, leone, subaru, subaru 360, Subaru Attic, Subaru Collection, X-100, XV Crosstrek | 21 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 02

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our journey to the Ise Peninsula, we crossed Ise Bay by ferry. While our navi plotted the quickest route to our next destination via a number of linking bypasses and expressways, we chose a twisting road designated … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 230, cedric, century, cr-v, Grand Touring, honda, Ise Peninsula, Ise Shima Sky-Line, life, nissan, toyota | 10 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 01

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Skorj

Our destination for this tour was Mie Prefecture, some 250 miles southwest of Tokyo on the far side of Ise-wan (the same wan in Wangan, meaning “bay”). Known for its ancient craft ceramics and as the birthplace of the ninja, … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, nissan, toyota | Tagged 312, c10, copen, crown, daihatsu, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, hiace, Ise Peninsula, s120, skyline, toyota, vanning | 16 Comments

GRAND TOURING: 1,000 miles, Three Car Shows, One Week

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Ben Hsu

The plan was simple. Three classic car shows, one week, 1,000 miles of driving. We even had at our disposal Japan’s latest long-distance luxe-UV, a brand spanking new 2013 Infiniti JX35. What could go wrong? A lot, apparently. Oh, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, nissan | Tagged delica, Grand Touring, infiniti, jx, mitsubishi, Shokuji J-Tin, solvang datsun roadster classic, z-car west coast nationals | 19 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, The Salt Road – Part 02

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our trek down Shio no Michi, Japan’s famed Salt Road, we stumbled upon a collection of kei jidosha, the ruins of Iiyama Castle, and traced the path of salt dealers from the era of shogun and … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged bluebird, cedric, datsun, Grand Touring, honda, nissan, t360 | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, the Salt Road — Part 01

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Skorj

Having not been away in a few weeks, we decided to take a Monday off and spend three days exploring Nagano Prefecture and some of the less traveled valleys near the Northern Alps. Using our usual form of taking the main … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, kei, mitsubishi, subaru, toyota | Tagged barikan, corona, cr-v, Grand Touring, honda, jeep, kei, life, mitsubishi, rt40, subaru, subaru 360, subaru r-2, t40, toyota | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Mobara Twin Circuit

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Skorj

As some of you might know, I own a dark gray Honda S800M Coupe, and it has landed me right in the middle of Tokyo’s S-car scene. When some friends went out for a day of circuit racing, I decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, motorsport, nissan, suzuki, toyota | Tagged corolla, csp311, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, levin, Mobara Twin Circuit, nissan, s500, s600, s800, silvia, sprinter, suzuki, te27, toyota, trueno | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Kanto

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Skorj

Since the opening of the Yamate Tunnel, provided traffic is light of course, traversing Tokyo to join the out-going expressways has become a lot easier. In ten or fifteen minutes, you can join the Joban for a quick run out … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, nissan, Prince, toyota | Tagged a60, c210, cedric, celica, compagno, compagno berlina spider, coupe 7, coupe 9, daihatsu, Grand Touring, hillman, honda, honda 1300, Kanto, life, midget, minx, nissan, s500, s600, s800, skyline, skyline japan, sunny cab, tn360, toyota | 20 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 02

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Skorj

In Part 01 of our Chubu grand tour, we escaped Tokyo by expressway northwest into the mountains. Our return trip took us on roads less traveled, over some of Japan’s most famous winding passes known as touge. We had made … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, Prince, subaru, toyota | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, ae86, b110, b120, bellett, c10, carol, chubu, corolla, coupe 7, datsun, datsun 221, fairlady z, familia coupe, gc10, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, hillman, honda, honda 1300, honda 145, Ini, isuzu, kp47, levin, mazda, miler, minica, minx, mitsubishi, n360, nissan, prince, s30, sanitora, skipper, skyline, sprinter, starlet, sunny, sunny truck, touge, toyota, trueno, usui | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 01

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Skorj

With an extended weekend available and being rather tired of Tokyo one tedious week, we decided to explore Chubu. North of Tokyo but with its name meaning “central”, Chubu is the region between Kanto (the greater Tokyo area), and Kansai … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged Chubu Touge, corona mark II, datsun, datsun 220, fairlady z, gloria, Grand Touring, gt-r, gto, hardbody, mitsubishi, nissan, pickup, police car, prince, r34, skyline, toyota, truck, ute, yamaha, yd125, z31 | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: A SevenStock Pilgrimage in Japan’s Car of the Year

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Dan Hsu

We didn’t know it as we barreled up the Newhall Pass, but we were driving the best new Japanese car of 2012. What might that be, you ask? Well according to the panel of journalists that make up the Japan Car … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, mazda | Tagged cx-5, Grand Touring, mazda, MazFest, sevenstock, willow springs | 7 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Sailing through the desert in an Infiniti QX56

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Lawrence of Arabia. The Road Warrior. Return of the Jedi. These journeys into the desert and the hazards that befall their heros were fully seared into our minds as we traveled from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Arizona for the 25th … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 240z, bob bondurant, datsun, fairlady, fairlady roadster, infiniti, L320, nissan, qx, qx56 | 12 Comments