Category Archives: Japan Stuff
Shinkansen 500-series takes a final bow
The dramatic-looking Shinkansen 500-series was the very first train in the world to break 300km/h on its regular route (between Tokyo and Osaka), and after 13yrs blasting flat-out across the Japanese countryside, it was retired from ultra-high speed service on … Continue reading
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Haikyo: Exploring JDM Ruins
Moody pictures of abandoned towns and factories make for interesting eye candy. Rarely do you find any content that’s in Japan, but here’s some from Michael John Grist. His latest photographic explorations are of abandoned Japanese mining towns. Eerie. His blog … Continue reading
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Got a few hours to kill on JDM websites?
The Japanese Society of Automotive Engineers is a huge organisation with over 40,000 members. It’s been going for over 50yrs and if you want to join, you have to be working in the automotive field. Cruise through JSAE’s website and … Continue reading
Tokyo Autosalon ‘08: GrandJDM reports…
Saturday: it was a very, very cold and drizzly day today (so no carpark pics, sorry) but it was a great day at TAS08. Maybe the lousy weather kept the crowds away, but it was considerably less crowded than last … Continue reading
Posted in events, Japan Stuff
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More Seibu Keisatsu!
Just for all you Seibu Keisatsu fans out there, here’s a follow-up to our earlier articles (here and here) on everyone’s favourite 70s Japanese TV cop show. We’ve found some older pics of the crazy modified cars that they used … Continue reading
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GT-R Pants!! They’re GT-R…..PANTS!
Ages ago we shone a light onto a JDM clothing label which had a lot of hot rod influences, mixed in with cool old school JDM car touches. It was Samurai Motor Club. But checking their website today, we find … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff
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Seibu Keisatsu video clips
Kev nicely covered this badass Japanese cop show back here, but this week Hirst from oldjapanesecar.com unearthed the first two episodes, as well as a few clips from episode 38. I thought American cop shows from the 70s and 80s … Continue reading
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Seibu Keisatsu!
In the 1970s it must have been awfully tough to be a criminal. In the 1970s, cops had flared pants, suits with wide lapels, big guns and equally big hair. In the 1970s cops could not walk out onto the … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, nissan
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Dictionary Definition of Dedication
One could probably wonder how this guy finds enough hours in the day to do the crazy things he does to these models, but that’d be time wasted if you ask me. Just sit, click, scroll, and stare. That’s the … Continue reading
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Yet Another Reason to Learn Japanese
Oh jeez. If there’s one reason I can think of for me to learn Japanese, it’s so I can read all these amazing looking manga comics. I mentioned Garage Restore 251 not long ago, and Auto Otaku has put together … Continue reading
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 4: Reflections)
Welcome to Part 4 of our Going to Japan series! So far, we’ve covered the basics of how to get around, feed yourself, find a place to stay, see car shows, meet tuners and buy parts without JDM Tax … Continue reading
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I Could Almost Cry…
JNC forum member Pecx exposed me today to a manga called Restore Garage 251, and I almost wish he hadn’t! It looks amazing, but of course I can’t speak or read a lick of Japanese, so if I want to … Continue reading
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 3: cars, cars, cars!)
Welcome to part 3 of our Going To Japan series! By now you’ll be well sorted for the basics of survival in JDM-land and now we get down to business. Cars. Let’s face it, when it comes to cars, everyone’s … Continue reading
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 2: where to stay, walkin’ around)
Welcome to the second instalment of our guide on how to survive in Japan. You can find the first instalment here. So by now you’re a pro at whizzing around Tokyo on a train… but where should you stay, where … Continue reading
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(Even more) Cool JDM Clothing…Part 3 (and counting)
Last month, we covered a few nostalgic JDM clothing brands which embrace old school cars and bikes: Samurai Motor Club and Neighbourhood. And yet there is still more….Kaminari69, which has the same old-school hot rod influences with 60s cars … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff, Websites
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 1: Getting Around)
A lot of people we talk to just love the idea of going to Japan for an automotive-themed vacation but the common vibe is always that Japan is a little intimidating. You can’t speak the language, you’re worried that it’s … Continue reading
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The Legend….of Option
Fans of JDM literature will be well familiar with Option Magazine. It’s a monthly “tuner” magazine, with cool feature cars and tech articles. Perhaps the biggest aftermarket tuning magazine in Japan, it has been in business since the late 1970s. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, Miscellaneous
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Gorgeous JDM Car Art, by Bow
In JDM MX5/Roadster circles, one of the coolest things is the annual “Roadster Days” calendar by Japanese artist Bow. Beautifully illustrated, they’re wonderfully evocative pictures of the MX5 in its natural settings. Being a Roadster owner myself, I just had … Continue reading
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Japan’s Stillborn 70s Supercar
Ask anyone to name Japan’s first mid engined supercar and most people would nominate the Honda NSX. Change tack and instead ask about JDM prototype mid engined supercars and the extremely well-informed would say, ok, Nissan Mid-4. However. Japan’s very … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, Miscellaneous, racing, Websites
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Need your fix of JDM Books and Videos?
Let’s say you’ve trekked all the way to Japan, have found your way to the Super Autobacs in Tokyo Bay, and after spending a good few hours in their wondrously well stocked book and video shop, you stumble to the … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff, Websites
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