Here’s another photo from the weekend’s Odaiba car show sent to us by Mooneyes. There seems to be something car-related going on all the time there. This Celica may seem as painful as the itasha cars to some, but it’s inspired by the silhouette racers of the late 70s and early 80s.
More pics after the jump. Continue reading
Yesterday at Odaiba there was a car show that featured the odd combination of American muscle cars and itasha. Itasha is the latest Japanese fad, in which fans of anime and manga plaster their cars with large images of their favorite characters.
The term “itasha” means literally “painful car,” painful for both the wallet and the ego because the itasha know full well that real car guys look upon their rides with disdain. It can also be a pun for “Italian car” although itasha fans often use BMWs or otherwise desireable 180SXs, Soarers and Evos as a canvas.
I didn’t go to the show, but got the above photo from Mooneyes, which says (thankfully) there were many empty spaces and the show was kind of a dud.
No trip to Tokyo would be complete without a stop to Book Garage. It specializes in old Japanese car brochures, and has shelves filled with them. Want a catalog for a 1971 Nissan Cedric? How about a 1965 Toyota Toyoace commercial truck? They even have some reproduction brochures for really popular models. Everything from the obscure to the new is covered, and if you go, be prepared to spend yen. Book Garage is about a 10 minute walk from Nakano Station, out the North Exit and past the Nakano Broadway mall.
So I was putting the finishing touches on Issue 3 tonight and I get a call from my friend who says “TURN ON G4!!” Unfortunately, being a start up magazine doesn’t afford us luxuries like cable TV, but I was able to find the embedded clip on the show’s website. Thanks for the tip Anand!
PS – Olivia Munn is welcome to come interview us anytime =)
You’ve all heard of the stories of Daikoku Parking Area. On weekends, it serves as the gathering area for a multitude of Japan’s outrageous car cultures, from hashiriya street racers to bosozoku bikers to crazy vanners with more fiberglass than metal content on their rides.
Nowadays, the police have harshed the buzz and closed off Daikoku’s nuttiness on weekend nights. You can catch some action on Friday, but it’s still the main rest stop between Tokyo and Yokohama so you never know what you’ll see at any given time. Last Sunday I happened to be passing by and stopped for some photos. Not much in the way of classics, but if you’re from the states here’s some rare JDM machinery nonetheless.
More pics after the jump. Continue reading
This backyard stash of J-tin was just sitting about on a quiet suburban side street. The owner of this trove may not want to be revealed so I won’t mention any names, but he did say that the majority of these cars will, one day, be restored. A few are too far gone, like the black S30 Crown and the blue Sports 800, but the rest should keep him busy for a while. Amazingly, he said that the neighbors don’t complain at all. Instead, they think it’s cool to see the old cars. Nobody tell them about HOAs.
More pics after the jump. Continue reading
Random Japan sighting: Isn’t it nice to know the Corona wagons employed by Denso are still in service? I thought these were KE70 Corollas originally but apparently they are Coronas!
Closeup after the jump Continue reading
Ready for some Detroit vs. Japan action? A C210 Skyline chasing down a 1970 Mercury Cougar, perhaps? In fact, it’s the episode of Seibu Keisatsu in which the chief adds a new car to the fleet, the Super Machine-X Skyline 2000GT-Turbo! It’s the latest in crime-fighting technology, back when a camera and a couple of computers took up the entire cabin!
And wouldn’t you know it, on its very first day in the motor pool the crew has to go after some muscle car driving bad guys. Time to break it in! The pursuit that follows takes us through a long stretch of Japanese expressway, crawling with awesome nostalgic steel.
As Kev posted before, the introduction of the Skyline on this show boosted sales so much, Nissan made a point to donate their latest models for future episodes as soon as they were released.
Parts 2 and 3 after the jump. Continue reading
Surely you’ve all heard of the car park elevators in Japan. You drive your car into a cradle and it goes up like a Ferris wheel.
Unlike most, this one is not covered by walls to look like an actual building, giving us a clear view of the mechanism in all its glory. Bewilderingly, it’s only about three stories tall and holds just six cars. It seems kind of pointless to go through the trouble of erecting this thing when the lot probably could have held three cars to begin with.
Also, it must really suck for the residents of the apartment behind it, to have the view from your window obstructed by a giant metal car carousel. But such are the concessions one has to make when space is at a premium.
America’s longest-running T.V. game show “The New Price is Right” got its start in 1972 and is still on the air today. Many of the old episodes are available for viewing free of charge on the interwebs. What interests us especially are some of the J-tin prize offerings on the show. Here are a couple video stills:
First item up for bid is a Honda Civic, which looks to be ’73:
Incidentally, the model has apparently lost control of the car at this point.
Not much to report from Japanland today. I’m drinking plenty of coffee, not only because I’m busy writing articles and making appointments, but also for the awesome toys that you get free with the canned java. In this case, it’s a Choro-Q KPGC10 Skyline. I promise I will go out and take more photos as soon as time allows.
So despite popping awake at 4am due to ungodly jetlag and traipsing all over the Nos2Days show, I went to check out Mooneyes’ cruise night on Saturday, where I nearly passed out from a mixture of gasoline fumes and exhaustion. Here’s a Mitsubishi Debonair stealing away into the night.
Continue reading
The full event report is up. Enjoy!
So this is why I’m in Japan and posting Friday videos on Thursday – the first ever Nos2Days show in Yokohama. As you might have guessed it lasts two days and is sponsored by the best selling Japanese classic car magazine, Nostalgic Hero! You know you’ve drooled over the pictures (but probably not understood the words if you’re like us), but this was a chance to see the magazine’s cars in person. Ok, enough chit-chat. Onto the pics!
Here is your Friday video. But it’s Thursday, you say? Yes, there will be no Friday post this week because I’ll be on a plane to Japan! Hopefully the forthcoming pictures will make up for it.
This clip is once again from Seibu Keisatsu, the Japanese cop show that has destroyed more Nissans than Formula D. The story arc of this chase is a bit unclear, but you basically have the West Tokyo Police Force mobilizing against bad guys in a pair of car carriers. As the gullwing 280ZX, R30 Skyline and a random unmarked Cedric give chase, the trucks – hauling a Fairlady Z and kenmeri Skyline, I might add – cause all sorts of havoc for Bluebird and Cedric drivers unfortunate enough to be in their path.
And oh look, the cops can flip a switch to turn any traffic signal green! Despite a computer that looks about as advanced as a Texas Instruments graphing calculator, they manage to divert the perps into a roadblock. But the real question is never answered. What happened to the hostage cars on the carriers!?
See you on the flipside!
Surely you have noticed the Japanese cell phone strap craze. Why you’d want a bouquet of plastic cartoon characters dangling from your mobile, we do not know. But if you’re looking for a cell deco with an automotive theme, peep these Japanese license plates.
They’re available in six styles, including gold for “VIP.” You can select the issuing city and four numbers, which is all the space a Japanese license plate has. Vanity plates in Japan typically consist of the car’s chassis code, so if you cruise around town in a TE27, the plate would read “. . 27”.
[Strapya]
Calling all Toyotaku! Registration for the 2009 All Toyotafesti is now open! Come celebrate the joy of ‘Yotas ownership with your fellow enthusiast. This year the show is back at the Queen Mary in Long Beach due to popular demand. We wouldn’t miss this for the world and will be there with the JNC wagon, meeting folks and taking pictures. Remember, May 9, 2009. Mark your calendars (And if you don’t have any, you can order one here). You won’t want to miss it!
Click on over for coverage of the 2008 and 2007 Toyotafests.
We opened up a can of worms last month when we questioned the conventionally held belief that Albrecht Goertz designed, among others, the Toyota 2000GT and Datsun 240Z. If you want to see yet another misinformed article about this piece, or are simply looking for an excuse to bash your head against your desk, by all means read on. Continue reading
If you like dogs and nostalgics, this Honda Dog wallpaper gallery has everything you need. Full gallery after the jump.
For those of you who are looking to upgrade from Choro-Qs…here’s your chance!
It’s a billet alloy KPGC10 Skyline. And if you have to ask, no you can’t afford it. Details after the jump.
