Japanese Nostalgic Car

Both Nissan and Mitsubishi recently revived some old racing truck liveries for the Rebelle Rally, which kicked off over the weekend. We often discuss Japan’s racing cars, but racing trucks seem to have been inadvertently sidelined. Most of Japan’s manufacturers who sell actual trucks — Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Hino, Honda — have raced them as well.

What’s your favorite Japanese race truck?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite car book?“. Continue reading →

Today is Old Book Day in Japan. The holiday is celebrated on October 4 each year because it’s a pun on the kanji 古書, which is translated as “old books”. When you break down the kanji for “old” (古) into its components 十 and 口, then overlap them as 田, it resembles four books. Well, at least that’s the explanation given by Japan’s National Federation of Secondhand Bookstore Association.

In any case, it’s a good a time as any to ask what’s the most indispensable from your home library. Perhaps it’s a history book, a repair manual, a picture book, or even a children’s book like Makoto Komori‘s Datto-san series (lead photo). Let us know what it is and why.

What’s your favorite car book?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite Nissan color?” Continue reading →

Nissan’s recent revival of Midnight Purple and Millennium Jade sparked an internal debate here at JNC about what the best R34 Skyline colors were. Even on that one model, there were so many great ones — do you pick one of the limited run colors above or the iconic Bayside Blue? Then we thought it would make a good QotW if we opened it up to all Nissans. There are so many great ones, from Safari Gold to Gun Gray to Solar Orange. The palette is so endless and rich that it’s hard to choose one. But if you had to…

What’s your favorite Nissan color (and why)?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC doesn’t get enough respect?” Continue reading →

Today is Respect for the Aged day in Japan, a reminder to show some appreciation for your elders. It’s not always easy to keep in mind when the youngins are faster and flashier than their predecessors. However, there are cars like the Mazda RX-3, which don’t get nearly as much attention as the RX-7, or even much as contemporaries like the Datsun 510. But there are many, many even more obscure cars that we should do well to respect.

What JNC doesn’t get enough respect?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What modifications on cars make you cringe most?” Continue reading →