Japanese Nostalgic Car

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 →

Let’s face it, there have been a lot of bad car modifications over the years. Whether it was a misguided attempt at recreating a race style, a goofy trend that took on a life of its own, or just an “I did it because I could” thing, a good number of them befell Japanese cars when they were relatively affordable. Luckily, the worst of them have fallen out of favor over time. Unluckily, they took down lots of good cars with them.

What modifications on cars make you cringe most?

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 commercial?” Continue reading →

On this day 70 years ago, the first Japanese commercial jingle was broadcast. The song “I’m an Amateur Cameraman” made its radio debut on September 7, 1951 on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC) and New Japan Broadcasting (NJB) as an ad for Sakura Film by Konica Minolta (then called Konishi Roku Photo Industry Co., Ltd.). Curiously, the song never mentioned the company or the product name, but was written by Toriro Miki, a popular composer at the time. That’s why September 7 is known as Commercial Jingle Day in Japan.

There have been a great number of captivating car commercials from both sides of the Pacific. Japan’s often made use of surreal situations, celebs and, of course, unique songs composed just for the ad. The American spots leaned towards humor or cars speeding through the desert. Any format can be memorable, impactful, perhaps even immortalized as a piece of pop culture.

What’s your favorite car commercial?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Why do you love (or hate) the Fast & Furious movies?” Continue reading →