This slide, said to be taken in 1972 in Takamatsu, is ostensibly of an interesting-looking restaurant that appears to have a small castle-like structure perched atop it. However, what’s even more interesting is the S50 Toyota Crown sedan, Hino truck and 2-door 510 Bluebird speeding by. We have never seen a factory 2-tone Crown in person, and we’re still not quite sure it’s factory. It could be a company car painted in company colors, but without the front door in frame it’s impossible to tell. The 2-door 510 is rare too, having sold in far fewer numbers than the Bluebird Coupe of the same generation. How tempting would it be to sit in that udon restaurant and watch the traffic go by?
Image: eBay.
Judging by the stickers on the rear door, it’s simply a taxi.
Logo (red spot within the open circular blue line) atop the whole structure is of Joint Petroleum Co Ltd.
There’s also another smaller logo for the same oil company over the opening to the right, so could either be a service station (gas station) or offices for same within the building. Could that be a Fuso bus tucked behind the Hino truck and Datsun 1600 (P510)?
I’m always fascinated how different Japanese gas stations are in the city with the overhead hose reels tucked into the square footage of a storefront. You’re lucky to find a gas station in the downtown core in many US cities.