Tag Archives: c10

Old Tokyo photos oozing with Japanese nostalgic cars

We recently stumbled upon a thread of old Tokyo photos on the architecture site SkyscraperCity. Though the focus was the buildings, we came for the cars. Just look at these pictures and dream of being amongst these machines when they were still new. 

Posted in The Vault | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

JNC THEATER: Solaris

The 1972 Russian film Solaris is considered one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. It tells the tale of a psychologist sent to investigate the deteriorating mental state of a space station crew orbiting the distant planet of Solaris. Like many sci-fi … Continue reading

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03

Part 03 of our 2014 Nos2Days coverage comes from a new contributor, Brandon Kelley, a resident of Tokyo. He met up with David, who supplied Parts 01 and 02, after a 45-minute train ride to Yokohama. The two of them toured … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

Welcome to Part 02 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage, as we make our way across the Pacifico Convention Center on Yokohama’s historic waterfront. In this installment we’ll see the displays kyuusha tuning houses, some of the famous cars that have graced Nostalgic … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01

Every year Nostalgic Hero magazine holds one of the very best classic car shows in all the lands, Nostalgic2Days. This is the sixth time they’ve held the event and for the past 4 years I’ve made the pilgrimage to Yokohama what … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

MINICARS: Custom 1:18 Models by Yordy Kolner

Today’s guest writer is Yordy Kolner, who hails from the Netherlands and, like Luis Aguilar, builds custom scale models of his favorite Japanese cars. However, Yordy starts with 1:18 scale cars made of diecast metal. Here’s his story in his … Continue reading

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC

Valentine’s Day. Unavoidable and yet oh-so-little to do with cars. That is, unless you’re lucky enough to receive one of these kyuusha-shaped Tomica chocolates. For 2014, they’ve added an adorable cocoa Subaru 360 to the set. How cute is that? I … Continue reading

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

ART CORNER: Ryuji Tsugihara’s Yoroshiku Mechadoc

There are countless manga devoted to the subject of cars, but rarely do they leap off their comic book pages into the world of anime. Any self-respecting JNCer knows a few, but before Initial D or Wangan Midnight, before even Shakotan Boogie, there … Continue reading

Posted in manga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

EVENTS: Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival & Parade, Part 01

We’re extremely lucky to attend as many J-tin filled shows as we do, so it might sound like a first world problem when we say there’s always one teensy issue: The cars are stationary. That’s why when the Toyota Automobile … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

MINICARS: Japanese Nostalgic Legos

Apparently, building JNCs out of Legos is a thing. After stumbling upon a Toyota Celica built by -Kyusha-, we fell down the rabbit hole and discovered an entire subculture of nostalgics made of plastic blocks. Here are some of our favorites.

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

EVENTS: Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show

Step into Mooneyes‘ Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and you might think you’ve stepped through a wormhole to 1960s America. Every style you can imagine, from high-boys to lowriders, is represented, including ones actual Americans no longer care about. Raked … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

EVENTS: Naniwa Swap Meet

Among the items on our Japan bucket list was checking out a real swap meet. Turns out, automotive-themed ones are not terribly common there, but we were fortunate enough to have Osaka’s Naniwa Swap Meet coincide with our stay. 

Posted in events, honda, kei, mazda, Motorcycles, nissan, suzuki, toyota, wagons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Happy Halloween from JNC!

To all JNCers resurrecting creaky, decrepit, faded, and just plain old cars, we wish you a Happy Halloween.

Posted in jnc | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

EVENTS: 2013 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 – Debuts and Historic Cars

With the Japanese Classic Car Show closing in on a decade, the theme of its 9th holding could be summed up in one word: More. More cars, more rarity, more stock survivors, more booths, more people, and more staggering Nihon … Continue reading

Posted in events, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

PROFILES: Tom Knudsen, Nihon Classics Ambassador

“Japanese cars will never be classics.” That was a sentiment commonly expressed by traditional collectors when we founded JNC in 2006. Despite huge strides in recognition made since then, there are people who still think so. Tom Knudsen is not … Continue reading

Posted in honda, nissan, profiles, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

EVENTS: Vintage Auto Salon, Part 01 – JDM Machines

Vintage Auto Salon is the third show of its kind held by Historic J, the team that’s quickly becoming the de facto force for nostalgics in the Bay Area. Though co-founders James Vorasane and Ivan Jarmillo are both Americans, their events … Continue reading

Posted in events, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

SHOP LIFE: A visit to Rocky Auto, Nissan resto-modder extraordinare

Today’s guest writer is David Lovett of Classic Car Nagoya, who recently went on a little field trip to Rocky Auto. The famous tuning shop’s founder, Yoshiya Watanabe, will make a rare American appearance at Vintage Auto Salon this weekend so come … Continue reading

Posted in nissan, Shop Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

MINICARS: The 1/18 cars of your dreams are now for sale

A few months ago this slammed Toyota 2000GT spread like a gasoline fire across Teh Interwebz. Many thought it was real. Of course, 2000GTs are so rare that anyone who’d really shakotan one would simultaneously be considered a god among men and … Continue reading

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 01

Our destination for this tour was Mie Prefecture, some 250 miles southwest of Tokyo on the far side of Ise-wan (the same wan in Wangan, meaning “bay”). Known for its ancient craft ceramics and as the birthplace of the ninja, … Continue reading

Posted in Grand Touring, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

EVENTS: 2013 Nissan Jam, Part 02 — Rare Gems

One of our proudest accomplishments for the inaugural Nissan Jam was the ability to gather a truly diverse set of rare Nissans that you can’t see anywhere else. In Part 01 we looked at the SoCal Standards, stalwart machines that … Continue reading

Posted in events, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments