Tag Archives: Taxi

Showa Snap: Two-tone taxis teem toward Tokyo terrace

It’s been a while since we had a Showa Snap, but here’s a striking photo of taxi drivers gathered in front of a row of storefronts. Note that the 230 and 330 Nissan Cedric cabs have no toplights, and that … Continue reading

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Nissan Cedric taxis sure can take a beating, but the door hinges could use work

The Nissan Cedric taxi was once a staple of Japanese streets. It was also once a staple of Japanese car chases, where cheap 230s and 330s were sacrificed to to gods of Showa Era police dramas. To be fair, Toyota … Continue reading

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Initial D taxis are here to take you around Takumi’s hometown

The city of Shibukawa, Gunma is promoting itself as the home town of Initial D protagonist Takumi Fujiwara. The real-life town is where all the action of the series began, and even now, 27 years after its debut, fans of … Continue reading

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EVENTS: All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Big Sedans

There’s nothing like a big Toyota sedan, and Toyotafest was full of ’em. Whether you’re talking about the brilliant luxury of a Lexus LS or the deadbolt reliability of a Camry, each one had its fans and fastidious owners. With … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 03

In the final installment of our beginner’s guide to Lego JNCs, we are going to focus on the prevailing style of builds in Japan. In Part 01 we admired highly complex creations comprised of hundreds of pieces where the sky’s the … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: The Shuto, circa 1969

The Shuto is the beltway system that circles downtown Tokyo, home to many a traffic jam during the day, and fleets of street racers at night. Construction began in 1962, and in this postcard from 1969 or 1970, you can … Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Isumi Matsuri

If there’s one thing that gets carriage-loads of people enthused, it’s trains — especially in Japan, where everyone loves trains. So, combining a wide range of Showa Era kyusha with a summer matsuri (festival) and organizing it at the most famous … Continue reading

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QotW: Which JNC was the one that got away?

Life with cars is cruel as it is in dating. Sometimes, you just don’t know you how good you have it until it’s gone. Or, maybe those are the lucky ones, because they actually had some time with their soul … Continue reading

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NIHON LIFE: Get free tea when you climb into a Suntory taxi

Today is National Taxi Day in Japan, a date chosen to commemorate the start of the country’s first cab service in 1912. As it happens, this month Suntory is making Japan’s notoriously hospitable taxis even more so, by giving passengers a complementary … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s your best Japanese taxi story?

August 5 is National Taxi Day in Japan. It marks the start of operations for Japan’s very first taxi, which occurred on August 5, 1912. As those who have visited the motherland may know, Japan’s taxis are some of the … Continue reading

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QotW: What made you fall in love with Japanese nostalgic cars?

This past weekend one of my oldest friends, whom I’ve known since the eighth grade, came to his first JCCS (more on that later). After his baptism by fire into the world of nostalgics, he immediately went home and began scouring … Continue reading

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Datsun Sunny, Prestigious Pakistani Taxi

According to one Datsun Enthusiast who was visiting relatives in Pakistan, one of the most prestigious taxis around is the Datsun Sunny B110 4dr. Yes, we’re talking currently, not 20-30 years ago. Here’s a nice example that was spotted last … Continue reading

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