Japan

Japan is home to both some very cool things, and some very weird things. One of the coolest things is a racing series that sees Japanese drivers hooning old short-wheelbase Dodge vans around a racetrack. Apparently, the sport grew out of a common practice for motorcycle racers to buy these vans and use them to haul gear and bikes to the track.

Regardless as to whether you call it the off-road-ready Wrangler of Asia, the Suzuki Sidekick, or the micro-sized G-Wagen of Japan, there is one thing that you cannot ignore: The Suzuki Jimny is a massive hit.

The new Ford Bronco is one of the most eagerly anticipated and teased vehicles in quite some time. While we wait for the official reveal and release of Ford’s rebooted off-roader, old school Broncos are still out there to entertain us.

Coming fresh off of the LA Auto Show, much of the talk has been about electrification of vehicles. Just about every automaker showed up with electric drivetrains in some form, whether hybrid, PHEV, or 100% battery-powered.

This crazy, graffiti-covered, custom overhauled Suzuki Wagon R is a vehicle that likely causes everyone to stare, including my happy ass. It’s a car that’s just too wild not to photograph. As I hastily took pics, a million questions rushed through my head.

Fiat is discontinuing sales of the smaller 500 in the United States. So instead of throwing a fit over the demise of the little Fiat 500 and its feisty Abarth doppelgänger, let’s take a look at the vehicle that first sported the triple digit badge: The aptly named, “Fiat Nuova 500.” It’s not often that you come across classic Italian cars in rural Japan.

The biggest issue with getting people to convert to purely electric vehicles is the charging process. It can take a very long time to juice up their battery packs, and sometimes it’s hard to find an available charging station when you need one.

After a major storm like a hurricane of typhoon I always sit back and marvel at the people surprised that they lost everything or who are surprised at having to be rescued due to the storm.

It’s mid-March in Yokohama, and I’m feeling a bit on edge over the weather. The forecast calls for rain, followed by slushy snow, and then a massive mess of sticky-sweet sakura pollen. My sinuses don’t feel up for it, my head is swimming from the time difference, and there are a slew of things I still must do ahead of my big day with Nissan.

It’s been a while since you could buy a Daihatsu in the US, but in Japan, they are still very common. They also built some cars for Scion, like the boxy xB. The company is showing of a cute little van called the Canbus, targeted to women buyers.

Koenigsegg has unveiled the Agera RSR, a very special model of the Agera RS that is limited to only three units – all to be delivered to Japanese buyers. I am so happy to see that these special cars are attractive and not gaudy like that terrible gold leaf embellished Agera RS we saw not too long ago.

In the US, all 2016 MX-5 models get the 2.0L 155hp four-cylinder engine. In other parts of the world, a smaller 1.5L 129hp engine is also available. Mazda has a special version of the MX-5 offered in Japan only that has some cool go fast bits and awesome new seats inside for drivers.

There are plenty of single-brand racing series around the world. Lamborghini has one and the largest is the Spec Miata racing that takes place all around the world. In Japan, a group of racers gets together to prove that you can race just about anything, including boxy vans.

I’ve been married for 20 years now. Not too long ago, I was in the local grocery store and happened to bump into an ex-girlfriend I dated right before my wife. I wanted to say hi and talk, but the finely honed skills gained from 20 years of marriage told me to smile, nod, and keep walking because my wife was somewhere among the aisles.

In 2013, Tokyo-based filmmaker Luke Huxham made a short documentary called Underground Hero: Love to Hate Me, about the super car subculture in Japan in which alleged Yakuza gang members customize their Lambos to insane levels.