Japan

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.

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 Dodge vans around a racetrack. Apparently, the sport grew out of a common practice for motorcycle racers to buy these mid-1990 vans and use them to haul gear and bikes to the track.

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.

I really like the sporty Mazda MX-5. And I am a huge fan of the lines on the classic British Morgan Roadster. But Mitsuoka Motors of Japan’s new attempt to create a mash-up of the two leaves me a bit mystified.

Mitsubishi has been making the Lancer Evolution for a long time, and we all know things aren’t going well at company. Sales are plummeting, and somewhere along the way the bean counters made the decision to end the only cool car they make.

Tokyo, Japan is well known for its car scene, which truly comes to life when the sun goes down. This awesomely shot short film created to promote GoPro’s 4K-capable HERO4 action camera puts us in the middle of Tokyo’s car and motorcycle culture, as we meet owners of Lamborghinis, RWB Porsches, Hayabusa motorcycles and Kaido Racers, and learn about what drives their passion.

The rugged and iconic Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series went out of release in Japan in 2004, but apparently there’s been enough demand for the 4×4 that Toyota will be bringing back the truck in limited quantities to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Rain on the ground can definitely give you more distance and cooler tires when drifting, but can also make it much more challenging to control your car. But a little rain doesn’t dissuade a drifter as skilled as Alexi from Noriyaro.com, who recently captured a couple of wet drift laps in his Nissan R32 Skyline drift missile. 

While it’s common to associate supercars with masculinity, it’s definitely not a fair assumption that women can’t enjoy fast cars too. In this clip from Steve’s POV over in Japan, he starts out having a lunch with three lovely ladies under a cherry blossom tree, but if that’s not enough, it turns out all three ladies drive Lamborghini Gallardos.