QotW: What selfless car-related thing do you do for others?

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Justin Principe

Today, July 6, is Helping Hand Car Wash Day in Japan. The origins date back to the year 755, and is related to the holiday Tanabata, traditionally held on July 7. Without getting too deep into the backstory, Tanabata is supposedly the one day a year when two star-crossed deities, Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by stars in the night sky, are allowed to meet, but only if it doesn’t rain. However, if it rains on the day before Tanabata, legend has it that it’s because Hikoboshi is washing his oxcart in preparation for meeting Orihime. You gotta pick up your date in a clean ride, right? The purpose of Helping Hand Car Wash Day is to encourage people to consider others, just as Hikoboshi diligently washes his oxcart for his loved one.

What selfless car-related thing do you do for others?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your best story about buying or selling a car via auction?”. Continue reading →

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Happy Independence Day from JNC

Posted on July 3, 2026 by Dan Hsu

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than a bosozoku bike decked out in the stars and stripes? With 2026 being America’s semiquincentennial we did try to look for a 250cc motorcycle but, alas, we couldn’t find one. So this Suzuki GS400 built by Bike Factory Kittan of Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture will have to do. It’s not a Harley, but even the most adamant haters would have a hard time scoffing if you zoku-revved this baby through Washington DC this weekend as fireworks burst above. Happy 250th birthday, America!

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Honda’s ‘Cub House’ is a motorcycle showroom that feels like a café

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Dan Hsu

Honda has opened up a new type of motorcycle shop in Japan. Rather than the cold feel of a typical dealership and service center, the adorably named Cub House has an upscale yet nostalgic feel. The location in Toda City, Saitama Prefecture is a pilot store, but if it’s successful more of them may pop up around Japan. Continue reading →

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Honda and Nissan will soon announce team-up of some kind

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Honda and Nissan broached a merger in 2024, but the talks blew up spectacularly before any sort of agreement could take place. A lot has happened in the two years since and now Honda’s CEO is hinting that a collaboration is close. It may not be an all-out merger, but there could be cooperation in some areas of business like sharing components. Continue reading →

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Driving a stickshift helps stave off dementia, says Japanese neuroscientist

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Justin Principe

One of Japan’s most famous researchers on the human brain has declared that driving a car with a manual transmission can help keep your brain health up. Apparently the extra thought required to coordinate between your four limbs while you drive can help prevent dementia. The best part is, it doesn’t need to be a fancy sports car. Even a stickshift kei van will do. Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s your best story about buying or selling a car via auction?

Posted on June 29, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Today, June 29, is Real-Time Used Car Auction Day in Japan. It commemorates the anniversary of the first time dealers across the country could bid on a car live. The inaugural auction took place long before the world wide web was available for public use, on June 29, 1985 and was conducted via Laserdisc. Prior to the 29th, the auction company mailed out Laserdiscs to participating dealers. On auction day, dealers inserted the Laserdisc into a specialized terminal connected to a telephone line. As a specific cars came up for bidding, the central system would send a data command via the phone line telling the dealer’s Laserdisc player exactly which frame to pull up on the screen. It was a crude system, and at the time bidding without seeing the car in person was a novel idea. Four decades later, it’s the norm.

What’s your best story about buying or selling a car via auction?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How has The Fast and the Furious impacted your local car scene?“. Continue reading →

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Keisuke Kuwata’s latest music video is a feast of Showa Era cars

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Keisuke Kuwata’s latest music video “Hitotarashi” is a carspotter’s dream. It takes place in a Tokyo traffic jam where almost every single car is a standout from the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Prior to the gridlock Kuwata himself, a known car enthusiast, begins the video tearing along the expressway in a red Mazda RX-7 Convertible. Continue reading →

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Mazda 787B to return to Le Mans for 35th anniversary

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Ben Hsu

A Mazda North America PR person once told us that every car in the collection is expendable, except for the 787B. “That one is priceless because there will only ever be one Le Mans winner,” he said. Given that, if we were Mazda, we’d hesitate to fly the car around the world for a demo lap, but that’s exactly what the company is doing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the 787B’s historic win. Continue reading →

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Honda is bringing back the Element as a Bronco Sport competitor

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Honda is reportedly planning to revive the Element after what will be, by the time it debuts, an 18-year absence on the market. Details are sparse, but the resurrected Element nameplate will go on a hybrid crossover that will split the difference, size-wise, between an HR-V and CR-V. Like the original, it should have a rugged appearance, as Honda is positioning it to go against cars like the Ford Bronco Sport. Continue reading →

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Toyota is restoring an FJ40 Land Cruiser with reproduction parts

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Toyota is releasing a series of videos documenting the restoration of an FJ40 Land Cruiser. The stated purpose of the project is to demonstrate the use of reproduction parts from the Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts Program. We’ve seen Toyota work on projects like this before, with an AE86 and A70 Supra, but this restoration goes into greater depth, giving viewers a look at how masters entrusted with restoring a vehicle to the quality standards of Toyota Motor Corp handle the craft. Continue reading →

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QotW: How has ‘The Fast and the Furious’ impacted your local car scene

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Steve Chang

Twenty-five years ago today, on June 22, 2001, The Fast and the Furious hit theaters. Love it or hate it, the movie and its sequels have left a massive footprint on the movie industry, car culture worldwide, and Instagram reel audio. What was originally a story about crime in LA’s street racing underground has somehow spawned an 11-installment franchise about fighting global terrorist organizations. It’s been a quarter of a century and we’re not even done with the universe yet. Most of the time we veer away from any Fast discussion here at JNC but its influence is, unlike a rocket-propelled Pontiac Fiero against Earth’s gravity, inescapable.

How has The Fast and the Furious impacted your local car scene?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What license plate frame would you rock on your car?“. Continue reading →

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ND to FD: A body kit to convert your Miata into an RX-7

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Justin Principe

The ND Mazda Roadster is already a good-looking and curvy car, a design feat that’s pretty difficult achieve on a small platform. Its lines evoke a natural connection to the very curvaceous FD RX-7. They pair so well, in fact, that it’s surprising it has taken this long for someone to create an aftermarket kit that transforms an ND to an FD. Continue reading →

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Here’s Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda doing the viral boat race dance

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Steve Chang

Despite helming the biggest car company in the world Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda never fails to have a good time. Whether he’s racing under his alter ego Morizo, trolling the press by showing up at a rally event in a Honda, or winning a best dressed CEO award, the man knows how to not take himself too seriously. For the recent Music Award Japan show, he even donned a lowly chauffeur’s cap and gloves to pose with a GRMN Century, reportedly used to escort award winners to the red carpet. Continue reading →

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The Toyota TE27 nose works surprisingly well on a Suzuki Jimny

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Steve Chang

We’ve seen all manner of Nissan nose swaps. There’s the Hakotora which takes a C10 Skyline mask and puts it on a Sunny Truck. But there’s also the Sunny nose on a Suzuki Carry or the R32 Skyline kit on a Suzuki Twin. But what about Toyota’s classic front ends? Well, now there’s a conversion that turns a Suzuki Jimny grille into a TE27’s. Continue reading →

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Congrats to Toyota on their first ‘real’ 24 Hours of Le Mans win

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Toyota claimed its sixth 24 Hours of Le Mans victory over the weekend, tying Bentley to become the fourth winningest manufacturer in the race’s history. Until this year, however, Toyota never succeeded against any real competition. For 2026, it had to fend off challenges from Ferrari, Cadillac, BMW, Aston Martin, and Genesis. Continue reading →

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QotW: What license plate frame would you rock on your car?

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Steve Chang

Today, June 15, is National License Plate Frame Day, which is not a thing in Japan because owners are not allowed to remove their license plates, ever. Here in the US, the license plate frame is yet another way to express your automotive individuality. Do you get a frame from the dealer and era your car came from? A brand that you support? A pithy message for a cause? Or is frameless the way to go? The possibilities are endless.

What license plate frame would you rock on your car?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which Japanese crossover will be the first classic?“. Continue reading →

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RIP Jiro Yamada, legendary automotive cutaway illustrator who turned engineering into art

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Ben Hsu

Jiro Yamada, the singularly talented automotive artist, passed away in August 2025 at the age of 65 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Out of respect for his lifelong preference for privacy, news of his passing was only shared with the automotive greater community last week. Yamada was renowned for his cutaway illustrations, which depicted not just beautiful exterior lines, but the many layers of mechanical parts that make cars cars. Continue reading →

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Japan’s carmakers to jointly relax standards for what makes a part defective

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Steve Chang

It’s well known that Japanese carmakers employ the highest quality standards in the entire industry. Parts with even the smallest defects are discarded, ensuring that the finished product will be the benchmarks by which all others are judged. However, due to the unpredictable situation in the Middle East, raw materials are becoming scarcer and a coalition of carmakers are developing new standards that won’t be so quick to toss “defective” parts into the rubbish. Continue reading →

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We regret to inform you that Mitsubishi has desecrated the Eclipse name even more

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Steve Chang

Mitsubishi has once again exhumed the Eclipse name and slapped it on a car completely unrelated to the sports coupe it originated with. We’re not sure what’s more incongruous, the fact that the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback is an electric crossover or that it’s not even really a Mitsubishi. Continue reading →

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The 2027 Nissan Z comes with even more nostalgic nods

Posted on June 9, 2026 by Ben Hsu

We covered many of the upgrades and throwbacks of the facelifted 2027 Nissan Z, but Nissan just pointed us to a few more that we missed. One of the coolest is the fact that the Performance trim wheels are inspired by those of the Z31. These are 19-inchers made by Rays, its thin spokes revealing Akebono calipers, and wrapped with wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires that are half an inch wider on the rear. Continue reading →

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