Tag Archives: hijet

Daihatsu had the best Tokyo Auto Salon display with ten generations of HiJet

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Ben Hsu

The Tokyo Auto Salon is traditionally filled with over-the-top booths filled with over-the-top builds. But this year, it was humble Daihatsu that took the cake with a lineup of HiJet kei trucks that dated back to 1960. There were 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged daihatsu, hijet, tokyo auto salon | 1 Comment

The Daihatsu HiJet has won Good Design’s lifetime achievement award

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Ben Hsu

The Daihatsu HiJet, perhaps the most ubiquitous of all the many kei trucks in Japan, has won Good Design’s “Long Life” award. It’s one of Japan’s highest honors in the field of industrial design, recognizing graphics, products, and architecture that … Continue reading →

Posted in Back Roads | Tagged daihatsu, hijet, kei | 1 Comment

TAS2021: Here come Daihatsu’s Tokyo Auto Salon cars

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Ben Hsu

Daihatsu has officially taken the wraps off their 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon builds. We saw mock-ups of them last month, but now videos of the finished cars can be seen in motion, complete with jaunty music. This is probably the … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged copen, daihatsu, hijet, kei, tokyo auto salon | 6 Comments

Daihatsu’s 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon lineup includes 60th anniversary Hijet camper, Copen speedster

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon has been canceled due to the recent COVID-19 spike, but carmakers will be showing their builds in an upcoming virtual event. Ahead of that, Daihatsu has revealed its lineup of five kei jidosha, including a … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged copen, daihatsu, hijet, Taft, tokyo auto salon | 5 Comments

VIDEO: Treat your car right, or you might get Freaky Friday’d with it

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Ben Hsu

A new commercial for JMS, a Japanese automotive parts store similar to Pep Boys or Autobacs, asks what happens when a car and its owner switch bodies. As the advert begins an owner displays less than kind behavior towards his … Continue reading →

Posted in cm | Tagged crown, daihatsu, hijet, JMS, kei, s130, toyota | 8 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Japanese tradition in car form

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The classics of the chrome era at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon could be split into two camps. Restomods look towards the future, using a nod to the past to incorporate new and modern ideas. Then there are the cars … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 521, advan, bosozoku, c10, Crown Comfort, daihatsu, datsun, Hakosuka, hiace, hijet, kaido racer, kei, nissan, skyline, tokyo auto salon, toyota | 3 Comments

SEMA 2017: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Ben Hsu

As the largest trade event for custom cars in the US, possibly the world, SEMA can serve as a showcase for innovation and creativity, sometimes giving a spotlight for bloody knuckled backyard builds to shine. The flip side, though, is that SEMA’s high profile pressures talented craftsmen into pouring cash into cars whose sole purpose … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 360 Modena, A80, acura, ae86, arrow, C-HR, c10, civic, Civic Type R, corolla, daihatsu, ef, eg, fd3s, ferrari, ford, GC8, Grom, gt-r, Hakosuka, hijet, honda, isuzu, lancer celeste, lexus, Lexus LC, Lexus LS, Lexus RC, liberty walk, mazda, miata, Miata ND, mitsubishi, mustang, mx-5, nissan, NPR, nsx, plymouth, r30, r32, r33, r35, Ridgeline, rx-7, s14, sema, SEMA 2017, sienna, skyline, subaru, supra, TLX, toyota | 20 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 01

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

The Kiryu Classic Car Festival holds a special place in the history of JNC. Back in 2006, long before any other English-language sites were interested in kyusha, it was the first show we covered in Japan. That also happened to be the first time … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 1600gt, 2000gt, 410/411, 510, bluebird, c10, c110, c210, cedric, Citroen, contessa, corolla, corolla levin, cosmo sport, crown pickup, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, Dino, e30, Fairlady Z432, fto, gloria, Hakosuka, hijet, hino, honda, honda z, isuzu, kei, kenmeri, Kiryu Classic Car Festival, lancer celeste, Lancia, life, mazda, midget, nissan, prince, publica, repu, s30 z, s40, s50, S500/S600/S800, silvia, skyline, Snow Crawler, sports 800, subaru, subaru 1000, subaru 360, te27, tn360, toyota, wagons | 18 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Isumi Matsuri

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Skorj

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 →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 310, b10, B360, bellett, bluebird, cappuccino, cony, corolla, corolla levin, crown, daihatsu, debonair, e10, Expo '70, gemini, gloria, Hakosuka, hijet, hino, honda, Insight, Isumi Matsuri, isuzu, Kurogane, Leo, mitsubishi, nissan, publica, s120, s40, s800, skyline, sprinter, sunny, Taxi, te27, toyota | 24 Comments

SHOP LIFE: Standards, Part 01

Posted on January 24, 2014 by David Lovett

Standards is a little known shop hiding up in Gifu Prefecture. We would have never been aware of had it not been for some internet digging by a friend in a desperate bid to find some rare Mazda Carol 360 … Continue reading →

Posted in Shop Life | Tagged 117, carol, corona mark II, cosmo ap, daihatsu, hijet, isuzu, kei, mazda, Mitsubishi Minicab, publica, R-2, rx-5, Showa Era, Standards, subaru, toyota | 13 Comments

EVENTS: Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 510, 521, 620, 720, b-series, b110, bluebird, c10, Chevy LUV, crown, daihatsu, datsun, debonair, faster, fc3s, ford courier, Hakosuka, hijet, honda, isuzu, jimny, kawasaki, kei, kujira, mazda, mini truck, mitsubishi, mooneyes, motorcycles, ms51, nissan, proceed, rocky auto, rx-7, s50, s60, samurai, skyline, sunny, SuperCub, suzuki, toyota, trucks, yamaha, Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show | 5 Comments

EVENTS: Nisei Week Stancenation & Showoff

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Ben Hsu

Nisei Week has been a Los Angeles institution for nearly two decades. For years the car show capping off a week of Little Tokyo cultural festivities has been a showcase of nisei automotive culture, but now the torch has been … Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, nissan, toyota | Tagged 240z, beagle, civic, corolla, daihatsu, datsun, e70, ef, hijet, honda, kei, Longchamp XRX, nissan, s30, sports 800, te27, toyota, wagon | 9 Comments

EVENTS: Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ben Hsu

There’s no event on Earth that captures the the fusion of Japano-American car culture quite like the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show. Everything from Baja Bugs to T-Buckets are represented, with the majority of cars shown are imports to … Continue reading →

Posted in events, isuzu, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged 230, a30, cedric, chevy, crown, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 720, debonair, faster, fr-s, gloria, gt 86, hijet, hilux, isuzu, kujira, kuzilla, luv, mitsubishi, mooneyes, Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show, ms41, ms51, ms65, nissan, pickup, prince, quest, rs46, rs56, s40, s50, s60, scion, subaru, subaru 360, toyopet, toyota, toyota 86, wagon | 12 Comments

Grand Touring: A Weekend in Nagano Prefecture

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Skorj

Eight-and-a-half feet of reliable snowfall blankets the mountains of Nagano Prefecture each winter, transforming quaint and quiet towns into temporary getaways for Tokyo-ites. When the snows disappear so do the downhill skiers and onsen soakers, but local FJ40 Land Cruisers stay to witness the spring thaw. … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged Bessho, bus, Chikuma, chuo expressway, cr-v, daihatsu, fd, fj40, fuji heavy industries, fuso, hijet, hino, honda, j3, jeep, Kakeyu, kei, land cruiser, mazda, mitsubishi, Nagano, onsen, r3, rx-7, subaru, subaru 360, Summer Wars, toyota, Ueda, vitz, yaris | 9 Comments

EVENTS: 2010 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part II

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Ben Hsu

Welcome to Part Two of our coverage of the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals. As we mentioned in Part One, this show often blends American and Japanese customization styles, as evidenced by this army-themed van. If you think a US military motif, … Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan | Tagged b110, bertone, caravan, cedric 430, crown, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 1200, debonair, gemini, hiace, hijet, i-mark, isuzu, luce, mazda, mitsubishi, ms52, ms53, nissan, nissan cedric, pickup, rs46, rx-3, savanna, sunny, toyopet, toyota, wagon | 11 Comments