Tag: japanese

Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Mitsubishi, Humor

ice drifting

Drifting on ice causes facial distortion in some passengers – Click above to watch video after the jump

Drifting on ice sounds a lot more exciting than Disney on Ice. At least to us, anyway.

A back-seat full of Japanese comedians may beg to differ after going for a sideways slide in the back seat of an older Mitsubishi Evo. There really isn’t much for us to add to this clip because… well, we don’t really know what’s going on. We do know that the action is fast and furious while the comedians’ expressions are of shock and sickness. Click past the jump and see the sideways-drama unfold for yourself.

Oh, and can we just say how crazy and insane – and undeniably entertaining – Japanese game shows tend to be?

[Source: dvice.com]

Continue reading Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting

Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Japanese comedians don’t take well to ice drifting”

Video: JDM Legends gives vintage Japanese iron new life in U.S.

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Japan, Videos

JDM Legends

JDM Legends brings vintage Japan to the U.S. – Click above to watch video after the jump

Trey Cobb, the founder of Cobb Tuning, has a love for vintage Japanese automobiles. In 2009, Cobb and fellow Japanese car junkie Eric Bizek decided to build a company around that love affair and JDM Legends was born. Based in Utah, JDM Legends imports, restores, services and sells classic Japanese cars.

The team has already brought a 1973 Toyota Celica, 1970 Datsun 510 and a handful of early Nissan Skyline models back to life. More cars are planned for the future and two of the Skylines are currently being offered for sale.

JDM Legends had someone stop by with a video camera and capture the cars currently in the garage. Though the film is a bit slow, the cars look particularly stunning in high-definition. Hop the jump to watch the clip.

[Source: JDM Legends via Vimeo]

Continue reading Video: JDM Legends gives vintage Japanese iron new life in U.S.

Video: JDM Legends gives vintage Japanese iron new life in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: JDM Legends gives vintage Japanese iron new life in U.S.”

Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Humor

Parking Space House

A house built in the area of a parking space – Click above to watch video after the jump

As Americans, our concept of a normal-sized home has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. In her book Living Large, author Sarah Wexler says that the average home size in the U.S. grew from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,349 square feet in 2004, and it doesn’t look to be shrinking any time soon. It’s not like that everywhere. Just look at what ingenious architects in Japan are up to. With both space and funds at a minimum, builders and property owners alike are looking to get the most out of every square foot, even going so far as to build a two-person home on the same footprint as an average-sized parking space.

To make it happen, designers have employed a number of space-saving tricks, including a triangular spiral staircase that decreases the minimum radius needed for going up and appliances that are stashed under counters and in unique cubbies. Doesn’t sound like a bad way to go, if you ask us. Hit the jump to see a video of the house for yourself.

[Source: CNN]

Continue reading Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space

Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space”

Report: Toyota president assuages fears that he’s closing all Japanese factories

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Toyota President Akio Toyoda caused something of an uproar in the automaker’s home market of Japan when he suggested that “logically, it doesn’t make sense to manufacture in Japan.” Why? The surging value of the Yen, currently at a 15-year high, compared to the U.S. Dollar.

Considering that the vast majority of vehicles Toyota builds in Japan are intended for export and that the American market is still the automaker’s most important, the value of the Yen is a major stumbling block standing in the way of profits. Still, Toyoda has confirmed that his eponymous company has no intention of entirely halting production in Japan.

What that assurance doesn’t mean, however, is that Toyota won’t continue to shift production overseas in an effort to retain profitability. While none of the Japanese plants will be completely closed, they may see a good portion of their output transferred to facilities in other markets… notably North America.

[Source: Just-Auto]

Report: Toyota president assuages fears that he’s closing all Japanese factories originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Toyota president assuages fears that he’s closing all Japanese factories”

2010 Japanese Grand Prix: The sun finally shines in the Land of the Rising Sun [Spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports, Japan

2010 Japanese Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Japanese Grand Prix has long held a special place in the Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of, if not the very last race of the season, Japan has crowned many a champion: in fact the title has been decided there 12 out of the 24 times the Pacific island nation has hosted a grand prix. And of the drivers who’ve won there the past ten years running, all but Kimi Raikkonen lined up there again this weekend, Suzuka taking back the hosting duties from Fuji once more.

Would this year’s race see a new winner atop the podium? Or would Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher or even Rubens Barrichello add the trophy alongside their previous wins in the Land of the Rising Sun? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2010 Japanese Grand Prix

[Images: Greg Baker, Mark Baker / AP | Mark Thompson, Shuji Kajiyama / Getty | Toshifumi Kitamura, Jung Yeon-Je, Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP/Getty]

Continue reading 2010 Japanese Grand Prix: The sun finally shines in the Land of the Rising Sun [Spoilers]

2010 Japanese Grand Prix: The sun finally shines in the Land of the Rising Sun [Spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “2010 Japanese Grand Prix: The sun finally shines in the Land of the Rising Sun [Spoilers]”

Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Racing

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna biopic trailer – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on March 21, 1960. To our knowledge, he won his first competition when he cut his umbilical cord before his doctor could. In reality, he began his karting career at age 13. He jumped to single-seat race cars in 1981 before finally reaching the holy land of Formula One in 1984. He was just 24. Four years later, he captured the first of three world championship titles, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time.

Watching Senna drive, especially in rainy conditions, was like watching an artist create a masterpiece. As you already know, tragedy struck when Ayrton Senna died in an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Senna aficionados will soon get the opportunity to learn more about their idol, thanks to a forthcoming documentary. A Japanese-language trailer has been released for the upcoming biopic. Senna, the first officially-sanctioned feature-length film about the Brazilian driver who, to this day, remains sorely missed. Click past the jump to watch it.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary

Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Japanese trailer for Ayrton Senna documentary”

This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Safety, Toyota

Toyota Approaching Vehicle Audible System – Click above to watch the video after the break

After years and years of doing everything in their power to make cars as quiet as possible, it seems somewhat backwards that we’re now talking about adding external speakers to hybrids in order to make them… louder. But that’s the current reality, and Toyota, the undisputed worldwide leader in hybrid vehicles, is leading the way in Japan with its Prius hatchback.

For about $150, Toyota will equip the Japanese Prius with a Approaching Vehicle Audible System. According to the automaker, the technology is “designed to meet new Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism guidelines for hybrid and other near-silent vehicles.” Expect the system to extend to other hybrids from Toyota and probably to countries outside Japan in time.

Anyone interested in making their third-gen Prius sound like a prop from Close Encounters of the Third Kind are encouraged to watch the Japanese-market video after the break. We’re not going to cast a vote quite yet as to whether or not these systems are a good or bad idea, but we will say this: If we heard that noise coming at us from behind, you can bet we’d be rushing to get out of the way…

[Source: Toyota via Prius Chat]

Continue reading This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]

This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]”