Tag: japan
Spotted: 1977 Land Cruiser Pickup
Check out Andre’s hard working 1977 Land Cruiser pickup with custom 1 ton hydraulic dump box with roof removed for summer mode. Long and patient work revived the seized engine but little else major was needed to get this original classic back on the road. After adding the dump box it became the workhorse of…
Feeling at home
A first visit to the forest on the island with Daisy, a 1997 Japan Specification Land Rover Defender 90 that spent a good portion of its life in the Kansai area. The air is still cool but the light makes it feel like spring is arriving. Several small items have been checked off slowly so…
Defender on the island
1997 was the last year Land Rover Defenders were made for the Japanese and North American markets due to the increasingly heavy-handed safety regulations being introduced. It was also the only year that an automatic transmission was offered. The JAS and NAS are almost identical, even to the point of being left-hand-drive, powered by the…
Bringing Daisy home
Daisy is a 1997 Japan Specification Land Rover Defender 90 (#594) that was made for the Japanese market, after a few years in the Tokyo area spent a good portion of its life near Osaka driven and cared for by a Japanese woman, and is largely original still and in reasonable shape for a 27-year-old…
Mainland adventure
A quick stop next to an ivy covered tree along the upper edge of the river. While on the lower mainland, Daisy had a few things taken care of including a provincial inspection, refresh of wheels and tires, daytime running lights, front bumper cleanup and powder coating, and a general look-over. We are grateful to…
Spotted: Range Rover classic in Japan
A lovely looking Range Rover classic sitting outside a sushi restaurant in a small town. Four door, V8, all black, with some driving lights on the front bumper, and fairly tidy looking. These are a rare sight in Japan.
Japanese countryside
A curated collection of views from the countryside of Japan in early spring. The mist can be heavy in the mornings and the days are still cool but the sun is beginning to warm the earth. There are a few spring greens but most of the winter colours remain. Plum blossoms are out, sakura have…
Spotted: Land Cruiser in Japan
A pretty classic looking leaf sprung Toyota Land Cruiser sitting outside a cafe in the countryside. In very reasonable looking shape with a bit of rust here and there, which is hard to avoid in Japan. No other info but there is a skateboard sticker on the back end.
Spotted: 4wd of Japan
A digest post documenting a few of the interesting 4wd type vehicle sightings in Japan. Kei cars are a lightweight category under 600cc and are often used a local runabouts and farming or working vehicles. They can be distinguished by yellow coloured license plates and are dwarfed by regular sized mini-vans and suv. Seen below…
Spotted: cars of Japan
A catch-all post documenting a few of the other interesting vehicle sightings in Japan. Kei cars are a lightweight category under 600cc and are often used a local runabouts and farming or working vehicles. They can be distinguished by yellow coloured license plates. Seen below are Tocot, Lapin, Daihatsu, Honda, Toyota Roomy, Suzuki Hustler, a…
Spotted: working trucks of Japan
A long post documenting a few of the interesting sightings in Japan. Kei-tora (kei trucks) are in a lightweight category under 600cc and are often used a local runabouts and farming or working vehicles. They can be distinguished by yellow coloured license plates. Also seen below are a fire rescue from Osaka, a highly customized…
Spotted: Daihatsu hijet keitora
On the shores of Lake Cowichan, 4×4 with roof rack, work lights, and fancy rims. Kei-tora (kei trucks) are in a lightweight category under 600cc and are often used a local runabouts and farming or working vehicles in the countryside. They can be distinguished by yellow coloured license plates in Japan. This one was at…
Spotted: JAS 90 on streetview
An interesting bit of geolocating and detective work reveals the past home of a 1997 Japanese spec Defender 90 (#426) on the streets of Okinawa. It appears that a respray in the original Arles blue colour occurred between the 2017 and 2020 photos, note the missing “Rover Japan” decal and refreshed appearance after that point.…