Uchikura & Co Blog
Toyota ... Naming of the Cars
2026-05-08
I found out there are many people who love cars like I do. I am not talking about super expensive exotic cars. I mean the cars we actually drove, owned, washed on weekends, and remember years later. ...
the Texas Central Shinkansen
2026-05-08
Americans often ask, “Why can’t the U.S. build bullet trains like Japan?”   The funny thing is — America absolutely has the technology. This is the country that landed on the moon and builds some of ...
External Link Verification ......
2026-05-08
Dreamersi Email Hosting is updating the “External Link Verification” screen that appears when users click external links inside emails.   The new screen clearly displays the destination domain name i...
Japanese Weapons
2026-05-07
Japan is slowly changing its long-standing defense policies and beginning to export weapons and military technology to friendly nations. This is a major shift for a country that maintained a very str...
Anime and Car Otaku Post
2026-05-06
Anime and Car Otaku Post   The Toyota AE86 Corolla Levin became world famous through the anime and movie Initial D. For many people around the world, the AE86 and the Toyota 4A-GE engine became symbo...
Ken Uchikura Newsletter Vol. 3...
2026-05-06
Upcoming Business Trip to Japan in June I’m traveling to Japan in June for a business trip. My itinerary starts on the eighth, departing from Seattle and arriving at Kansai International Airport (KIX)...
My First Car?
2026-05-06
My First Car?   My first car was a 1970 Toyota Corona four-door sedan.   And yes — it had a column shifter.   Many younger people today may never have seen one. The gear shift was attached to the ste...
Mazda’s Gram St...
2026-05-06
Mazda’s Gram Strategy   Mazda is famous for its “Gram Strategy,” the idea of reducing car weight one gram at a time.   Instead of only looking for big weight reductions, Mazda engineers examine every...
Japanese
2026-05-06
Japan being an island nation made an enormous difference in how Japanese culture developed — much like the Galápagos Islands evolved separately from the mainland.   Because Japan was geographically i...
When Vending Machines Become L...
2026-05-05
When Vending Machines Become Lifelines   Japan is famous for its vending machines—found on nearly every street corner. But beyond convenience, some of these machines serve a much more important role ...