Last week I tried I new kind of post where I showcased some of the cars I spotted on the streets of Tokyo, and judging by the feedback on that post, it sounds like you guys want to see more of that kind of stuff. With this in mind, I took my camera along yesterday when we out shopping. "Inaka" is what the Japanese call small town rural areas and the cars you find out here make an interesting contrast to the stuff you see in Tokyo. For example, check out this '90s Toyota Crown wagon dropped on some big-lipped wheels that I spotted cruising down Route 294 near Shimotsuma city. Cars like this are common sight in rural Ibaraki Prefecture.

Right after that, I spotted this female-driven AE86 Trueno 3-door waiting to turn onto the highway. A pretty clean example wouldn't you say? I'm actually surprised at how many 86's I see driving around here considering how old they are.

Keep in mind that nearly all of these shots were taken from a moving vehicle so picture quality might not be the greatest. Don't worry though, I let the wife handle driving duties while I was shooting these…

Looks like this guy is out for a Sunday drive in his special edition Eunos Roadster with a set of positive offset RS Watanabes. Note the roll bar inside. Mazda Roadsters are another one of the most commonly seen "enthusiast" vehicles in Japan. Their small size makes them just perfect for narrow, winding Japanese roads. Seeing this kind of thing makes miss the Roadsters I used to own in the states and sometimes I feel like buying a super cheap one just to take driving to Mt. Tsukuba…

Later on I saw this RX8 with Prodrive wheels parked outside a 100 yen discount shop. The wheels look fantastic, but this car is in major need a drop. Despite the somewhat non-traditional nature the RX8, I see tons of them on the streets in Japan. From what I have seen, they far outnumber other late model FR sports cars like the Z33, V35 Skyline, and even the S2000.

Next up was this Austin Mini Countryman wagon that was putting along behind a big truck. I love the woodgrain trim! The little Mini looks even smaller than usual compared to the truck. In case you didn't know, this car is what the new Mini Clubman wagons are based on.

I heard the unmistakable sound of a small block Chevy V8 as this C4 Corvette passed us. It looks like it's sporting aero parts purchased when the car was new. I'm guessing this car was originally imported to Japan back in the days of the "bubble" period when money seemed to be falling out of the sky. I wonder if these "period correct" 1980's style mods are going to get popular again as these cars age and become traditonal "classics".

Back in Tsukuba City, I saw this JZX90 Mark II parked outside of the new shopping mall near my apartment. Such a sleek design. Man I love 90 Mark II's so much…

Vans and wagons all over the place in the parking lot at the local grocery store. Imagine replacing every truck and SUV in the US with a van or wagon and you can get an idea of just how popular they are here in Japan. Sometimes I have to search hard to find a vehicle that has a trunk. I really dig the Honda Odyssey on the right.

And lastly, a cool-looking Nissan Stagea sitting in the same parking lot. Is this the king of Japanese wagons?

I'm thinking I will be doing these kinds of posts more often now. As a lot of you guys commented, documenting the stuff you see on the street is one of the best ways to uncover car culture. Option Magazine actually runs regular stories where they set up a camerman overlooking a busy street and they simply report on what they see and gaher data on tuning trends. I'd say that's Speedhunting in one of its purest forms.

-Mike Garrett