Yokoso! That means "welcome" in Japanese. It took me a lot of Google searching to confirm that that was right.
If you haven’t gathered from the cover and what you’ve seen thus far, this is our Japan special issue of PASMAG! We hope you’re as excited to read it as we were to make it. This issue is an excuse for us to find the coolest stuff from the glorious Nippon every year and act like total otakus (or in some cases weeaboos) during the course of production.
Anyway, let’s fill you in on what’s in store here.
Our cover probably snagged your attention with the addition of the Trueno Sprinter AE86 on the front, sans tofu delivery lettering. This Hachi-Roku is probably something Takumi from Initial D would have made if he were going for show points. In the most desirable exterior and interior choices, plus some very nice updates, this could be the most impressive Eight-Six we’ve seen.
Of course, we’ve got to bolster the Panda with some other, equally impressive features, so we got some pretty awesome examples of the JDM landscape. One is the engraved and golden Kuhl Racing R35 GT-R. We’ve seen the silver one before, but the gold iteration is that turned to eleven. The other is an old Nissan Caravan that a group of students at WIZ Custom Builder put together as their senior school project. Why not take a utility vehicle and transform it into a chopped and stanced ambulance? Read on to get the full story on “Goldzilla” and the “Danger Ambulance.”
We also managed to get ahold of a couple exclusive interviews. Both D1 champ and planet Earth’s fastest drifter Masato Kawabata, and world renowned aerodynamic developer Andrew Brilliant took some time from their busy schedules to talk about their craft and their arenas of competition.
There were also some eyes out at the D1GP at Odaiba, as well as some other sets at Cannonball in Chiba, so flip through for some coverage on sliding rides and custom kyushas.
Of course, we’ve also seasoned the issue with some exciting trending pieces and interesting articles, so pull up to your plate and dig in! We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did making it.
Available July 2016.
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Itadakimasu!
Mickey Slinger
PASMAG Editor
editor@pasmag.com