What's Next? You tell me.

Lately I have been thinking a little bit about the future direction of this site. Since relocating to Japan, traffic has been way up and I'm happy about that but I'm trying to think of ways to improve content (and to post more frequently). Basically I wanted to ask readers what kind of stuff they would like to see here. Do you want to see this site stay exactly the same as it is now? Do you want to see more of my daily life and other tidbits from Japan even if they may not all be car-related (Music, Food, Movies, Video Games, Traveling etc.) Also, as far as car stuff goes, what do you want to see more of? Vintage Japanese cars? drifting stuff? circuit cars? vanning/kei cars/VIP stuff? foreign cars in Japan? Tell me what you kind of stuff you would like to see. If you have any other ideas or feedback ,please let me know via comment, email, Myspace etc.

One more thing, check out this awesome R35 from TAS.

..and I thought we would have to wait until SEMA '08 to see stuff like this.

Comments

[mikeyee]

PLEASE DO ALL OF THE ABOVE (Vintage Japanese cars? drifting stuff? circuit cars? vanning/kei cars/VIP stuff? foreign cars in Japan?)

because all that stuff out there interests me.

thanks for the input!

[Vincent]

why on earth would they put those rims on the gtr. The stuff u have now is great, but a new addition would be some pics of ur trip going there , like the environment and stuff like that. Japan's environment , even a single vending machine interests me more than anything else in Canada lol

[TK]

drift, circuit, project, japanese vintage, kei, VIP, everything that you've been doing!

[Rick]

I have only recently come across this site and i am amazed with the quality of pictures and detail that you go into. As for the future content i think you should try cover all of the above catagories mentioned as they are all interesting and even the culture part too. I look forward to seeing any future changes and keep up the good work.

[Dren]

you've been doing an awesome job with the coverage so far so there's not much to improve on as far as the auto coverage. maybe you can do some stuff on the various tuners and shops over there.

i vote yes on the daily life/lifestyle/non car related stuff, it would be a good addition.

[Ilya]

Well, you should definitely try to combine everything you have mentioned. Even some non car related stuff would be pretty cool, as long as you don't completely focus on them. I'll probably be interested in anything about Japan anyway!

Props for running this awesome site, I very much appreciate your work and dedication!

[Matt]

My proposal is to keep up the good work on this main page and maybe make some sub-page where you can write about japanese culture. It would be more surveyable like jap-otaku or something like that :)

[Bundi]

It would be great to read about all those topics you've mentioned, but I love your site in this current state as well.

btw: the rims on that GTR are horrible...

[ichi-go]

I think you should keep this website strictly for cars only since it's named "Auto-Otaku"

For the range of cars, any cars is ok but personally I dont like vintage cars so anything other than vintage is OK for me. I know it might be hard for you but more updates would be nice.

[discoquinn]

Hey,

I check this site and grandJDM on a daily basis. Personally I have an interest in specifically obscure car culture, and tuning specifics. Some topics that have interested me are strange swaps, wild body modifications, Kei cars, Drifting culture.

[jason]

more local japanese objects. street cars, street girls, street products, products you wont get/see in the outside world

cheers

keep it up

[giff]

I never comment here, but subscribe to the RSS and read everything. This has recently become my favorite blog, and every time it's updated I get excited to see what's new.

I vote no on the daily lifestyle content. The reason this site is so good is because it doesn't have any of the fluff, just constant car content from places most Americans aren't familiar with outside of magazines and gaming consoles. There are few places to see pictures of three AE86's together at Tsukuba, packs of perfect FD's, and everything else that you do so well. I just say continue to do what you've been doing, and just as frequently.

Those wheels belong in a big trashcan full of suck.

[phil]

i say yes to more grassroots coverage of circuit events and drifting events. and i also say yes to more fluff around your daily life in japan since i think me and a lot of your readers are interested in the japanese culture.

[Ron]

I've alway seen this blog as a look into the Japanese side of the performance car lifestyle.

With that in mind, I'd be interested at seeing some focus on the human aspect of life there. Maybe some info of what type of people go to track events. Are they salarymen? College students? Are they middle class, upper middle class? Do they have families, or does their girlfriends support their habits? What do they sacrifice in order to have such a badass car and an expensive habit?

Do you go to these events alone, or with friends? Who are your friends, ex-pats, or Japanese?

I guess these are the questions I find myself asking when reading your blog, and they show the areas i find interesting and looking for more information about.

[James]

Please do other aspect of Japan, I've been a big fan of Japan and can't wait to make a trip there. In the mean time, the only thing I can do to keep sane is read about it day in day out. So, food, culture, cars, festivals, ANYTHING japan.

Thanks

[Josh / F/M Tuning]

I came across this site not too long ago and fell in love. Everything about this site is absolutely amazing. This might sound cliche but it's like finding a slice of automotive heaven in a world full of sheep. I visit this site everday, (hard not to when it's my homepage). Personally, just because I am a track circuit freak, if you keep posting grip events and time attack with amazing pictures, I will have this site my homepage until I die.

Thanks!
Josh
F/M Tuning

[Pat]

Pics and write-ups of local shops would be cool. from Big shops to little hole in the wall ones. That would be awesome!! and all the other stuff listed too lol.

[Friction Limit]

I agree to the coverage of grassroots motorsports! It's great to see what the average tuner over in Japan is doing. It gives me more ideas than seeing the super expensive works cars that you see everywhere anyway. I also love the vintage coverage. If you ever come across an old school Honda meet you'll officially be declared my hero. And tally another 'no' to the everyday culture stuff.

[James Salvato]

The reason your site is the best is because of the combination of old school vintage and super tech new school japanese automobiles.Some might say vintage cars are played out,but it has influenced all of the new cars on the market today.I have to say your site is visited daily by myself and always look foward to the great photography.I say keep up the good work,and don't change a thing!!!! J.S.

santa fe new mexico u.s.a

[calbug61]

I would like to see more of your life in Japan as well as your articles and pictures. Hopefully, these will lead to articles and pics being published in magazines. In case you all don't know I am Mike's mom and am very proud of what he is doing but miss him a lot. Sorry to embarass you Michael.

[James Salvato]

The articles and photos are better than any magazine I have read.

J.S.

[Lawrence]

I'd like to see more classic japanese cars like old skylines and Toyotas, aswell as anything in Japan that is different to the rest of the world. I love Japan and Japanese stuff. I'd also like to see more Japanese sub-cultures both to do with cars or not...

[Warren]

Daily life interest me since I'll gonna go to Japan to work next year! I always like to see the place I've been!

[Lee Siew Hon]

I'm from Malaysia. I'm someone who has always been obssessed with the car culture in Japan. After I've come across this site, I realised I'm a AUTO-OTAKU. =D I've been a avid reader of your blog ever since i came across it a few months back. I've been back reading every post. I hope you'd continue with what you're doin right now, covering grass root events and big ones as well. Not forgeting the old school classics while having articles on new cars and drift news.
Bout other contents, i say you can do whatever you like, but as long as your main content is about japanese car culture, it'll be good enough. I love the post on other auto-related stuff as well eg. the comic books and movies. Keep up the good work.

[Toyotageek]

Just keep up the good work. I love what you have been doing.
Personally I'm more into the nostalgic cars, but it is always good to see variety - a chance to see what I might not otherwise look at. And please bring on the Japanese lifestyle coverage. Even though I visit once a year, I love to see new things and places, and get new ideas. The next trip is always just around the corner...

Thanks again for all your hard work and effort that goes into Auto-Otaku!
どうもありがとうございました。