Nice to meet you! My name is Norio Itabashi, and I’m the owner of this blog. I’m Japanese, born in 1978, which means I spent my childhood in the ’80s and my teenage years in the ’90s.
During the late ’80s to the ’90s, Japan’s economy was thriving, and I was always surrounded by toys that ignited my sense of wonder and excitement.
When I was in elementary school in the ’80s, Dragon Quest III marked the beginning of my lifelong passion for gaming. After that, I got into building Tamiya Mini 4WD cars and Gundam plastic models, which further fueled my love for hobbies.
Then came the ’90s, when Nintendo released the Super Famicom (SNES). I was completely hooked on games like Mario Kart and Final Fantasy. Around the same time, I was reading the original manga of Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, and One Piece in real time—series that have become some of the most popular anime in the world today.
Looking back now, I feel like there were even more brilliant creators during the ’80s and ’90s—led by masters like Akira Toriyama—than there are today.
On this blog, I’d like to revisit these memories from my childhood and share the toys and hobbies that had the biggest impact on me back then. I hope you’ll enjoy taking this nostalgic trip with me!
Currently, I’m enjoying a happy life with my wife and daughter, and on weekends, I hit the road solo on my Harley-Davidson and YAMAHA SR400 to explore all the hidden corners of Japan.
My first car after entering the working world was a used 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S GT-X. These days, that model commands a premium price of over four million yen, but back then, I was able to pick up a well-maintained one for just around one million yen. In high school and college, I was so into street racing culture (hashiriya) that I spent more time on that than hanging out with my friends.
As you may know, the RX-7 is famous for its rotary engine—truly one of a kind in the world. Toward the end of the ’90s, there was a huge sports car boom in Japan centered on the RX-7, with countless magazines and events dedicated to it every year.
In 2003, I bought the final model RX-7 FD3S Spirit-R and drove it until 2008. I did all kinds of modifications, from intake and exhaust tuning to ECU and sound tuning, plus suspension upgrades. Those 10 years I spent with an RX-7 were some of the happiest of my life. Now that my daughter is about to enter college, I’m thinking about getting another RX-7—even though the premium price is definitely a challenge!
