My car based articles for the past weeks have trudged around the Western hemisphere. American muscle. Italian design. While one could wax eloquent for weeks on end about the virtues of German (Audi, Volkswagen) British (Aston Martin, Jaguar) and even Russian cars (the Lada is indeed a staple in Internet meme culture when it comes to cars) I had to do something about cars from the Eastern hemisphere as well. Undoubtedly, only one country comes close, if not goes further, then the previously covered behemoths of the automotive industry.

Japan.

Yes, one might argue that by sheer volume Hyundai and Kia's home country, Korea, should take that crown. While they have sales, the Japanese have style. Lots of it. There's an entire "Fast and Furious" movie set in Tokyo, for goodness' sake. Very imaginatively titled "Tokyo Drift."

Here is the movie in five seconds if you had forgotten —

Yes, the movie was quite boring, with a bare bones plot and cringe-inducing scenes of what Hollywood thinks Japan is like. Yes, it almost drifted(pun absolutely intended)the franchise out of the minds of the moviegoing public, although as the years have gone by reception has become much more favorable. I always liked "Tokyo Drift," but it did take most of the people a lot of time to catch on. I digress. How cool does that car look?

That is a customized, built for the movie, Nissan 350Z roadster. While the cinematic potential and style quotient of a car drifting through hairpin turns with smoke billowing out from beneath the burning rubber is truly endless, some real world technicalities must be considered. Firstly, it is impossible to drift in a front wheel drive vehicle. At the very least, your rear axle would come undone and spin out from underneath in a sound of tremendous strain and damage, metal wrenching itself into the air thanks to noncompliance with the physics of it all. You would be left sitting on your automotive backside, wondering how it looked so cool in the movie. Also, if your insurance covers this kind of stuff.

Secondly, if you did manage to get your hands on a rear wheel drive car (in which case, more power to you), the risk of blowing the clutch or spending your life savings on tires is quite astronomical. You could always go out to a racetrack and have them teach it to you if you are so seriously inclined towards drifting. Because the fastest car you'll ever drive, is not the one you own. A bit of automotive wisdom there, for the discerning driver amongst you, who may have a bit of a lead foot.

America invented the car. Ford was the first automotive company to exist. The Model T was the first car. It was only natural that they invented the muscle car segment with the Mustang, a type of the car that is still around. Italy took the car concept, and, being self-respecting Italians, imagined what opera would be like if applied to automotive design. As with technology, Japan has always been ahead of the curve in a slight curveball way. They invented Nintendo and "Pokemon." They applied this same screen-oriented, maximum fun ethos to cars, and the Nissan 350Z and the Skyline were born.

(This is the Skyline GT-R, pictured next to the Dodge Challenger in Fast and Furious 7.)

In keeping with the Japanese spirit of this article, domo arigato for reading.