East meets West...Side: L.A. Rides on Japan’s finest automobiles

Welcome back all. It looks like we’re off to a great fall here at Casa Goodman! When Dishmag contacted me about an all Japan issue I was ecstatic, being in the middle of a Japan kick myself. Thanks to Q.T’s KILL BILL with its ice-cold Yakuza flavor and Sofia Coppola’s warm sake masterpiece of understatement, LOST IN TRANSLATION, Japan has been permeating my psyche. Let’s delve into the best that Japanese auto crafters have to offer here on our Gaijin shores, and a few automotive delicacies they don’t.

SUBARU WRX Sti: Looking for a BMW-beating compact sedan with all-wheel-drive and enough horsepower to embarrass Corvette? Look no further than this race-bred sedan from Subaru. With a Harley-Davidson-like growl from its flat four-cylinder turbocharged engine, you can live out your X-Box rally race fantasies, come sleet or sand. Just don’t be shocked if you don’t turn any heads — except those of other WRX drivers. Like a secret club, the WRX is all about those in the know. Everyone else is just left guessing — was that a Subaru that just flew past? (MSRP: $28,580-30,995)