Way back in the depths of time (2002) we had a plan to travel overland from our home in England to the Southern tip of Africa. As things turned out, a lack of funds meant we sadly never ended up making the journey. We did, however, buy the vehicle we intended to use; a Toyota HJ62 Land Cruiser, which we loved and ended up keeping for a while.
Fast forwarding to the present day and our current plan to overland from Tokyo, Japan to Frome, UK. Deciding on which vehicle to buy for the task was a very simple choice…. and so it was that we’ve ended up with our 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62G.
Compared to buying a 60-series in the UK, finding an example in good condition in Japan is very easy indeed – this is the land of the Land Cruiser after all.
After checking out a few garages in town we had the good fortune of finding Utilitas (http://www.utilitas.co.jp) who specialise in Land Cruisers (and also Nissan Skylines) and ended up buying a ’89 FJ62G ‘high top’ from them. Here’s Captain posing with Ikegaya-san and Yokoyama-san from Utilitas.
Ahead of our journey there are a number of modifications we hope to make to get the car up to scratch for the journey we’re undertaking – remove the rear seats; build a bed platform; fit a roof rack and install a second battery.
Looking at the pristine condition of the car at the moment, it seems a little sad that it won’t be quite so pristine by the time we get back to the UK. However, these cars aren’t meant to be kept in the city – they’re meant to be driven in the wild!
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