This past Sunday, I played host to some visitors from Japan, who held an interview and photo session for a new publication called “New MINI Funbook“,
which will go on sale in Japan late in January 2004.

Auto fashion Import editor in Chief Seiichi Norishige spent the day asking questions about my connection and attraction to the new MINI, as well as asking about the history of MINI2, how it all began, and where it might be going to in the future. This also gave me the chance to find out a bit about the new MINI scene in Japan. It seems the car has a great following, however I also got the impression they are suffer from far too many traffic jams.

Following a traditional British pub lunch we spent some time in a remote Buckinghamshire countryside location taking snaps of my MINI Cooper S for the article, while sampling the delights of a cold Sunday afternoon in England! On the way photographer Munechito Taniguchi braved being my passenger along some country lanes. I think he enjoyed the experience!

After a long day of MINIs, pubs, and getting lost in Milton Keynes, the team left back to base in Oxfordshire, before heading down south later in the week to interview the likes of Mike Cooper and Basil Wales.

“New MINI Funbook” is published January 2004 and details will appear on the auto fashion Import website.