Tip Dunn

The story behind the tenSpeed FC “Tokyo Taxi” kit 🚕⚽️

For the 2nd year in a row, I’ve tried to wrap my love for music, soccer, design, and Japan into a jersey. This one’s inspired by the iconic blue Toyota Crown taxis that cruised Tokyo’s streets for decades.

I knew I wanted to capture the cab’s colors, the checkerboard strip, and the lace seat cover pattern (IYKYK). With help from @icarusfootball, the design came to life, but we needed to photograph it beside the real taxi. Easy, right? Not so fast.

My friend @kotatsu_dj started searching Tokyo but found out these cabs were being discontinued. What began as a simple photoshoot turned into a full-on mission. I called my go to travel photographer @_joshdeangelis and said, “Wanna go to Tokyo?” Two weeks later we were chasing rumors across Reddit threads, calling cab companies, and following leads through the city.

Finally, with help from @lou_wtrsk, we were led to a random parking garage in north Shinjuku… and there it was. A single surviving blue Crown. The staff was confused but let us shoot it. The next day, we returned with @danielywilson and @djkuramari to get the good shots.

No one could say how many are left, but these old taxis are quickly being replaced by boring boxy black cabs. The blue paint is costly they say, and modernization is moving fast. To me, the cab isn’t just transportation… it’s part of Tokyo’s soul: design, hospitality, and efficiency in motion.

What started as a creative project turned into documenting a piece of disappearing culture.

Pre-orders are live on my site (link in bio), and a limited drop will be available this Friday 11/14, 6–9 PM at @saturdaysfootball

Thanks for riding along 🚕