Driving in Japan (show your car)
 

Here is one of the good reasons to live in Japan. THE CARS! Forget waiting until 2009 for the Nissan Skyline to get to the US. Skylines are as common as Mustangs in Japan. And the Crown Majesta, art on wheels.

So if you live or lived in Japan, tell everyone your stories about driving in Japan and show us your car.

For me, I was 20 when I first set foot on Japan soil. I am originally from Louisiana and came from a poor family so I never had a car. Within a week of arriving in Japan I became the owner of a 1979 Toyota Celica hatchback. You see, the Army has a rule that you must prove that you have properly disposed of your car before you can leave Japan for another assignment. So one of the guys in the baracks GAVE ME HIS CAR so he could go back to the US.

That Celica was the ugliest turd on four wheels and someone put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. I took the Army drivers ed course and got my drivers license the next day. I then promptly went off base and ran off the road into a patch of farmland because I was driving on the right side of the road.

I managed to get my car out of the mud and SLOWLY drive back on base. It took a few weeks, but I finally got the hang of driving on the left side of the road and started taking regular trips to Yakota AFB (they had the ONLY POPEYES Chicken in Japan) and Sagami Depot. Driving to Sagami Depot was a hoot. The fastest way to get there was a road that was mostly unpaved. There was little traffic so I usually drove rather fast down that strip. It was like off road racing.

Yea, I beat the crap out of that car and then sold it to a junk yard for 500 bucks. Back then, junk yards actually gave you money for your cars. Now they CHARGE YOU for the chance to dispose of your car.

My next car was a 1980 something Ford Laser. Hey, I got a Ford. However, it looks suspiciously like a Mazda 323, which look like it was separated from birth from a Mercury Tracer. Either way, it was a far superior car to the Celica. I have a picture of it below. I actually paid 800 bucks for it. When I left Japan, I got 800 bucks for it. Not a bad deal ehh?

One of my longest trips was to Tokyo Disneyland. I and my future wife got to Disneyland with very few problems. However, getting home was a totally different story. It took us about 6 hours to drive the 40 some miles to Camp Zama. However the lady and I got to know each other A LOT better that day. :)

Back here in Dallas, I hear people complain about the traffic. Every once in a while someone will ride with me an comment on how patient I am in DFW traffic. I just tell them that they have absolutely NO IDEA what traffic is.

So if you're looking to move to Japan, here are a few things you should note:

Unless you are US Military, you have to take a 40 hour driving school to get your license. I believe that school now cost 7000 bucks. It was $4000 back in the early 1990s.

To buy a car in Japan, you must PROVE that you have a place to park it. The exception to that rule is the Kei Car. You can read more about Kei Cars here: Kei car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you have an auto accident in Japan, there is no black or white fault assigned. Blame is assigned on a percentage basis. There are, however, some exceptions. For one, if you hit a pedestrian, or someone in a smaller vehicle, YOU are at fault. If you are in a car, a smaller vehicle is a motorcycle, bicycle, or the pedestrian. You are at fault, even if they broke a traffic rule.

Oh, here is my ugly Ford ;)

i dont have one, don't plan to have one. With the cost of maintenance as well as parking? Id rather rent than own one :D.

great info and tips sgt. beavis! i don't think ur ford is ugly...i remember my older cousin owning that kind of car too...:)

btw, are japanese cars generally have rear-wheel drive like the ones in movies like "Initial D" and "Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift"?

My car is a Toyota WiLL Cypha.
It`s not at all ugly.

I don`t have an actual picture of my car to show, but here is a picture of the model.

The majority of cars are front wheel. Some sports cars are either rear or all wheel drive. The Sylvia, RX-7 and 8, some Skylines, the 300Z and Toyota MR-2 I think are the rear wheel category. Evo's, WR-X's and some Skylines make up the all wheel category along with some Kei cars and station wagons. Then you have the Ferraris which are rear, but they aren't Japanese now are they.

i see..thanks for the info, jasonbvr-san! :)

I reread through the original post - there is *one* case where a pedestrian is considered at fault. If they run into the street within so many meters of a crosswalk. In driving school they made a big deal out of that (and even went so far as to say if you`re hit doing something like that, try to roll into the crosswalk)

The thinking is that the car will see you looking to cross and slow down to stop at the crosswalk stop line - but if you suddenly leap out into the street a little bit in front of it, the car will hit you even though it`s slowing down to stop.

I personally really like the percentage system. The other car is almost never totally at fault so everyone is a bit more careful. Obviously no one wants to hit anyone, but you start actively avoiding being hit - whereas in the US everyone seems to say "If they hit me, they`re the ones at fault!" and just sits there to try and collect insurance.

indeed, it's cute! :)

hmm,...this brings me to another question...are cars generally small in Japan as compared with, lets say, the US? Is this due to save space or what? :confused:

MUCH smaller

The largest cars are the American cars. However there are some exceptions. For instance, Toyota recently started selling Lexus in Japan. They renamed their Wyndom division to Lexus and started selling the full Lexus lineup. However, my Father In Law says they aren't selling that well.

Kei Cars are the big sellers in Japan. The tax break and the fact you don't have to prove you have a parking space are big winners for this class of car. Also, Kei cars can be pretty fun. The Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino were fun cars when they were on the market. They were roadsters that made the Mazda Miata look huge.

Take note that many of the roads in Japan are quite narrow. There are also many corners that you cannot see around. Most of those corners will have a mirror so you can see any oncoming traffic.

If you look at the car next to mine, you'll notice it has mirrors up front on the fenders. Several Japanese cars have these so pedestrians won't get hit by them. They also help see around blind corners. Many Japanese cars have mirrors that fold up with the touch of a button so you can fold them quickly when parking or going down a narrow road.

I now have a 2006 Mustang. The mirrors don't fold and it is as wide a 1 and a half Kei cars ;) I would have a lot of trouble driving it in Japan. Fortunately I don't have the problem in Texas :D

Ok, then...so are the narrow roads the main reason for cars being small in Japan?

Anywayz, thanks for the very helpful info u shared! :vsign:

Yes, the roads are really narrow here. Main roads aren`t (at least not in Nagoya) but there will be small streets that are about the width of 1 and a half cars, which will be both ways. When another car comes, you have to find a spot to pull off at the side (usually people`s driveway or in front of a business or something) so that the other car can pass.

I think the cars here are considerably less wasteful of space than those in the US. There is plenty of room inside the car - some of them are really spacious - just not a ton of extra space that isn`t used most of the time anyway. Gas use is lower thanks to that.

Oh, and you do indeed have to have proof of a parking space with a kei. I don`t know about in the past, but you definitely need to now. Currently, taxes are just lower. This applies in the countryside also (Father in law had to make a map and detailed measurements proving that every single kei truck he had for the company had a secure place to park on the property)
I would personally never choose to own a kei - they don`t do so well going over mountains, which we often do - but they`re fairly popular as little about-town cars.

Hmm
 

Yes, the Miata exists in Japan. It is simply called the Mazda Roadster.

Mazda MX-5 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

in japan they seem to have the smaller and quality is better than us americans with the whole bigger and quantity is better! oooh hmm i don't know if i'd want a car in japan because of the neat transportation system :)

We had a Subaru Forrester, it was quite large but we used it alot to go skiing. The only trouble was going down the tiny side streets and thinking you were going to end up in the gaijin traps on either side. It was great when another car wanted to come down the road in the opposit direction!

aww real cute car nyororin!
wish they did nice ones like that here (UK)

just thought i'd share this with ya's
; taken near kyoto :P



... how does teh top car get down if the bottom car is still there? o___0

I am guessing that one is a company parking lot - The top cars never need to come down while the bottom one is in there. They use whichever is available, as they`re company cars. Sort of a first come, first serve situation.

Our parking lot is similar to that, but instead of having one car up in the air all the time, one is underground. You press a button and it brings the lower car up to street level.
We don`t use them though- our condo has a normal "ground" spot.

This isn't just done at a company parking lot. Many condos and even stores in Japan have something like this. Sometimes those lots have attendants that can move the lower car. But I've seen these lots in places where there were no apparent attendants. At Condos, I think both spaces may be owned by one household, so it is up to them to get the bottom car out of the way, but other than that I've never been able to figure it out.

When I've seen a parking lot like this, I've ALWAYS parked on the bottom and I try to find a spot that doesn't have a car on top.

All the ones I have seen that aren`t a) both owned by the same person or b) a company parking lot, allow the bottom car to be lowered into an underground spot. For condos, that is really popular.

I`ll just scratch my head at the store one, because I`ve never seen a store using those. Attendants I have seen, but they`re usually to raise and lower them, not to actually move the cars.

Yea, I've only seen that a one or two stores around Zama. Of course this was back in '93.

That could definitely have something to do with it. I`ve only been here since '98.

i love the idea of the cars, i mean they use them, but the roads are smaller, and the cars are smaller, and theres more rules imposed on them and the environment is better.. yay

Gah! How to prefer a Toyota or Nissan in front of a Mustang :eek: Nothing sounds so good as a real american v8 engine *shivers* that is real music :D ( I know I know.. This is a Japan inspired forum.. But still gosh... ) :rheart: american muscle cars with a big v8. :rolleyes: (Ok ok... I would not say no if someone got the idea to give me an brand new skyline or supra)

A: Gas prices
B: Engine longevity

:P I don`t trust Nissan though. We had a car from them and it`s engine failed in the weirdest way. (Pistons detached and flew out of their little spots!)
Toyota though - I don`t think we`ll ever buy a different brand.

Remember, people may think gas in the US is expensive, but in Japan we`re paying $1.20/liter (as of yesterday when I filled the tank) - That`s like $5 a gallon. And the prices are sort of low right now.
There is no way someone could convince me to drive a car that consumes gas like there is no tomorrow, that starts rusting in less than a year (FORD!!!), and that`s engine is expected to fatally fail in some area within 3 years (ie. Every US car my family has ever owned.)

Plus, I prefer the engine to be quiet while I`m driving. I like the inside of the car to be... peaceful. :D To each his own, but I`ll never drive a US car again.