Japanese Cars

Before I begin to speak about the cars of Japan, I must say couple of more things about driving in Japan. One thing that I learned regarding driving on the left side of the road. When the U.S. took possession of the country years ago, they decided to change what was already in place, driving on the left side. We are the ones who changed it to the right. When Japan regained their independence, it went back to the old way of driving. I'm sure this was quite a transition both times. I know it will be for me when I return to the states.

Just a couple of other observations that I forgot to mention. If you are a new driver or an elderly driver, there are stickers that you can put on your car to signify this. I initially thought about getting one, as my excuse when I drove down the wrong side of the street. Other drivers would understand if they saw my sticker. The sticker alerts other drivers, especially when these new and elderly drivers do something wrong on the road.

When I received my license, I simply took a written exam after sitting through a 45 minute or so video administered by the military. There was no driving exam, which I was surprised. Many of the street signs a familiar or obvious while others are not. All in all, I manage but when there are signs in Japanese, it's over. I have gotten so lost because the signage here is not very good. Seldom will you see a street sign. You have to give people directions by landmarks so it is important to observe everything when you are driving. That has been a challenge for me but I'm getting used to it.

The traffic lights. It seems to take forever for them to change. During that time, I just read my emails. By the way, it is illegal to talk on the phone while driving but you can use hands free phones or earphones. I never see this! Folks are always talking on the phone while driving.

When you are in a turn lane, unlike the U.S., you get the arrow after the green light. There are some lights like that in the U.S. but not many. We usually get the green turn arrow first and then the other traffic is allowed to proceed. When the light turns red, one common thing that drivers do here, they keep going. It is called the three car rule. After the light turns red, three cars might continue through the light. If you are on the other side with the green light and you proceed and get hit by one of the three cars, you are just as liable as the other cars. Go figure. It is not legal though to go through the light as they do but it is a common occurrence. Probably because when you get the red light, you are going to be there forever.

Now to the cars. Before I arrived, someone commented to me that Japan has been holding out on us with the cars. That was said to mean that the cars here are far better than ours, with regards to style. I'll let you be the judge on that. Personally, I don't agree. Many of the cars I would describe as "cartoonish". Reminds me of something the Flintstones would drive. Some are really cute but they wouldn't fly in the U.S. One car that many of you may know is the Toyota Prius. A lot of cars are similar to that. I don't know how many folks in the U.S. appreciate that car. One thing I can say, for those cars that look small on the outside, they are quite spacious on the inside. My friend Ian has a Prius and inside, it is as big as a Camry.


It is all about fuel efficiency here and we can stand to follow Japan's suit. They even have 3 cylinder engine cars. You can identify them by the yellow color license plate. These cars are really efficient and you are rewarded when you have one. You don't pay as much when you get your car renewed each year. They have a maximum speed limit. You would think you would only see small cars with the 3 cylinder engine but you see larger ones too. You can almost bet if you get behind one, they will go slow, most of these drivers for the most part anyway. I actually just read an article about the new president of Toyota apologizing about the direction that Toyota has taken (making big suvs and pickups, probably to please the U.S. buyers). Toyota wants to get back to the basics.

You do see some cars that you may recognize in the states. The strange thing is that they have different names and see different versions with slight changes of the same car we might call the Camry. Maybe it is a different year. I notice with the Toyota's, you don't know that they are a Toyota until you see the emblem on the back of the car because it has a different emblem on the front. Haven't quite figured that out. Also, many of the cars that would be known as a Lexus, Infiniti or Acura model, are actually Toyota, Nissan, Honda models. They seem to change the model to the more expensive car in the states. I think they are beating us out on this. I've seen a lot of Toyotas that I know good and well that it is a Lexus. I wonder what the cost here is.

My car that I have now, (the 2nd car), is quite spacious. It is a Toyota Funcargo. You can never go wrong with a Toyota, this is my 4th one. It reminds me of a mini van on the inside but when I drive it, I feel as if I'm driving a small suv. I can't begin to describe it. It would not fly in the U.S. I decided to purchase it because it had good leg room for me. That was one problem with my little Nissan March convertible that I had when I first arrived. I turned the car back in not only because of engine issues, but it was too small for my legs and no trunk space.

Eventhough I'm not in love with my Toyota Funcargo, it serves its purpose. Folks who know me, know I love cars so this is quite a stretch for me to drive something I'm not in love with. It is not a "me" car by any stretch of the imagination. Someone said to me that no one here, Americans at least are driving "me" cars. Because so many folks are here for a short time, maximum is usually 4 years, they don't want to invest in a car and have to hock it when they leave. This Funcargo was actually less than the March so I'm pleased with that. I came to my senses to make sure that I would have little to pay on the car. After my down payment, I owe $800 opposed to the $1200 that I would have owed if I kept the March. I can pay off $800 in no time. I just stay focused on the goal, save, save, save and when I return to the states, I can get what I really want.

The shapes and colors of the cars are sometimes interesting and some crazy. I would venture to say fun too. You will never see these shapes or colors in the U.S. The Japanese people like things fun and cartoonish so the colors are represent that. Take a look and judge for yourself.