{"id":828,"date":"2012-09-10T21:12:01","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T04:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickdebruhl.com\/?p=828"},"modified":"2017-03-01T21:14:43","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T04:14:43","slug":"thoughts-from-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carcentrick.com\/?p=828","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts from Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few rambling\u00a0automotive related thoughts from my recent\u00a0trip to Japan:<\/p>\n

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One of the few customs on Tokyo streets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was surprised at the lack of tuner cars on the streets. During the nine days I spent in Japan I only saw three souped-up cars. Considering the love affair the Japanese people have with cars, I was surprised that I didn’t see more.<\/p>\n

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Nissan Serena – Another Brick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’re looking for a car shaped like a brick, Tokyo is your place. The Japanese car makers have more variations on a rectangular block then you can imagine. Some are work vehicles, others are just family cars. Some were big, while some of the mobile bricks were surprisingly tiny.<\/p>\n

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Driving on the Left is Easy Until You Have to Turn Right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’d forgotten that cars are right hand drive in Japan. I never got the chance to drive on the streets (my only driving experience came on Toyota’s Mega Web test track<\/a>), but it was still a little disconcerting as a passenger. It’s hard to shake that feeling of doom when the car turns onto a street and heads into what you think should be oncoming traffic.<\/p>\n

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The Loan Ford on my Trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There aren’t many American cars. In fact, I only saw two during the nine days I was there. One was a Ford Explorer and the other was a C4 Corvette. I realize that American cars are big and probably expensive to import, but I would have thought that the Japanese people’s interest in all things from the US would include cars as well. And it’s not just about the\u00a0money. In one parking garage I spotted two Ferraris, two Lambos, a Rolls Royce and a lot of Porsches.<\/p>\n

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Waiting for Obedient Pedestrians<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Pedestrians are very well-behaved. When the sign says don’t walk, they don’t. Even on small streets with little traffic, people obeyed the signs. In most big cities people view walk signs as more of a suggestion. Not so in Tokyo. The closest I came to seeing someone break the law was some guy\u00a0stepping off the curb a moment before the light actually change. Such a rebel.<\/p>\n

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Bullet Trains Ready for Take Off<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was able to go 150 mph, but it was in a train. We took the bullet train down to Kyoto. It was about a two and a half hour ride. Our train was the N700. Great leg room and very comfortable. The N700 has a top speed of 186, but we were told it would likely only hit about 150 mph. I was surprised at how little I felt the speed.<\/p>\n

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Tiny Parking Lots (note the parking brake in front of the rear wheels for the car on the right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were tiny parking lots everywhere. It wasn’t unusual to see a small patch of asphalt with three parking spaces. But even those were very official. Often they would have a small device that you would back over. It would then lock you into place until you paid your parking fee.<\/p>\n

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