US cars in Japan ETC

**chaosinfinite** · 01-09-2009, 10:10 PM

So I have been in Japan since Dec 3rd, and it has been pretty amazing to say the least. I have been staying with my girlfriend in Tokyo, and have been able to see some interesting things. Some of what I am talking about is the cars over here. Yeah you probably know the American general idea/assumption that Japanese drive small cars (known as Kei-cars, or "K"-cars for short), but in actuallity I have seen alot more then just that. It is kind of funny because I see alot of Mustangs, and Camaros driving around here. Granted they are mostly 94-97 Camaros, and mid 90's Mustangs I was kind of stunned to see so many of them.

Over here I discovered that most of them are V6's though. It is rare to find a Z28, and even more rare to find an SS. Mustangs im not so sure about, but I am pretty sure they are the same. All the Mustangs I have seen had no logos on it or anything of the sort, and it didnt look like a V8 either. Corvettes are kind of popular too, but expensive depending on the year. The new ones are very expensive of course since it is imported. I seen a 2001 Black M6 Corvette Coupe w/60K on it going for around 140,000￥ (Yen) = $12,000 roughly since the USD is going to shit. Most of the vettes I have seen where like mid 90's though. I have seen a couple brand new Mustangs, and one of them was a Saleen. I haven't seen any new vettes...but I did notice Chrylser is kind of big out here too. I see Jeeps, Voyagers, Chargers, Grand Cherokees Durangos, Nitro, Magnum, and one Challenger. I think the Jeeps, Voyagers, and Grand Cherokees were made here because their steering wheel is on the passenger side.

Some other notable cars I have seen are the Lincoln Navigator, Hummer H2, Chevy Astro Vans (Which you see quite often) and some Firebirds (usually early 90's). It is kind of funny because I walk to this train station near us with my gf, and we always walk by this parking lot area underneath the train bridge (train tracks usually go above the buildings in the city instead of on the ground. No this is not the subway either...they have one of those too and it is underground like it's supposed to be) and see this nice looking Ford Galaxy. Not to mention one day when I was with her at her parents house we happened to go to an Outlet Mall (Go figure they have those here in Japan as well >_>) and was stuck in this long line of traffic for this exit when all of a sudden a long line of muscle cars just stream past us. I remember seeing an old Thunderbird, Chevy Nova, Chevy Chevelle, and a Plymouth Superbird (I assume because it didn't say Daytona on it).

Other then that yeah it is filled with Japanese cars mostly. You also see some imports too like Renault, Alfa Romero, VW, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Lotus, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Volvo, etc. I haven't seen any Saabs, or any other type of cars here. You see a shitload of Nissan Skylines, but they are so mixed since the Skyline model comes in so many packages. Alot of them that you see are the "family package" models which are not worth mentioning. Every so often you see a nice GT-R. Mazda RX-7 are pretty common too, along with Toyota Altezza (Lexus ISw/e). I think Nissan Silvia's, and the Nissan 180sx (240sx in the US) are the most popular to see. If your not seeing those your just seeing the K-cars or Vans. I think the average Japanese person loves the "van". You see alot of them..kind of like tall mini-vans...but shorter haha. Popular ones I see alot are the Toyota Noah? and Alphgard or something like that. Basically short vans that have ground effects kits on them with low profile tires. Seriously I don't know what their obsession is with the van...my gf's dad even owns one. A Honda Stream (shorter version of the Odyssey) w/ the ground effects kit and low profile tires. Oh and alot of people think otherwise but...YES they do sell Acura, Infinite, and Lexus here. They also have brands that I have no idea about. To me it is a Scion Xb but over here...something completely different. Different logos etc etc..

Some interesting facts about driving here. Yes the roads are smaller just by alittle. Yes you drive on the right side. Yes there is alot of traffic which is why taking a train is so convienent here, and there is a train to take you to wherever you wanted in Japan except Okinawa. Yes Japan has speed limits, and they are very freaking slow. usually you are going 50 kmph which is like 30mph. Yes Japanese police patrol the roads, but very rarely, and they hardly patrol the highway. Yes getting away from the police is easy in Japan...probably because of the slow ass corolla-ish cars they drive. Driving is expensive too because when you use the highways they are basically toll roads. Usually to drive a few miles is like $3. Here is what the road looks like.

And the scenery like right outside her town. 5 min drive and you can already see the mountains.

All this talking about cars makes me miss my SS. I kind of can't wait to get back to fix it up, and drive it once agian. Kind of sucks having my girl in one country and having my car in another. If I move here (which maybe I will have too) I am definatly finding a way to ship it over here.

**woodshed** · 01-10-2009, 12:35 AM

Damn that looks awesome. I wanna learn Japanese and visit there some time.

**hamburger68** · 01-10-2009, 12:56 AM

very cool that you shared your impressions so detailed! i've been to japan only once for a couple of days and it's been quite a mindfuck. loved it and definitely wanna go again.

the scion-like car was probably a daihatsu materia. i don't think daihatsu is sold in america, most of them are tiny!

**chaosinfinite** · 01-10-2009, 01:36 AM

Haha easier said then done on the whole "learning language" bit. I have had my gf for almost a year now, and even with her help my Japanese is still beginner-ish in way's. Man only stayed here for a couple of day's? That isn't a long time at all. I would say you need to stay longer to develop a better perspective of this place. I am still here until Jan 22nd then it is back to the USA for me....until this March/April when I come back haha.

**hamburger68** · 01-10-2009, 02:18 AM

definitely was too short, but it was still an intense experience. a friend of mine went to live in tokyo for good, teaching german in an evening school. his japanese is pretty good (after 4 years...) but he says he's only on a medium level yet. it's a language with a lot of subtext.

**SouthernBornThriller** · 01-10-2009, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

definitely was too short, but it was still an intense experience. a friend of mine went to live in tokyo for good, teaching german in an evening school. his japanese is pretty good (after 4 years...) but he says he's only on a medium level yet. it's a language with a lot of subtext.

Aye...I took Japanese in college since that's pretty high on my list of places to visit before I die, and it doesn't start off too bad. In fact, it's pretty easy to get to a point where you can carry on a basic conversation, read most signs, write an elementary-level letter, etc. But the learning never ends. It's almost as bad as English with all the subtle quirks, word form changes, and such..

I know enough to survive over there if I had to, but eh..I'd still be a damn gai-jin looking for people who spoke English.

**chaosinfinite** · 01-10-2009, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by SouthernBornThriller

Aye...I took Japanese in college since that's pretty high on my list of places to visit before I die, and it doesn't start off too bad. In fact, it's pretty easy to get to a point where you can carry on a basic conversation, read most signs, write an elementary-level letter, etc. But the learning never ends. It's almost as bad as English with all the subtle quirks, word form changes, and such..

I know enough to survive over there if I had to, but eh..I'd still be a damn gai-jin looking for people who spoke English.

Hai...sou dayo ne (Yes, I agree) I felt that way when I stayed with her family. She is the only English speaking person I had around me

Even so...she only lived in the US for 5 years so her English isn't 100%...probably around 80%. We still have some kinks when we talk...mostly misunderstandings haha...

**hutch1999** · 01-10-2009, 07:11 AM

thats awesome, sounds like your really taking in some culture

**hamburger68** · 01-10-2009, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by chaosinfinite

Hai...sou dayo ne (Yes, I agree) I felt that way when I stayed with her family. She is the only English speaking person I had around me

Even so...she only lived in the US for 5 years so her English isn't 100%...probably around 80%. We still have some kinks when we talk...mostly misunderstandings haha...

it's actually good that she lived in the west before and adjusted to our culture. my friend dated a nurse in tokyo who had never been outside japan and only spoke japanese. they broke up because of misunderstandings due to his insufficient language skills.
you guys are a lot better off in that respect.

**cant.b.caught.z28** · 01-10-2009, 09:51 AM

ONLY 12k for an 01 vette??!

**hutch1999** · 01-10-2009, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by cant.b.caught.z28

ONLY 12k for an 01 vette??!

prob meant $120,000

**chaosinfinite** · 01-10-2009, 03:22 PM

No it was $12,000

**Z27** · 01-10-2009, 06:02 PM

Actually need one more zero on that yen figure.
140,000￥ (Yen) = $12,000

I saw quite a few Mustangs and Camaros when I was there last May. Camaros were mostly 1st gens, probably past around through the military stationed there. I was usually on the move when I saw them so no pics. Mustang was in a garage and the Ferrari was sitting running with the keys in it and nobody around. We went for a return trip to see if the house I lived in from 1969-1971 was still there and revisit some sights and friends. Its a great place to tour, way too different to try to describe.

**hutch1999** · 01-10-2009, 06:19 PM

great pics

**Z27** · 01-10-2009, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by hutch1999

great pics

Thanks, I went easy, there's only 750 more of them.

**chaosinfinite** · 01-10-2009, 07:41 PM

I concur...I went easy on the pics too since I didn't think all of you would like to see landmarks etc. I didn't see that Ferrari, but I did see some Japanese guy driving a 360 Modena in Ginza (Area in Tokyo) And most of the American cars I seen people drive were all Japanese. Which kind of makes sense because I think the closest US base is in Yokohama? Correct me if I am wrong. That is a nice shot of Mt. Fuji though...I didn't get to go there yet, but the mountain pictures I took were from Nikko. I will probably go see Fuji this summer or something. Good thing of having a gf here is I can basically live here for 3 months anytime I wish haha...(as long as I have money for bills and tickets =(..)

**Z27** · 01-11-2009, 03:33 AM

Originally Posted by chaosinfinite

I think the closest US base is in Yokohama? Correct me if I am wrong. That is a nice shot of Mt. Fuji though...I didn't get to go there yet, but the mountain pictures I took were from Nikko. I will probably go see Fuji this summer or something. =(..)

I was stationed at Atsugi Naval Air Station about an hour from Tokyo. Yokohama just had GI housing but there was also another base at Yokosuka that was close. If you are there late summer and get to Mt Fugi you need to climb it. I think climbing season is around August. We made it to the top for sunrise which is absolutely spectacular.