Since according to our Instagram Insights data, the majority of our reader are males, let’s start with excuses, as we are all very good at them. My excuse of why I haven’t come up with any write-ups since I arrived in Japan four months ago, is, well, I guess I have to use the all time greatest reason which is: Time. I am currently in a training program from the company I work for, so I have a specific schedule to follow and right after I arrived here I went straight to language class for two months. That, and a combination of other priorities and how driven my mood was when it comes to writing. But hey, readers don’t care about this and I guess from now on I just have to stop being lazy and start writing again. So let’s take a step back to the first of February and start talking about my first impression here.
First February, the day I got to Nagoya Airport. It was almost in the middle of winter, and boy, was it was cold. I arrived there and had to catch a bus to the city where I will be spending the next two years in. Honestly, this was not the first time I have been to Japan, but this was the first time I saw the country and its automotive scene as a person who actually lives here. This is one of the first pictures that I took here.
The famous and iconic Japanese Taxi. With its automatic door and pricey fares. Did you know that since Japan will be the host of the next Olympic Games, they have new fleets with more spacious leg and head room? I’ll try to take a picture of them and post it on our Instagram Stories.
This was the bus that took me to my city (not this particular one, obviously). Unlike the buses in Indonesia, they didn’t try to cramp as many seat as possible, therefore you get lots of leg room. Seat belts are also a must here. Off we go!
It took around one and a half hours to get to my city. My stop was the IC. IC stands for Inter Chushajo, chushajo meaning: car park. Almost every city has an IC near their highway exit and they are usually used as an intercity bus stop. So you can park your car there and take the bus to another city. I waited for the team that was in charge of my training program to pick me up there. It took a while waiting there that I decided I take a picture of that little Pajero mini that we posted in our Instagram (stalk us and check it out!)
In the same place parked this Nissan Stagea. Ever seen an estate Giddeyaahh? They are most likely converted from this car.
After about twenty minutes, the team finally arrived with their Toyota Probox (they’re like the Avanza of Japan, every compay had them for operational use), we grabbed a quick lunch and they took me to my apartment where I will be spending the next two years in. On the way to my apartment, I made the first encounter with the this blue Mazda RX7 on our Instagram feed (again, stalk us!)
So they explained about my room and the apartment rules (since it was owned by the company) then I had some free time. But, since on the way here, I spotted some cool cars in the apartment’s parking lot, I decided to take a walk around the area.
Like these Subarus. One for the weekdays and the latter for the weekends?
Do you remember this Daihatsu Mira from our Instagram feed (not gonna say it again). I just love how the Mira sits and rocked the steelies, looks like a fun little car.
And don’t forget this Celica in front of a romantic sunset.
Since I was already outside I decided to walk a little further to get some fresh air. Then I came across this pile of parked cars that reminded me of my project car. We will make sure to make an update for #project5outof10. We also posted this in our Instagram feed (yeah, do it)
As I was walking, I kept checking my Google Maps to make sure I didn’t get lost, but since I was still using my Indonesian SIM card, the directions hadn’t been very accurate, so of course it took me to some small alley where I saw this GMC Vandura. I learned that because my city is located near both the mountains and the sea, people around here love to travel with a van or small RV. How cool!
So I kept walking and my map lead me to some more unfamiliar places. It was getting dark and cold, and I was trying to find some familiar landmark, I saw this Beetle. Parked outside a house just beside a small canal, I assumed it must have had an oil drip catcher under it.
Just after I took a picture of this Bug, my phone decided to die. Perfect timing! It was getting very cold. Fortunately I finally found the way back to my apartment.
Just after I took a picture of this Bug, my phone decided to die. Perfect timing! It was getting very cold. Fortunately I finally found the way back to my apartment.
So my first impression here? Well, this might be one of the greatest opportunities of my life in terms of work and personal experience, so of course it was very exciting for me. And knowing even that I live in a small city yet I am surrounded by cool cars? I can’t complain. So it’s a combination of excitement, surprise, and getting lost just one kilometer from where I live in freezing cold weather.
Believe me, I was just scratching the surface of how cool and diverse the cars around where I live are. On the next article I will try to show you guys some other cool stuff here, and of course also from other bigger cities. So stay tuned!