Car life - Japan
Discussion
Scarily, I’ve been in Japan for over a year now.
And perhaps as a little automotive recap for myself and hopefully of interest to some, below is a taste of what it’s like being a car enthusiast, living in Japan…
Time almost seems to run at a different rate here, as a lot who have visited, lived and travelled and most will say the same. It’s perplexing how quickly it just vanishes.
Returning back to student life in my early thirties, relocating across the world (all whilst trying to learn a new language) for once cars took a back step for a while.
However the itch didn’t last long and after I’d settled, and with a dollop of help from my new part time employers, I became the proud owner of a 2013 Suzuki Wagon R, my third kei car but my first in the country where it was designed for!
Naturally this opened up a world (or at least a country) or opportunities, and the little 660ccs took me as far as the weekends allowed.
I’ve owned a few cars over the years, however will maintain that I’ve never had one which fits its design brief better than this one. Want cheap, efficient transport. Look no further. Very student budget friendly.
(For reference I purchased it for the equivalent of about £1500).
However neither the budget or my poor taste could restrict at least a couple of modifications. And a set of lowering springs and dubious Up Garage seat covers followed…
After that all I did (aside from a couple of oil services) was drive it.
It constantly returned 60+mpg, sat comfortably(ish) and 100kmph on a cruise and gave me my ticket to freedom.
The kilometres continued to tick by, including a special weekend solo trip to Suzuka for the F1 (bicycle squeezed in the car!)
A wonderful evening idea of getting some aftermarket wheels did not go to plan, luckily back on Yahoo Auctions they went and no harm done. (Apart to my confidence in calculating offsets!)
As much as I loved it, doing longer and longer trips was beginning to become a chore. And with the arrival of a rental garage (I realise it’s potentially this point the student budget began to go of course…) something altogether more familiar arrived.
And perhaps as a little automotive recap for myself and hopefully of interest to some, below is a taste of what it’s like being a car enthusiast, living in Japan…
Time almost seems to run at a different rate here, as a lot who have visited, lived and travelled and most will say the same. It’s perplexing how quickly it just vanishes.
Returning back to student life in my early thirties, relocating across the world (all whilst trying to learn a new language) for once cars took a back step for a while.
However the itch didn’t last long and after I’d settled, and with a dollop of help from my new part time employers, I became the proud owner of a 2013 Suzuki Wagon R, my third kei car but my first in the country where it was designed for!
Naturally this opened up a world (or at least a country) or opportunities, and the little 660ccs took me as far as the weekends allowed.
I’ve owned a few cars over the years, however will maintain that I’ve never had one which fits its design brief better than this one. Want cheap, efficient transport. Look no further. Very student budget friendly.
(For reference I purchased it for the equivalent of about £1500).
However neither the budget or my poor taste could restrict at least a couple of modifications. And a set of lowering springs and dubious Up Garage seat covers followed…
After that all I did (aside from a couple of oil services) was drive it.
It constantly returned 60+mpg, sat comfortably(ish) and 100kmph on a cruise and gave me my ticket to freedom.
The kilometres continued to tick by, including a special weekend solo trip to Suzuka for the F1 (bicycle squeezed in the car!)
A wonderful evening idea of getting some aftermarket wheels did not go to plan, luckily back on Yahoo Auctions they went and no harm done. (Apart to my confidence in calculating offsets!)
As much as I loved it, doing longer and longer trips was beginning to become a chore. And with the arrival of a rental garage (I realise it’s potentially this point the student budget began to go of course…) something altogether more familiar arrived.
Now I’m no stranger to an Mx5. I’ve raced them, dallied them, crashed them, modified them, track day’d them and have lost count how many I’ve had over the years.
Now before my arrival I Japan, Covid delays meant a few years of thumb twiddling, during which I watched as the Japanese (and global) car market meant crazy. And my dreams of coming here and working my way through all my JDM hero cars dwindled.
The reality is unfortunately anything nineties and of interest had escaped my budget, especially since I was on the hunt for something useable from the get go.
This ND popped up and I couldn’t resist, it’s a 2015 S-Special. These were only available as the 1.5 here in Japan (only global markets got the 2.0 until the RF arrived).
Having owned a 1.5 in the UK, the Japanese version is profoundly different. The addition of an LSD, lightened flywheel, compression ratio, shorter final drive etc all add up to a car which is abundantly capable at hustling along a B-Road whilst still being a great top down summer cruiser.
Not long after purchase I managed to tick off a little bucket list item, and drove my car back to where it was born. The Mazda factory in Hiroshima.
On which note if anyone is planning a trip to Japan and will be around Hiroshima, put this on your list!
Now before my arrival I Japan, Covid delays meant a few years of thumb twiddling, during which I watched as the Japanese (and global) car market meant crazy. And my dreams of coming here and working my way through all my JDM hero cars dwindled.
The reality is unfortunately anything nineties and of interest had escaped my budget, especially since I was on the hunt for something useable from the get go.
This ND popped up and I couldn’t resist, it’s a 2015 S-Special. These were only available as the 1.5 here in Japan (only global markets got the 2.0 until the RF arrived).
Having owned a 1.5 in the UK, the Japanese version is profoundly different. The addition of an LSD, lightened flywheel, compression ratio, shorter final drive etc all add up to a car which is abundantly capable at hustling along a B-Road whilst still being a great top down summer cruiser.
Not long after purchase I managed to tick off a little bucket list item, and drove my car back to where it was born. The Mazda factory in Hiroshima.
On which note if anyone is planning a trip to Japan and will be around Hiroshima, put this on your list!
Edited by em177 on Monday 24th July 11:11
I’ve now done around 6,000km in the car and (touch wood) it’s been faultless.
I took it to Mazda for an oil and filter change, Japanese service intervals are crazily different compare to the UK.
The manual recommends 5,000km in between services. My car is now on circa 150,000km and has receipts for pretty much all of those 30 changes required changes. Which I’m hoping means it should last.
The only small upgrade has been to a later model leather dash trim.
For some reason the S-Special came with the stitched door cars but not the matching dash trim.
Naturally being Scottish I wasn’t prepared to stomach the crazy money a new one costs, or even what they go for second hand. However an amount of praying and begging in my slowly improving Japanese at an Up Garage in Suzuka resulted in a healthy discount. And this.
I took it to Mazda for an oil and filter change, Japanese service intervals are crazily different compare to the UK.
The manual recommends 5,000km in between services. My car is now on circa 150,000km and has receipts for pretty much all of those 30 changes required changes. Which I’m hoping means it should last.
The only small upgrade has been to a later model leather dash trim.
For some reason the S-Special came with the stitched door cars but not the matching dash trim.
Naturally being Scottish I wasn’t prepared to stomach the crazy money a new one costs, or even what they go for second hand. However an amount of praying and begging in my slowly improving Japanese at an Up Garage in Suzuka resulted in a healthy discount. And this.
Very interesting OP. I've never been to Japan (would like to), i've imported a couple of cars from there. Did you buy the cars you've posted here at an auction or private or from a dealer? Would love to attend 1 of the big auctions 1 day. Seems like cars are much cheaper in Japan compared to the UK, I believe this is because of the shaken? What are the other expenses like compared to the UK (fuel, insurance, tax etc)?
Great read, glad your're having fun.
I've had MX5s in the past too, sold my last one when I took a leap changing career. Didn't know they did a sorted 1.5 in Japan, doesn't surprise me though.
Did you make me an offer on my reg. plate many years ago? Resembled the american name for the MX5. I'm sure I recognise your name. I'm also in Scotland.
Keep the updatea coming!
I've had MX5s in the past too, sold my last one when I took a leap changing career. Didn't know they did a sorted 1.5 in Japan, doesn't surprise me though.
Did you make me an offer on my reg. plate many years ago? Resembled the american name for the MX5. I'm sure I recognise your name. I'm also in Scotland.
Keep the updatea coming!
wisbech said:
Awesome - what are you doing in Japan? One of my car regrets was being offered a Honda S600 at a good price when I was there - but I chickened out
I'm here on a student visa for (just short of) a couple of years. For anyone looking to come here and do the same I'd highly recommend using www.gogonihon.com. Nothing about Japan is easy unfortunately (they love admin!) however they made it bearable and perhaps more importantly, possible.
Funny you mention the S660, they were high on my list, and will be an itch I need to scratch. However as an only car the lack of any luggage space whatsoever ruled it out unfortunately for now.
hunt123 said:
Very interesting OP. I've never been to Japan (would like to), i've imported a couple of cars from there. Did you buy the cars you've posted here at an auction or private or from a dealer? Would love to attend 1 of the big auctions 1 day. Seems like cars are much cheaper in Japan compared to the UK, I believe this is because of the shaken? What are the other expenses like compared to the UK (fuel, insurance, tax etc)?
Cars are getting more expensive here but there are still bargains to be had! I think this would have cost me about 75% of what I'd have paid for an equivalent in the UK. Luckily my part time work (very kindly) helped me purchase one through an auction. The shaken is very expensive, it is essentially a very strict MOT due every 2 years. The costs are significantly more for a white plate (normal car) as opposed to a yellow plate (kei car).
I've just filled up tonight with high octane, which was 177 yen per litre (around 99p), whilst standard petrol is around 87p and diesel just 81p per litre.
However what you save on fuel you definitely pay for in toll roads. They are horrendously expensive and will quickly offset the cost of the cheaper fuel. The flip of that is they are generally high quality, but even so speed limits are generally around 80kmph, with 'faster traffic' sitting around 100kmph. So it does take a while to cover ground.
3GGy said:
Great read, glad your're having fun.
I've had MX5s in the past too, sold my last one when I took a leap changing career. Didn't know they did a sorted 1.5 in Japan, doesn't surprise me though.
Did you make me an offer on my reg. plate many years ago? Resembled the american name for the MX5. I'm sure I recognise your name. I'm also in Scotland.
Keep the updatea coming!
Thanks, appreciate it! I've had MX5s in the past too, sold my last one when I took a leap changing career. Didn't know they did a sorted 1.5 in Japan, doesn't surprise me though.
Did you make me an offer on my reg. plate many years ago? Resembled the american name for the MX5. I'm sure I recognise your name. I'm also in Scotland.
Keep the updatea coming!
Wow, what a small world. That was a while ago wasn't it!
irish boy said:
Great thread!! Did they eventually offer the soft top 2.0 in Japan? I know it was designed around the 1.5 until the us demanded something bigger last minute.
A quick look on Car Sensor and I can't see any convertible 2 litres, so I'd assume not. The 1.5 is great, although as is always the way with Mx5s if you're used to anything remotely high powered you have to 'get' it. I really enjoy being able to use a decent amount of the available performance at sensible speeds. Cloudy147 said:
Really enjoyed that, thanks for posting! Will watch for updates on your adventures! 
Cheers!Planet Claire said:
Naughty-naughty, you weren't allowed to take pictures of the car on the production line!
I didn't realise that! I'll take it down in case I upset anyone! You’ve come a long way from John Clark! Loving the updates, and I couldn’t imagine a car more suited to you than another MX5!
I’m coming out to Japan in November for two weeks. Planning on three days around Osaka/Kyoto if you’re around or have any tips on where to stay? Osaka has far too many hotel options.
I’m coming out to Japan in November for two weeks. Planning on three days around Osaka/Kyoto if you’re around or have any tips on where to stay? Osaka has far too many hotel options.
Absolutely fascinating car culture, I love kei cars and some modding is just so out there. As a culture it seems so unique, to say Asian would be wrong, it’s Japanese, unlike anything else. While everybody’s impression is high tech, mega cities, faced paced, I think rural and suburban Japan is equally interesting.
Great right up, look forward to reading more, arigatou.
Yeah, you’re right, it’s a bureaucratic nightmare; I’m now considering exporting my car myself, although the process starts with inkanshomeisho so you know it’s going to be miserable. If you’re around Suzuka are you ever at any of the tracks around there? I’m aiming to be at Suzuka Twin around the middle of next month. You should try driving up Odaigahara yama - fantastic tōge, and an exhilarating experience with the 1,500m drops off to the side.
martinj46 said:
You’ve come a long way from John Clark! Loving the updates, and I couldn’t imagine a car more suited to you than another MX5!
I’m coming out to Japan in November for two weeks. Planning on three days around Osaka/Kyoto if you’re around or have any tips on where to stay? Osaka has far too many hotel options.
Wow that's a blast from the past mate! Hope you're doing good. Please drop me a DM and I'll happily help however I can around your trip. I’m coming out to Japan in November for two weeks. Planning on three days around Osaka/Kyoto if you’re around or have any tips on where to stay? Osaka has far too many hotel options.
wisbech said:
Ah my apologies, I scan read that and assumed 660. A 600 would be stunning, you occasionally see them at classic car shows. georgeyboy12345 said:
Very interesting thread, be sure to keep us updated
Thanks appreciate it. Dinoboy said:
Great thread.
And again, thanks! daqinggregg said:
Absolutely fascinating car culture, I love kei cars and some modding is just so out there. As a culture it seems so unique, to say Asian would be wrong, it’s Japanese, unlike anything else. While everybody’s impression is high tech, mega cities, faced paced, I think rural and suburban Japan is equally interesting.
Great right up, look forward to reading more, arigatou.
I've got so many photos from a year worth of car shows, happy to share some highlights if that's of interest to anyone. Great right up, look forward to reading more, arigatou.
LactoseJoe said:
Yeah, you’re right, it’s a bureaucratic nightmare; I’m now considering exporting my car myself, although the process starts with inkanshomeisho so you know it’s going to be miserable. If you’re around Suzuka are you ever at any of the tracks around there? I’m aiming to be at Suzuka Twin around the middle of next month. You should try driving up Odaigahara yama - fantastic t?ge, and an exhilarating experience with the 1,500m drops off to the side.
The only tracks I've been to are Suzuka, Meihan and Bihoku. Although admittedly all as spectator only, I think my track days are over unless it's something special (Tsukuba will have to happen at some point!) Thanks for the recommendation, you're welcome to drop me a PM if you're ever going to an event and want someone to chat nonsense over a coffee with.
Got4wheels said:
Fascinating read so far. I know v little about Japanese culture so I'm following with interest
Michael
Cheers, I'm still learning the culture every day. It's all an adventure! Michael
I love the size difference between the Alphard and the Wagon R! I've wanted to visit Japan for years mainly sucked into their cars and it transferred to their culture and food. I watch a fair amount of the Abroad in Japan Youtube channel and it's a fantastic insight into the Japanese culture and way of life.
I love how everyone has their on rubber stamp for official documents instead of a signature, whatever you do don't misplace or forget it!
I love how everyone has their on rubber stamp for official documents instead of a signature, whatever you do don't misplace or forget it!
TO73074E said:
I love the size difference between the Alphard and the Wagon R! I've wanted to visit Japan for years mainly sucked into their cars and it transferred to their culture and food. I watch a fair amount of the Abroad in Japan Youtube channel and it's a fantastic insight into the Japanese culture and way of life.
I love how everyone has their on rubber stamp for official documents instead of a signature, whatever you do don't misplace or forget it!
Crazy isn’t it. I would say at least 75% of people in the UK could happily live with a Kei car for everything they need a car to do.I love how everyone has their on rubber stamp for official documents instead of a signature, whatever you do don't misplace or forget it!
I’ve been lucky enough to have met a fair few of the western YouTubers here in Japan, be it Chris Broad, Sharla, Sammit, Noriyaro etc
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