駐車場

Before you can purchase a car in Japan, you must have a registered parking place within 2km of your home.

Walk around where you live and look out for signs like these. The sign below means that there are places available.



There's usually a telephone number you can call to arrange to rent a spot. You will receive a piece of concrete with maybe a number painted on it. You may also be expected to park your car with the front of the car pointing outwards, so be prepared to REVERSE into your parking area. Some temples and shrines also rent out their grounds as parking lots.

Rents can be anywhere from 70 USD a month in small towns to nearer 1000 USD a month in some areas of central Tokyo, though a norm of around 350 USD is the going rate in most neighborhoods in the capital outside the glitzy areas of say Ginza and Azabu.




Fines for illegal parking can also be stiff and if you are towed away by the traffic police expect to pay around 400 USD to get your car out of the pound and be ready for some penalty points on your license.

The Kyoto police are especially keen on towing, so watch out, you have been warned!



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甲府の迷惑駐車

How's this for some smart parking? Right on the sidewalk in downtown Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture. Pedestrians, old people, children? Let 'em hang!



Traffic rules in Japan are treated with contempt by a considerable number of drivers. Passing red lights, speeding, cycling into incoming traffic and drink driving are all common experiences on Japanese roads.

In an attempt to shock drivers into better behavior, the Japanese police keep a running count of the number of accidents and traffic fatalities outside major police stations.

Thus in the sign below, there have been 2,086 traffic accidents so far this year in Yamanashi (2009), 14 deaths and 2,784 people injured.



Some rules of thumb for surviving on the roads in Japan are to drive defensively, keep calm and don't lose your temper.

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Kofu

鈴鹿カスタムカー

The 12th annual Street Car National Event was held on June 1 of 2008 and was enjoyed by record numbers of car enthusiasts. The event attracts a wide variety of people ranging from young singles, to families and retirees.

Appropriately located near the Suzuka Circuit Speedway (of F1 fame) the cars (over 500 of them) are displayed on the Auto Camp Field. While billed as primarily featuring Japanese and American customized cars, models from many other countries may be seen.



The level and quality of customization are truly amazing, matched only by colorful presenters and spectators. Food services are available featuring an international mix of "fast food". The event closes with a contest and the announcement of winners in several categories.



Entrance fees are: ¥1,700 for adults (¥1,400 advance sales) ¥800 for children not yet in high school. (¥700 advance sales) Pre-school children (up to a group of three) are free.



The event is held for one day only from 9am-3pm.
Tel: 059 378 1111

Suzuka is in Mie Prefecture not far from Nagoya city by public transport. Take a Kintetsu or JR train from Nagoya Station or Osaka Station.

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日本の不景気

As in the USA and Europe, the car industry in Japan has felt the full force of the present recession.



Toyota Corp, Japanese largest company and the world's largest automaker, has been particularly hard hit.

This month, Toyota announced the closure of all 11 of its factories in Japan for a period of 11 days to reduce stocks of unsold vehicles. This move came after the company declared in December an annual operating loss (of US$1.7 billion) - the first-ever in its 70-year history. This unprecedented loss follows a record profit for the Aichi-based company only the previous year. 3,000 temporary workers are to lose their jobs this year in Japan, as the company moves to shed all its workers on fixed-term contracts.

The shockwaves have spread to Toyota factories overseas, with shifts being cut and job cuts threated in Europe, Thailand and the US with new manufacturing and research projects delayed or canceled. Domestic production in February and March will be halved compared with the same period last year.

Toyota is not alone among Japanese carmakers feeling the pain. Honda Motor Company, Japan's number two automaker, saw annual profits fall by 67% this year and will also reduce its non-regular workers in Japan to zero during 2009. Honda also pulled its team from Formula One due to the present economic downturn.

Nissan has already axed 1,200 jobs at its plant in Sunderland in the UK and will not renew the contracts of upto 2,500 temporary workers at its other overseas factories in Spain and the US.

Smaller Japanese producers Suzuki, Subaru and Daihatsu all announced substantial production cuts for the end of the financial year in March.

Related Japanese automotive industries are also suffering with Bridgestone, Japan's largest tire maker declaring falling profits on the year.

The "unprecedented crisis" in the automotive industry may get worse in what is looking like a brutal year for global car sales.



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Japan Recession Japanese cars Industry