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I am sure it will be fixed!
This is Japan, and anything else is unlikely.
Neon, red velour, and 24-inch donk wheels will be back in no time.
Originally Posted by Van Larson
^^^^100 above.. My radiologist daughter toured Japan for 12 days last Feb. with a tour group based in New Zealand. While normally rather reserved and contemplative personality wise and while not a world traveler by any imagination stretch, she adored Japan, it’s people, history and culture and have never seen her so adamant in having her parents put this on the top of their “bucket list”—plus We have been devotees of sashimi for 40+ years when Hashikin on N. Clark St. In Chicago was the ONLY place in Chicago.
Indeed!
Japan is one of those places where you can live a lifetime, and never run out of things to do.
Whenever our jobs allow, we pack up and go touring into the countryside to discover stuff.
If you do get here, avoid the tourist stuff, rent a car and go touge hunting:
Just wow. If this thread doesn't make you want to book a ticket, something's wrong.
Ha!
Imagine my problem then, a Cayman S in the garage, and countless touge all over the place...
This last weekend was wet, cold, and rainy, but we still took off down the coast for a seafood lunch and some great roads:
The restaurants are often literally on the other side of the street where the catch is landed each morning, so fresh is fresh.
If you're interested, there's a pile more explorations and photographs here.
Not just touge (p: toh-geh, with the perfect kanji of 峠, literally 'mountain, up, down') of course, but all sorts of interesting drives and destinations...
Super cool! Great sceneries and cars! Japanese have strong passions toward cars and motorcycles. In every single F1 race, you can see that passion evident; and, their extremely creative hats!! Can one travel the country without speaking Japanese? There are apps that can translate rudimentary words in real time. So, one could probably get by. But, Japanese language is notoriously hard with three scripts!
Can one travel the country without speaking Japanese?
Of course!
It is relatively easy, notably as:
o Most rental car services have English navi as an option.
o All expressway signs, and most national routes, are written in Japanese and romanji:
o Get a ETC card for the rental car, as it is cheaper and easier (allowing more exit use too).
If you do get lost, simply use the navi as a rolling map, and there's no need to enter in a destination.
The rental Mazda navi is better, over the rental Toyota as most need a destination.
Plus, your mobile phone can be used with Google Maps or similar in English.
While Japanese does indeed use multiple scripts (four; kanji, hiragana, katakana, and romanji), most foreigners can already cope with two of these - romanji (a, b, c), and katakana without even knowing it.
If you're interested in visiting Japan, teach yourself to read katakana, as a whole lot of words will literally jump off signs when you do.
Depending on who you talk to, you can learn katakana in anything from a day to a week or two (its easier than learning and pronouncing the English alphabet).
To demonstrate, this building is labeled ’something ホテル’, or 'ho-te-ru', which is read as 'hotel'... a word you already know:
I drive a ケイマン (ka-i-man), another word I am sure you already know.
Endless, clear, smooth roads, with amazing views, and even more spectacular food awaits:
Feel free to ask questions, and Porsche content to resume shortly.
Japan is in our top three for a family vacation this year, after seeing these pics I told my wife that a trip to Japan will need to include some type of car event and a visit to a whisky distillery!
Japan is in our top three for a family vacation this year, after seeing these pics I told my wife that a trip to Japan will need to include some type of car event and a visit to a whisky distillery!
Thanks!
Ping me if you want details on car events, and click here for a tour that included the Nikka distillery in Otaru...
Of course!
...........
o All expressway signs, and most national routes, are written in Japanese and romanji:
.......While Japanese does indeed use multiple scripts (four; kanji, hiragana, katakana, and romanji),..............
Feel free to ask questions, and Porsche content to resume shortly.
Thanks a lot Kuro. Helpful indeed! I actually learned Japanese couple of decades ago! Still have all those text books and notes. Sadly, forgotten everything! But, visiting Japan is on my list. Enjoy rest of the touring. And, keep sharing awesome pictures. Something tells me, the experience would be even better in a Boxster, topless!
Something tells me, the experience would be even better in a Boxster, topless!
Spring is a great time for open touring Japan.
Warm without being hot, and cherry blossom season - this year is a ten day holiday too - with the new Emperor's enthronement on May 1.
Originally Posted by Code
Those are some great photos! My brother and his wife/kids just moved to Japan. Looking forward to visiting them in the near future.
Thanks!
Hope you get some real Japan time in then too...
We're off to Kyushu next week, and unfortunately though I offered to pick her up from the airport in the 987S (it's only a 13 hour / 1000km drive), we will be flying.
Hopefully, a GT86 will make a good substitute.
A few quick laps of the Shuto-ko last night with some diverse friends above - the two GTBs making a great Weber-equipped pair...
And some more touring photographs:
Great photography. Thanks for sharing.
Is that blue four door sedan a Datsun 510 from early 1970s?
I fondly recall mine....a poor grad student's alternative to a BMW 1600.
Thanks!
The blue sedan is a Nissan Prince Skyline GT-B (S54B), which had started as a Prince model, but by the time the blue one was made it was a Nissan Prince after the government's forced merger of car makers.
More on the car and its history here...