So, I moved to Tokyo

Eleven months and 6 days ago.

As some of you guys know I moved from my home in SoCal late last year (2019) to Tokyo Japan!

Been a pretty wild year for me, even before COVID.

Being here has brought a lot of things to light and tbh @RYU brought me back to Prime with his “will you ever sell” thread. I’m glad he did, because I really miss all you crazies!

That said, Tokyo is a trip! It boggles my mind that I pay less for a one bedroom apartment in Tokyo than I did in SoCal! (No really)

I REALLY miss owning a car. I rent cars every few months just to get my fix, but it isn’t the same.

I was driving on an international driver’s license for a while, but with so many limitations on what I could rent, and not knowing how long my wife and I plan to stay here, I opted to transfer my CA licenses (car and bike) to Japan.

The tests were SO difficult, practical, not the written.

People always seem to write about how expensive Japan is, and I’ve found that it’s much like anywhere else: it is as expensive as you want it to be. Wanna love it up and go crazy American style? Yeah that’s pricey. You ok with living the basic Japanese lifestyle? You can get by pretty well and still have fun.

Finding work is a bit tougher than I had imagined; even a degree and boatload of experience isn’t enough so in the meantime I have two part time jobs that pay well enough.

Anyway, still pretty hyped to be out here doing something VERY different.

I’ma end this post meow and say goodbye (going to work) and I’ll keep updating everyone on this thread...if y’all are interested.

:cheers:









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Yes Yes ...stay safe and be well!!!!

docjohn said:

Yes Yes ...stay safe and be well!!!!

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You too Doc! Still need to take the NA1 to the East coast for a few pointers :biggrin:


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HaHa nothing like "hot" laps in 40 degree temps!!!!

docjohn said:

HaHa nothing like "hot" laps in 40 degree temps!!!!

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At least the humidity will be slightly more bearable than Tokyo. (This summer was 80% or more sometimes)

Either way that’s why I stay NA, less loss over temperature variation. Plus I’m too lazy to keep an eye on all the stuff I need to lol.

Ugh I miss driving my NSX though.

I still have a motor build to complete too!


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That’s awesome! Is this a permanent or temporary move? Those rentals look like fun!

Still making me jealous...Thank you and keep writing. The few short days I got to meet you at 2015 NSXPO, were too short and too long ago.

Rich Wong

Hass said:

That’s awesome! Is this a permanent or temporary move? Those rentals look like fun!

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Thanks, it’s a big life change lol.

We haven’t decided what the future holds for us just yet. 2020 was supposed to be our trial year, that sure went to s***.

Only the DC5 was a rental, the rest were just car spotting


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03 raw nsx said:

Still making me jealous...Thank you and keep writing. The few short days I got to meet you at 2015 NSXPO, were too short and too long ago.

Rich Wong

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Making you jealous!?

I’m just preparing Tokyo for when you arrive and we relive 2015 Xpo again!


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Your current thread made me reminisce about this photo heavy one..http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...pan-a-summary-of-events?highlight=tokyo+japan

Enjoy. I lived in Tokyo for 5 years and reminisce about it almost every day.

usafdarkhorse said:

Enjoy. I lived in Tokyo for 5 years and reminisce about it almost every day.

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Oooo neat! Where’d you live?

I have no idea if this is a permanent thing or not, wife refuses to plan more ahead than our next meal lol


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docjohn said:

Your current thread made me reminisce about this photo heavy one..http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...pan-a-summary-of-events?highlight=tokyo+japan

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I’m gonna have to check that one out!

Posting pics to prime is a pain unless it’s from Tapatalk app (my phone) so here’s hoping I don’t get too impatient to keep this thread alive (unlike my build thread)


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Fun fact about Japan NSXs;

Almost NO targas exist here. All coupes. This was a HUGE bonus for me...

Then I found out a ton of the cars are also AT [emoji24]

I guess a MT swap is easier than welding a roof.

This ‘03 was a coupe and I almost shat myself


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I lived near Tachikawa in west Tokyo, but I was downtown quite often. I purchased an NSX from MAC Full House in Adachi and drove it locally for about 2 years before I moved back to the US and took it with me. Was pretty surreal.

usafdarkhorse said:

I lived near Tachikawa in west Tokyo, but I was downtown quite often. I purchased an NSX from MAC Full House in Adachi and drove it locally for about 2 years before I moved back to the US and took it with me. Was pretty surreal.

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Oh I live in Setagaya, I also visit Tachikawa and downtown pretty often.

It’s a pretty wild place.

Don’t think I could ever afford to buy an NSX here lol especially a manual transmission one. Crazy money. I’ll just ship mine here LHD all day haha


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Nice update, was picked up by Yamamoto San from RFY to head out to the famous daikokufuto rest area.

It’s basically a super huge truck stop that is home base for Tokyo’s car culture. If you ever have the chance to go, please do.

It’s SUPER difficult to get to without a car, so I don’t get to go often...for now.

Just in case anyone was wondering; Car is a universal language and most everyone is pretty happy to talk about their car, or let you check their stuff out!

We met up with the Blue NSX and another nsx owner and hung out most of the day.


Anyway enough text, pics!





















Cheers!


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much more eclectic mix than I was thinking...

docjohn said:

much more eclectic mix than I was thinking...

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Right!? Tons of Ferraris, Lambos, and Mclarens, but I only took pics of the “cool” cars [emoji6]


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The stratos and the early esprit are super cool as is the alfa ...that acr viper must have some sort of 8 liter tax:wink:

What was the motivation for moving? Was it your idea or your wife's idea?

I almost did the same thing as you to Germany this year. But then covid hit and I backed off. Good thing too because we got a bigger house so we are more anchored here in the US.

I liked Japan when we went but it was too hard to find fresh fruit. Besides not speaking Japanese I really enjoyed it.

Wonderful pictures, thank you for sharing. Wow, that's a car paradise.

Also, thanks for taking a close up of the blue NSX with custom day-time running lights. I have seen it on SS, but never up close. I really like the look.
The glare makes it hard to see, but did it look like a whole new light cover or simply a hole in the original?

I heard that in Japan, they have lots of Auto, mainly due to the lifestyle? Perhaps you can help confirm with some of the locals?

Enjoy your new home. Continue to share photos and stories please.

natcc99 said:

I heard that in Japan, they have lots of Auto, mainly due to the lifestyle? Perhaps you can help confirm with some of the locals?

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Not the OP, but just giving my 2 cents based on my own experience.

In order to get licensed in Japan you need to do the practical (road) test with the type of transmission that you are applying the license for. So for a manual transmission license, you need to take the practical test with a manual transmission car.

Only about 20% of the drivers in Japan are licensed to drive a manual transmission car. (This is based on what I learned from the driving school that I attended)

I was in the same boat as the OP, since I didn't want to drive around in Osaka with my IDL driver's license + CO license and getting into trouble (by law you can't drive more than 1 year with an IDL in Japan, not sure about US military personnel, if you get caught you won't be able to legally drive at all in the future in Japan).

So I ended up attending an official Driving School and doing the full coursework (lectures in Japanese, on site and public road driving). Time consuming, but it was a breeze for the most part once you know exactly what the instructors were looking for. Some of the instructors were also certified license examiners so made the whole process more efficient and took the guesswork out of going through the process of taking the practical test.

The difference in price between the AT and the MT classes was about $400, more on road classes for the MT class. $3200 for MT vs $2800 for AT so there is the economic factor as well.

BTW: Forgot to add more context, driving on the local roads in Osaka during regular hours is a never ending stop and go experience, getting caught at a traffic light after traffic light, or stop sign after stop sign, having to slow down at blind intersections, watching out for pedestrians, bicycles who don't obey traffic lights, or signs in the narrower roads/intersections. Defensive driving 100% of the time. So I can definitely see that folks in the major metropolitan areas would opt for an AT license. For contrast my cousins who live in the countryside in Japan are all licensed to drive MT cars .

2slow2speed said:

Not the OP, but just giving my 2 cents based on my own experience.

......So I can definitely see that folks in the major metropolitan areas would opt for an AT license. For contrast my cousins who live in the countryside in Japan are all licensed to drive MT cars .

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Hello - Thanks for sharing. These are definitely things you don't see as a tourist. I have been to many countries and ask the locals about the driving rules of their area. Let's just say the US makes it super easy to get a driver's license...almost too easy.

One of these days I would like to visit Japan....maybe I should visit your cousin's area in the countryside. Sounds more rewarding then the stop and go traffic of the city.
A friend of mine visited Osaka, she liked it better than Tokyo.

docjohn said:

The stratos and the early esprit are super cool as is the alfa ...that acr viper must have some sort of 8 liter tax:wink:

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I love the stratos, there was a Delta EVOII also. Such a great bunch of cars and cool people


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