Thread: Japan-A-Land!

I thought I would start a thread to document my new life in Japan. There are loads of YouTube "J-Vloggers" that do an excellent job of showcasing life in Japan from a foreigners perspective. I am choosing to document from not only a foreigners perspective, but a car guy's, specifically a Nissan guy's perspective. I will take more time in the future to document my stay. I have only been here for a month so far, therefore anything worth reading is a bit short of supply.

A few main goals with this thread

- Bring you through the car buying experience (Currently with a BP5 Legacy as Stageas of this era are butt-ass ugly)

- Show off the different new and used parts stores (Autobacs, AutoHouse, UpGarage, Garage Off, etc)

- Give insight into the Japanese take on car culture, counter culture and general attitudes towards cars

- Visit all public factories, museums & attempt to gain access to "closed to the public" sights...(If you're on this forum you know which on I mean & its just down the block!)

- Answer some questions to the best of my abilities

- Maybe see what I can do about funneling some parts and other car related items to the states

About that last one I will say this. Any car over 15 even 10 years is hard to find parts for. At that point the majority of Japanese have bought newer vehicles and a good majority of cars and associated parts are auctioned off to the corners of the globe. Over the past four weeks I have covered a good area by foot, car, rail and online. For the majority of us on this forum our cars and their parts are pretty much already gone. Either to the states, Australia, the UK or wherever you are right now reading this. I found myself earlier today almost having to order a part for a BP5 Legacy, a car that saw the end of its run only 6 years ago, from Australia.

Now, for those of you with a dam S Chassis, I am tripping over parts left right and center. Same with Z33 and of course R Chassis parts.

For now Ill leave you all with a picture of one of the "new" cars.

Slaygacy by Mattick22, on Flickr

If you have any suggestions or want to see anything on here please let me know!

Mattie

P.S. Mods, I am really tired and just realized this probably wasn't the right section, please move to wherever you think is suitable. Thanks.

I want to see the car stuff, but if there is anything interesting related to anime or food/snacks I'd also like to see it.

We'll see how this thread goes before deciding where it belongs. For now it can stay here in General SR20.

I want to see the scrap yards, then see you pull parts for us

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Just like Ben I am an anime fiend. I watch some nearly every day.

What do you love most about Japan? What has been the biggest adjustment/struggle?

Japan is on my bucket list.

So far it seems to be hard to find traditional scrapyards as it were. I am on the look out though and plan to ask some of the performance shops for parts. I need a new dash for the Subaru since the adhesive on a phone holder ripped the vinyl off. If you go to yahoo aleado and find something, send me a link. I have just bought a few things from there but have yet to receive them. Ill keep you all posted on that too.

My wife is the anime fiend so I will be referring to her for contributions on that subject. We definitely plan on going to the massive Cosplay festival in Harijuku next year.

Right now the hardest things to get used to are my job and the weather. Its humid as hell and feels just how jungles look on tv and movies. The other day we were walking through some dense brush and a helicopter came overhead. My brain's playlist automatically started playing some CCR and Rolling Stones, thought I was in 'Nam for a second there.

I definitely recommend coming here, even for just a week or so.

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As requested!...

Food & Drink

This post with have some different sections. This way it will be broken up basically into junk food, traditional food and western influence.

Automated Feed Delivery

So first up. Vending Machines! They're fucking everywhere!!! My first weekend here I took myself off on a three hour walk, ended up out in some rice fields and there was a vending machine on the corner. With my loose grip on reality, I had the urge to break out my gun and Pipboy 3000 as I thought I was in a Fallout game. Not only are they everywhere but you can get cold andhot drinks!!! They're amazing! Here are some pictures of various items had from vending machines!

Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

IMG_2927 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

"Sports Drink"
IMG_2883 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

"Jelly Drink" (Floating bits of flavored jelly in it)
IMG_2898 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

"Jasmine Tea"
IMG_2894 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

Coffee one hot and one cold, same machine!
Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

Coffee, Milk Tea, Green Tea and Jasmine Tea
Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

Matcha Milk Tea, Vitamin C drink with Collagen and Honey Lemon Soda, the last two I could drink all day.

Drinks by Mattick22, on Flickr

Next up...

Western Influence

Here we have some of the delicious Japanese versions of western offerings. So far, they out perform their native recipes.

Dominoes!!!!

It costs a little bit more than in the US, but definitely cheaper than the UK or Europe. But this is the freshest tasting chain pizza and sandwich that the wife and I have ever had. Also the menu is enormous and because Japanese law allows "filtering", the via-moped delivery gets to you quick!

I ordered a custom medium with baby tomatoes, spinach, pepperoni and jalepenos. The wife ordered Chicken Teriyaki sub and didn't say how good it was but did groan a satisfying groan.

IMG_2955 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

IMG_2957 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

IMG_2956 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

Convenience Store/Junk Food

Ok so Ill start with the heathy stuff first. All this is pre-made and just needs to be put on a plate and tossed into the microwave for a bit and boom instant dinner!

Fried Chicken Cutlet, Grilled Chicken, Vegetable Gyoza, Asperagas and Seasones Kale.

IMG_2952 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

IMG_2951 copy by Mattick22, on Flickr

Restaurants

CoCo's Curry House.

This is a Indian influenced Japanese style curry. The restaurant itself would be similar in style to a short order/fast food place in the states.

There are several different selections (Menu pictures pending).

First you select the style of curry you want

Second you select the amount of rice in grams

Third you select your sauce

Lastly you decide on your spice level. These are from 1-10, however the level seems to vary based on the cook.

Here is a Fried Prawn Cutlet with Beef and Vegetable sauce

Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

Here is Fried Chicken with Vegetable Sauce

Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

Nature & Scenery

This section will lay out the flora, fauna, meteorological and geological elements of Japan.

Last weekend I was bored so I decided to go for a drive in the mountains and try to find some Treunos and Skylines battling it out. Unfortunately the speed limits here in Japan are quite slow. Also on the turns are rubble strips that keep you from going too fast.

Here is are some slots as I headed up to the mountains.

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

As I came up I found an expected lake to my left.

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

So after the cool lake I found a tunnel and put my camera away. I am admittedly a bit of child when it comes to tunnels. So is windows down and throttle up!!!

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Now as I came out of the tunnel, in the middle of the road there were a bunch of fucking monkeys!!! WTF??? So I rolled the windows up, slowed down and took a few pics.

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

After this the roads got super narrow, like worse than Europe...

There is just enough room for one car

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

I then found a cool river that had a place to go swimming and canoeing.

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Random vending machine because why not?

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Mountains and Monkeys by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car Parts/Memorabilia

In this section we explore the various ways of procuring used and new parts

Brick and Mortar Stores

There are many stores in Japan for used car parts. It seems that when most people sell their car they return it to stock and sell any associated parts to these second hand stores. They mainly consist of aftermarket parts but some OEM parts as well, but mostly the OEM parts are those that were discarded after upgrading. For instance the only body parts you will really find are bumpers, side skirts, etc.

The two larger stores are HardOff and UpGarage. HardOff is part of a chain of other thrift or recycled stores that I will touch on in another post.

I have yet to go in and ask to take pictures really as I like to cultivate a relationship with the staff first but I squeezed in a few to hold the post for now.

OEM R35 seat
Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

SSR rims I thought would look good on a B14 or B13
Food by Mattick22, on Flickr

Online

Another method of used car parts having is online. The three big names here are UpGarage (Online), Yahoo! Auctions (via Aleado for English speakers) and Goo-Net Parts.

First and easiest in UpGarage Online. You can browse by chassis and by part category and they will typically have all the applicable parts listed, even for compatible chassis, i.e. B14/N15. They can deliver to your home or to the nearest UpGarage location and you can choose to pick up the part or have them install it for you depending on the location. UpGarage also has two other "sister" stores, UpGarage Riders; for motorcycles and UpGarage Wheels; nothing but wheels and tires.

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 9.53.38 AM by Mattick22, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 9.54.31 AM by Mattick22, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 9.55.11 AM by Mattick22, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 9.56.49 AM by Mattick22, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 9.57.13 AM by Mattick22, on Flickr

On to Yahoo I have now received quite a few items from Yahoo! Auctions via Aleado. You don't have to necessarily be in Japan to do this but you have to first load money onto your account after being verified and before you buy anything. So if you see something you want to sit on it and try to "snipe"... It will only end in tears...(I found, yes this is real, full carbon fiber doors for a B14...they slipped away...). Even once you are signed up through Aleado, they are a third party that bids on your behalf so I recommend placing your max bid well before the end time.

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 3.36.35 PM by Mattick22, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 3.37.43 PM by Mattick22, on Flickr

I have yet to have any dealings with GooNet Parts as they typically run higher than on Aleado. You also cannot search by used or new which is a pain in the ass.

If you decide to go to these sites and try for yourself I definitely recommend learning Katakana at the very least. Most car parts in Japanese are actually loan words from English but changed to suit the Japanese pronunciation and syllabary which I have/will discuss under the Language post.

Memorabilia

As mentioned above I have purchased some items from Yahoo! Auctions. This mostly consists of geeky car memorabilia as I don't have my car here nor do I have a place big enough to store masses of parts. Here are a few of the items.

Back before YouTube, Websites, Social Media and internet connections beyond 28.8kbps, manufacturers would market their new vehicles via VHS tapes. These are clunky, archaic things that use... bottom line, its old tech that was awesome for its day, physically durable but lacked definition and would deny over time. Enough with the reminder of Ritalin intake, back in the day Nissan sent out promotional videos for new vehicles. I was able to snatch up two for the Nissan Lucino; one for the coupe and one for the hatchback.

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

I am currently looking for a VCR to play these and hopefully get the uploaded on YouTube (at the time of this wiring I could not find them) and share them with you.

I also found an October 1997 issue of Car and Driver Japan Edition. This interested me as it features the Pulsar and Lucino VZ-R N1, (Version 1). There were also some reviews and pics of the new Primera which Ill throw up as well.

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

This shows the difference in head and intake design from the Blue top to Red top.

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

This page shows the difference between the Pulsar and more economic Lucino

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Grille Difference

Reshoot by Mattick22, on Flickr

Tail lamp Difference

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

The top three are N15 chassis, even the four door and the only B14 chassis is the bottom coupe which only wore the Lucino badge.

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Here are some for the P Chassis folks.

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Car and Driver by Mattick22, on Flickr

Found this little gem at GarageOff

GTR by Mattick22, on Flickr

GTR by Mattick22, on Flickr

GTR by Mattick22, on Flickr