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Big in Japan

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 13, 2021.

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  1. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Hey so it's day 3 of my adventure in Tokyo. I'm working here for the next month.

    Plenty of cool cars out on the roads. My teammate and I were sent out in a rented Toyota Sienta, which seems to be a cross between a Sienna and a Prius c. The shape & role of the former with the styling & scale of the latter.

    Screen Shot 2021-07-13 at 7.13.48 PM.png ​

    It's got a familiar hybrid drive so it was easy for us to figure out. Neither of us had driven in Japan before so that was the tough part. My buddy drove and I called navigation for him. We each had two phones but none of them were giving us great navigation, so we struggled and looped a bit.

    Overall the car was nice though I didn't get a lot of time to poke at it- it's a shrunk 3-row minivan, the kind they aren't allowed to sell in America because the 3rd row is also the rear crumple zone.

    I wish I was able to see more, but there are strict rules for visitors right now. I'm in a soft quarantine that limits me to my workplace(s), my hotel, and one convenience store. I've had to pass a bunch of covid tests, sign my life away 30x over, and install literal government trackware on my phone.

    After I've been here 14 days the quarantine lifts and I'll be allowed to go more places, but I expect to be busy enough that I won't have too many opportunities.

    Thread title is for all the stooping and bending i have to do to fit in around here. Too tall for a lot of things...
     
    #1 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 13, 2021
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the way to japan, and no olympic fans allowed, bummer.

    acquaintances went to australia, 2 weeks in a hotel room before you can do anything, with security at your door, and all necessities provided.
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 13, 2021
  3. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    I was none too happy when Toyota released the Prius v without 3 rows in the states. I have 6 in the family so if they still made front bench seats other than on pickup trucks I would be fine with 2 rows. But nope, they don't sell those anymore, either. When I go to other countries, I see a plethora of smaller 3 row vehicles. Right now, the smallest 3 rows in the US are the Mitsubishi Outlander, Volkswagen Tiguan, Mercedes GLB, and Tesla Model Y. The latter 2 are well out of my price range. Looks like I'll be getting another Outlander or a well used Sienna hybrid. That Toyota Sienta would've been perfect. :(
     
    #3 mmmodem, Jul 13, 2021
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  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Recent rule change here- Restaurants not allowed to stay open past 8, so some of them have decided not to serve dinner at all- including the one at my hotel. This has meant that all of my dinners are coming via uber eats. That has led to some neat discoveries. I had a good nepalese curry bento box delivered on a motorcycle the other night and last night found a halal chicken joint that prided itself on "that NYC flavor." It might not have been Rafiqi's but it was pretty close.

    I'm sure there's going to be some interesting procedures in getting back home. Not even thinking about it since they have a few weeks to change everything.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 13, 2021
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  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    For the US market, you are in the minority. Small three row cars don't work with the 'do it all' requirement people usually have as they usually can only carry people in the third row or carry the luggage for those in the first and second. The sales of small three row cars here reflect that, and it is why the likes of the Rav4 no longer offer the third row, and the Mazda5 got cancelled.
     
    #5 Trollbait, Jul 13, 2021
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  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Please send lots of pics of strange looking cars... And good luck with making sense of all the toll roads. Been told by friends that sometimes it costs $50 or more just to drive an hour to a different city. It'd be interesting to know how much gas people waste by taking the longer routes to avoid toll roads?
     
    #6 PriusCamper, Jul 13, 2021
  7. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    They probably just take the train.
     
    #7 Trollbait, Jul 13, 2021
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  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    That vehicle looks cool! Sort of a mini...mini........mini van. (y)

    Does it drive like a Prius C?
     
    #8 farmecologist, Jul 13, 2021
  9. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I didn't drive it, and there's only so much I can infer from the other seat. But I'd say no, it was clearly heavier, had more power and was a more top-heavy.

    As you might expect there are a zillion Toyota hybrids on the road here. Essentially all Toyota passenger cars here have the little blue and silver HSD mark on the front fenders but not very many of them are wearing Prius badges.

    @Trollbait is right on the money with sizing. You could get 7 or 8 people into their own seatbelts in this car, as long as nobody brings anything bigger than a brownbag lunch. Usually when Americans want to put that many people in one car, it is for a long trip that requires luggage.

    With all the corporate tie-ups in play, I would not be surprised to learn that this is an actual Mazda 5 with a Toyota HSD stuffed under the hood, rebadged as Toyota. Would explain some of the interior styling.
     
    #9 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 13, 2021
  10. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    As I'm sure you're aware, the main Toyota Museum is in Nagoya.

    But I went to a permanent Toyota technology exhibition in Tokyo a few years ago, and it was very good. I can try and dig out the name and address if you like.

    Also, if lockdowns permit, do not miss Sanrio Puroland. It is the strangest theme park I have ever been to (beating Minsk World to that enviable title).
     
    #10 hkmb, Jul 13, 2021
  11. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Good call..it certainly does look a lot like a Mazda.
     
    #11 farmecologist, Jul 13, 2021
  12. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Oh Jeez...
    Sanrio-Puroland-in-Tokyo.jpg
     
    #12 tochatihu, Jul 14, 2021
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is that the toyota museum
     
    #13 bisco, Jul 14, 2021
  14. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Sanrio Puerile land. That which drew a long lost poster back to our clutches. But it is a trap!

    goodbye kitty.jpg
     
    #14 tochatihu, Jul 14, 2021
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well that's a far cry from sanrio puroland
     
    #15 bisco, Jul 14, 2021
  16. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Lovely picture. I think my elder daughter would love that on a T-shirt. In fact I think I will get her it.

    Sanrio Puroland is a Hello Kitty-themed theme park. It is VERY pink and very strange. There are Hello Kitty rides, Hello Kitty stage shows, a Hello Kitty food court, and much other Hello Kitty weirdness, with some Dear Daniel, Bad Badtz Maru and other characters thrown in. Anywhere else in the world, it would be aimed at 5-10-year-old girls. I took my then 5- and 2-year-old girls to it and they loved it.

    But what was weird was the number of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who were there, and who had clearly got babysitting so that they didn't have to bring their children. And they were loving it.
     
    #16 hkmb, Jul 14, 2021
  17. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    They do make them in left-hand drive. They're very popular in Taiwan.
     
    #17 hkmb, Jul 14, 2021
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i suppose the same thing happens at disneyland, or similar
     
    #18 bisco, Jul 14, 2021
  19. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    #19 tochatihu, Jul 14, 2021
  20. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    If something as utterly complex as the Japan can be captured in ONE image.

    THAT would be in the top 5......
     
    #20 ETC(SS), Jul 15, 2021
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