Summer holiday 2009: Day 2

I was worried about the weather but the next day, it was blue skys all over. Getting up early, I went to have a bath. Whenever I go to an Onsen, I have a bath twice a day, in the morning & in the evening to use the opportunity fully. The first bath of the day outside is amazing. Having a bath while watching the blue sky and the blue ocean in front of your eyes is the ultimate luxury, isn’t it? However, I knew I would be driving all morning, I made it short, had breakfast with my family and travelled to Hakodate railway station by bus.

Arriving at the station, I went to the rental car company to get the car. The car we booked in Tokyo was a compact car, but we were given a new Nissan Wingroad 1.5L. The engine displacement of 1.5L was a bit unsuitable for driving on the long straight roads of Hokkaido, but you know, hiring a bigger car with a bigger engine displacement is more expensive. Thinking about the fuel cost and the size of the car being big enough for 4 people, I signed the form and we were on the road!

The destination was Toyako (lake). It was a 3 hour drive. It was the first time I have driven in Hokkaido but there were no traffic lights! There were some at the big main intersections, of course, but once we were out of the city, there was no big intersections thus no traffic lights: we did not need to be stopped by them and we drove normal roads smoothly like motorways. When I checked on the internet, I had read that you did not need to use motorways in Hokkaido and it was true. It was like when I was a student (oh, about 20 years ago), when I travelled from Miami to Quay West by a rental car while I was travelling the USA on my own. This time, because I did not want to waste our time, to make sure, I used the motorways. You can drive easily without traffic jams. Thanks to that, we got to the lake half an hour earlier than planned.

Toyako is a caldera lake which was made after a few volcanic eruptions about 100,000 years ago. On the skirt of the lake were the two active volcanoes Mt Usu and Showashinzan. It is one of the main tourist spots in Hokkaido. As I told you before on this blog, last year’s Summit was held here and this wonderful scenery was introduced to the world.

Because my daughter (2nd grade at junior high school) chose volcanos as the theme for her independent research for the summer holidays, we went to the Volcano Science Museum for her preparatory study and visited the actual site of the large-scaled eruption in the year 2000. My daughter seemed very impressed by looking at the tragic site which still preserves the horror of the natural disaster, but I was worried because she was just standing there, without taking notes or doing anything; but all of a sudden, she grabbed my camera and to keep the data, she started to take photos of the place. I was wondering if she would finish the research successfully once we got home.

We then went to her next research spots: Mt Usu & Showashinzan, which was only 5 minutes drive. Showashinzan is a lava dome that appeared on the side of Mt Usu after the eruptions. This was a suitable example for volcanic study. You can still see the smoke coming out everywhere and real volcanic activity. Because of the beautiful appearance, it is designated as a protected area of Japan. After taking a photo with the mountain behind us, we got in a ropeway to go up Mt Usu.

Mt Usu is a very active volcano and four eruptions were recorded within 100 years during the 20th century. They walked to the mouth after getting off the ropeway following the mountain’s ridge line and saw some big smoke coming out. It was a 2 hour walk. I said “they” because I did not go there. I was going to come with them but it was too hot and watching all the ups & downs of the mountain, I decided to change my plan and headed off to the hotel on my own. (I could not tell them that it was because of my lack of fitness… Shame on me!)

We stayed at a hotel a bit away from Toyako but another Onsen. It was a huge Onsen hotel. I was amazed with the buffet style dinner: there was sashimi, scallops, squid, sea eggs, salmon roes, crabs, tuna and other woodland delicacies and seafood. It was not that expensive either. I saw many families staying there with us. The second day, too, went very quickly like the first.


★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955

Summer holiday 2009: Day 1

Again this year, we had a week long summer holiday from the 9th to the 16th of August. Because I cannot take a day off easily, we usually go somewhere as a family. Last year, we went to Kirobe & Tateyama area. I wrote an article here and many of you said that you were “envious!” and “I would like to visit Japan as it is full of natural beauty.” Thank you very much for your support. This year, it was a longer holiday than usual, so we decided to visit Hokkaido. However, Hokkaido is vast and if you decide to go everywhere, we would just be moving from place to place. So we decided to go to the south eastern area of the big island from Hakodate, Toyako (lake), Niseko and back to Hakodate. We chose a rental car as the main means of transport and planned a 5 night 6 day trip in total.

To Hakodate, we used the Shinkansen (bullet train). It is not too far from my place to Tokyo Railway Station, only 2 stops away and 4 minutes ride on a train. So if we want to be at Tokyo Station 15 minutes before the Shinkansen’s departure time, if we catch the 6:33 train from here it should give us enough time, assuming it would take 10 minutes to move from the platform to platform; but my wife is not really good about getting up early in the morning and sometimes things do not work as I plan. I decided to lie to her and told my whole family that we had to catch the 6:26 train (1 earlier one). You know, all the seats in this Shinkansen are all reserved and there was no unreserved ones, so if we miss the train, it will be taken as cancellation. We had to be there in time for it.

The day finally arrived. Without breakfast, we washed our faces, got dressed and only had to carry our own bags already packed. However, my wife took so long checking if all the doors & windows were locked, getting our rubbish out, etc., we missed the 6:26 train. We only just made it onto 6:35 train. (This was my emergency plan and it worked! If we had to catch the next train, we would have to run in the Tokyo Station within 5 minutes and it would be very, very close!)

The sky in Tokyo was covered with thick cloud when we left. According to the weather forecast, it would be raining in Tokyo soon and the weather in our destination, Hakodate would also be cloudy. Hoping it would get better in Hakodate, we got on the Shinkansen. The ETA was 13:14, it was a 6 hour ride. But because we did not go to bed till late the night before because of packing our bags and we left early in the morning, we all slept most of the journey and did not notice the length of the trip too much.
Although around Sendai on the way, it was raining but as we moved up from Aomori, the weather had improved, we sometimes saw the sun between the clouds. When we got to Hakodate, it was cloudy: suitable conditions for sightseeing. The temperature was around 25 degree Celsius and it was comfortable with low humidity unlike Tokyo.

After arriving at Hakodate, thinking it would be quite late in the afternoon, we had booked a tour bus which goes around the main tourist attractions in the area; so we got on the bus. The course was a 3 hour one, from Hakodate Goryokaku Tower, Trappistinu Monastery, Hijikata/Takuboku Memorial Hall, then to the hotel. Hakodate was the last battle field in the Edo Era. At the end of the era, giving in to the requests for diplomacy from other countries, the feudal government stopped its isolation period for the first time and opened a port there. The main attractions of the trip were these historical buildings and a female bus guide, mid 20s, gave us a good explanation of the history of each place, we enjoyed this quick tour of the city. They then took us to the Onsen (hot spring) hotel we had already booked. It was in the “Yunokawa” hot springs resort area.



This Onsen is famous for its “red water”. The colour of the water of the bath on the top floor is a soil colour and we went there to hop in it. We went to the outdoor bath with red water watching squid-fishing vessels in the bay of Tsugaru Straits. It was indescribably luxurious. I felt relieved that we got to Hakodate safely. Thinking about driving a rental car the next day, I went to bed reasonably early.


★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955

“Working People”: What is drawback of visiting your parents? Sick of being questioned about marriage?

From common knowledge to their love life, Oricon’s column “Working People” searches the standard in different areas. This time, in the middle of Obon holiday, they carried out research of single males and females 20 – 40 years old about what they think is difficult everytime they visit their parents. Both males and females chose, from the top answer in sequence, “cost of travel”, “time for travel” and “preparation for travel”. Also they find “being asked what he/she is into lately” (4th in males, 8th in females) a drag. Especially like “sick of being asked if he is going to marry” (Male, 30s, Tochigi Prefecture), quite a few did not like talking about “marriage”.

For people who are living on their own, the #1 answer of “cost of travel” you cannot ignore. They do want to visit their parents as often as possible but the reality is “when I think about the cost, I cannot do it very often” (Female, 20s, Tokyo). For #2 answer, “time for travel”, because many of them work hard everyday, “I think I also want to use the time for visiting parents effectively” (Male, 30s, Osaka). #3 answer of “preparation for travel”, there were a few people saying, because their parents seem to have everything, “it is not easy to think what they don’t have” (Male, 30s, Aichi Prefecture).

Especially males chose “being asked what he is into lately”. From “being asked to get married” to their eating habits and about their work, many of them said “I want to forget about my work and everyday life when I am home but…” (Male, 30s, Chiba Prefecture). Like “It is disappointing when they complain about whatever present I give them” (Male, 20s, Tokyo), surprisingly some males have trouble with “choosing a present for their parents” and “choosing a present for their work place”.

To visit their parents, it of course requires some financial and other preparations and can be very time consuming. However, it can give them good “healing” by talking to their parents and meeting their old friends. In this survey, large numbers of them said that they have not gone home for a long time. Maybe they should “just go” without thinking to relieve their parents.



★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955

Water-damaged cars … What would you do if you were them?

Water-damaged cars … What would you do if you were them?

In Japan, it is the middle of summer but the weather has been unstable this summer. If we say summer, we image the sun, blue sky and sweltering heat. However, this year, it has been cloudy and rained on & off. There have been quite a few natural disasters in western Japan such as concentrated heavy rains and tornados.

A heavy rain caused considerable damage in northern Kyushu. At the town office of Nakagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, the car park was flooded and 126 cars were immersed in water. The office workers were working after getting emergency calls although it was a non-working day. Unfortunately, 86 of them had to be scrapped.

Because there is bigger damage all over the town, the workers cannot really ask for compensation and there is no written policy for such damage. The town is not going to do anything about it. Unable to wipe away their mixed feelings, though it happened while they were at work, some workers are now car-pooling with the ones who still have their cars to commute.

It was Sunday, the 26th of July. All the 196 town office workers were called in at 9:50am to be prepared for the disaster. They were all running around, some telling locals where to evacuate and some frantically piling clay bags on top of the dykes. At 11am, the Nakagawa River which runs through the middle of town gave in and water gushed into the town office car park.

“The water level went up within a second”, said one worker. While they were first moving official vehicles to safe places, their own cars were disappearing under the water. “They are not going to go,” said another worker with a sigh.

According the town’s report, out of 126 cars, 86 were written off, 34 are under repair and 6 are still waiting for the assessment. Some still have loans owing and some couples lost both of their cars. Only half of them have automobile physical damage insurance and half of the insurance covers water damage.

One wagon which was bought only last August with a 6 year loan, was damaged. The estimated cost of repair was around JPY 1,300,000. He was recommended to write it off but because the loan was still JPY 1,800,000 and it would be “cheaper than buying a new one”, he chose to get it repaired. “I was really depressed when I heard how much it would cost” he said.

An automobile mechanic at “Kagetsu Motors” near the town office says that it costs at least JPY 1,000,000 if the engine goes under the water. Even if the engine is OK, quite often some electric parts and brakes get damaged after being under water and it costs JPY 300,000 to replace them.

There are not enough buses for commuters and most of them were relying their own cars, they are now car-pooling or renting a car to weather the storm.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there was no policy stated for compensation for damage to the workers possessions while at work in the Local Government Act and the Local Government Employees' Accident Compensation Act. For the local government to pay for such damages, first they have to write the policy.

A person who specialises in labour issues says that the town has no responsibility for compensation this time because natural disasters are unpredictable. While abnormal weather conditions such as sudden rainstorm has been norm these days, we now have issues for new systems of natural disaster compensation. This specialist pointed out that “it is time for people to get insurance for natural disasters and to think how to compensate society as a whole.”

I feel sorry for these people who went to do urgent public work but cannot ask for compensation for the damage while at work. I see some water-damaged cars at auction. They are usually 30 – 40% cheaper than the ones without water-damage. I wish there was a solution to save these hard-working people.



★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955

Toyota’s agony behind the smooth sailing of Prius sales

As you know, Toyota’s Prius is selling fast. The cars are selling so well that, even if you place an order today, you cannot get it before the end of March, 2010 and before the time when the government’s eco car tax cut runs out. However, because of this, Toyota is experiencing a sudden drop in the sales of their other brands such as the bread-and-butter car “Corolla” and “Mark Ⅱ”. They are facing a tough time now.

The numbers of new car sales of the Corolla in June was 6,468, 50% less than the corresponding period of the previous year. The Corolla is running in low gear coming 12th in the ranking of sales including mini-vehicles and 8th in the registered cars excluding mini-vehicles. In the accumulated total of sales for this year’s first half (from January to June), the Corolla was struggling and came 11th including mini-vehicles and 5th in the registered car base.

Not only within Toyota but worldwide, the Corolla has been the car that the world takes as the symbol of Japan’s domestic mass-produced vehicles. The Corolla had always had a fixed position as either number 1 or 2 in the registered car base but now, look at this. The Corolla’s sluggish sales also means that Toyota is in agony.

Although the new model Prius has the engine displacement of 1.8L, with an electric motor, they have similar power as 2.4L cars. They upgraded the interior from its old model. Its recommended retail price was originally set at 2.5 million yen but the new president Mr Toyoda decided to sell them for 2.05 million yen. With the government’s eco car tax cut, without automobile acquisition tax and weight levy, you can get one for the similar price as a 1.8 to 2 million yen Corolla.

“It is not how many we sell and how much we make. We have to make cars thinking what types of car people want and how much they are happy to pay for one”, said Mr Toyoda and promised rejuvenation of his company’s product line-up at his inauguration press interview. He said that the rejuvenation would start with “the Prius”.

This means that Toyota is applying a low margin, high volume policy as their business model. It also means that the Prius is going to eat up other Toyota cars, which might lead to their leading products such as the Corolla “forfeit its top spot”.

After the Japan Automobile Dealers Association expressed their concern that “Even if the economy recovers after 2010, with the reaction to the government’s cut-off of the subsidy, this might cause a drop in new car sales”, the voice asking the government to extend the temporary legislation of the eco car tax cut is getting industry-wide.

It looks like Toyota is coming back to life, thanks to the popularity of the Prius but they are worried how long it is going to last after the government stop the subsidy and thinking that no other cars apart from the Prius are selling well, they are scared of the war of attrition from the discount price war between the car manufacturers, following the cut.

So what are they going to do under the pressure? Toyota is facing a crucial test.

★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955

Old model Prius set a Guinness world record

Toyota’s “Prius”, the top selling car in Japan at the moment, is well-known for its energy-efficiency. There was a challenge drive recently to see how far it can go without refuelling.

The car used was not a new ZVW30 but an old NHW20. The fuel tank on the ZVW30 is the same 45L as the old NHW20. However, the tank on the ZVW30 can only put exactly 45L but if you keep filling up the tank on the NHW20 by giving it a tilt and fill it to the “limit”, it can contain 58L. So they decided to use a NHW20 because of the greater capacity of the tank.

They also chose Daikanbo (Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture / 969m above sea level), the highest peak of Mt Aso’s outer rim of the crater as the starting point. This was to use the approximately 10km downslope to earn more mileage. Of course, even after getting down to the flat area, they set the course so that they could keep the speed at 40km/h without annoying other drivers on the road and with the appropriate use of breaks they could hoard up the regenerative energy . For the Guinness Book of Records, there are some strict rules such as using a loop or a round-trip course would not be counted; so they had to set a course without breaking the rules but was effective for fuel efficiency.

Seven different drivers drove the 2000km course which went through 7 Prefectures in Kyushu and they were aiming to renew the old record of 2348.3km. When they started, the weather was cloudy but was not looking too bad. However, on the second day, the worst downpour of rain on record hit the north of Kyushu. With quite a few road closures and lane closures, they had to change the route a few times. After more bad weather followed and more course changes, on the 6th day, the last day of the challenge, they recorded 2349km. They kept going on the National Route and stopped near the border of Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture and Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture with the record of 2369.4km. The time they finished the challenge was 1:35am, in the middle of the night, the time it took was 63 hours and 35 minutes and the fuel efficiency was 39.9km/L. This record will be sent to the Guinness Book of Records and is expected to be approved by this autumn.

Well, it was a challenge we can really see the incredible fuel efficiency of the Prius. At the moment it is a 9 month wait even if you order one today and it will not be in time for the Eco-car Supplement which ends in March 2010; the government asked Toyota to increase production. Does Prius have a Guinness World Record not only in fuel efficiency but also for sales as well?


★ Japanese used car stock : http://jpctrade.com/stock/index.html
★ JPCTRADE Home page : http://jpctrade.com/
★ JPCTRADE Blog : http://jpctrade.blogspot.com/

(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
3B YS-Building, 1-2-2 Botan, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955