Another point of interest is that the vast majority of cars made for Americans are not seen in Japan. Cars like Sentras, Altimas, and Maximas are everywhere in the States, but not one of them is available here. Niether are Avalons, Camrys, Solaras, Millenias, 626s, etc., etc., etc. Not one mini-van you'll see in the US is here, even though about every third vehicle here is one. And, like I mentioned, Xterras, Land Cruisers, and every other Japanese-made SUV and truck made for Americans, with the exception of the 4-runner, are all absent, as well. Even the small pickups aren't around. About the only thing you will see are the sports cars. There are occasional Celicas, Supras, RX-7s and such, mixed in with the things we can't have.

All of these vehicles are split into two categories based on engine size. There are "yellow plates", which means they have a yellow license plate, all of which have an engine size of 1 liter or less. Most actually have a screaming 660cc motor (often turbocharged), which is right at half the size of my motorcycle's. They all get excellent mileage I'm sure, they're cheap (all are under $10,000), and a couple I've been in are actually surprisingly nice. They'd never make it in the US though, as they would be nothing more than a fly on the windshield if they got rear-ended by a cellphone-using soccer mom in her 8,000 pound SUV (that could then brag about how safe her SUV is while they scrape the innocent but very dead victims off the pavement). Everything else (over 1 liter) is a "white plate", and as you'd guess, they have white license plates.

Other than the motor sizes and plates, the only other thing to point out about the two is the huge difference in the shaken fees. Apparently the shaken on yellow plates is minimal compared to that of white plates. Steve's used car is several years old and has a small engine for a white plate, yet his shaken is $1500. I looked at a few used yellow plate cars and the shaken was in the neighborhood of $400. So, it becomes clear that the Japanese goverment wants everyone to use public transportation or at least drive a small car that gets really good mileage and isn't a road hazard to everyone around it.

Lastly, I'm stumped by the fact that there are really fast cars EVERYWHERE, but few places, if any, to go really fast. Unlike the open interstates in the US where the road is often several lanes wide and essentially unmonitored (like some spots of I-75 near Tampa where it is possible to nearly triple the speed limit), most of the roads here are too narrow to go really fast without having a heart attack, and the highways have numerous cameras that nab speeders electronically. I was told that speeding fines START at $200, yet I see 350s, turbo-charged Sylvias, Celicas, Skylines, and 3000GTs (and even a Corvette) all over the place. Must be very frustrating.

A Mazda stationwagon above, and the Nissan Cube (the real, and very appropriate name) below.

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