Car Time – January 2025

    Part of a two-week getaway in November to Japan again, my wife and I planned a day to go to Motegi in the countryside where Honda’s second racetrack and collection hall was located.
    Having been to Suzuka, Honda’s first racetrack, for Formula 1 in 2022, Motegi was next on the list. Unfortunately, unlike Suzuka, a train would only get us so far. Weighing the options, a taxi could take us there but would be ridiculously expensive and the bus wasn’t a guarantee due to scheduling. For the cost, we figured why not rent a car for the first time there and drive instead?
    Before leaving the USA I needed to obtain an International Driver’s Permit from AAA. After paying a fee for the permit and passport pictures, I was handed a small booklet that allowed me to drive in different countries for one year.
    Renting a car was very last minute, so I brushed up on Japan’s road laws and needed to book a rental one week before our flight. Being in Japan, I did the stereotypical route of wanting to rent a Nissan GT-R. Luckily there was a Japanese Domestic Market sports car rental just on the outskirts of Tokyo.
    I wanted to rent an older manual GT-R from the 1990s since they were never sold in the United States, but sadly they were all were booked. That left only the newer R35 GT-R with 565 horsepower with a dual clutch automatic available.
    The rental process was straightforward. We went over the paperwork, did a visual inspection of the R35 GT-R and received the keys. For the first few minutes behind the wheel, I remember repeatedly telling myself “keep left” while maneuvering tight small neighborhood streets that suited Japanese Kei (very small) cars.
    Initially it was a rewiring of my brain on how to drive, since the steering wheel is on the right side and driving is conducted on the left side of the road. I was reprogramming as I drove, not to mention the fact that the turn signal is on the opposite side of where it is in the United States, so all the while I was double-checking that I was using the turn signal and not the windshield wiper stock by accident.
    Japan’s road laws are not complicated, but the biggest surprise was the high quality of their driving etiquette. Slow drivers did not hog the passing lane as it’s illegal. Drivers allowed others to properly merge and pass, people expressed their gratitude, and everyone used their hazards and horns as intended for safety and not as rage buttons.
    The roads were very well taken care of and signs were well-lit and clean.
    Our destination was roughly a two-hour drive through small towns, a freeway and backroads. Once I quickly became comfortable driving, I started to enjoy the GT-R on its home ground. I couldn’t have asked for a better first-time experience driving in Japan.