I have never really seen the need to own a car in Tokyo. If I need to get out -- I rent. Simple. Why pay for a car and then incure all the extra upkeep and maintenance costs that go with it. I would say the average parking fee alone is 40,000 a month. That doesn't include the cost of parking when you finally reach your destination.

I sometimes imagine what the city would look like if cars were no longer needed......
pretty sweet.

 

Hm, I disagree with this person. Perhaps the domestic market is tiring of domestic makers.
Open the market MUCH more to non-Japanese makers and I guarantee there will be a buying frenzy.

 

If they have a family.

 

In the big city a car is useless but on the country side a car is really usefull. i was surprised when i moved to the country side how many car dealers there are

 

It is quite an oddity that Japan is so car crazy even though cities like Tokyo and Osaka have the least need for them. Tokyo should be looking at laws limiting car access in the cities much like other countries are doing.

A lot of people know, including myself, have developed such bad respiratory problems and it`s a helluva lot worse than the silly "smoking on the sidewalk" laws that have gone into effect. However, it is a start.

 

I echo bijou's sentiments. People are making rational decisions about car buying and just realize that, if living in the city (most Japanese do), they aren't really necessary. And reallyreal, the Japanese market IS open to non-Japanese makers- I see lots of VW and BMW cars on the road here. Funny since many VW cars have poor reliabilty/build quality issues, and US makers are better in this area. Somehow the Germans get over this by building cars that match the market...

 

Come to Daikoku Futo on a Friday night. Plenty of kids driving brand new cars.

 

If they install Louis Vuitton air bags, 365 degree make up mirrors, inboard nail polishers, optional blow dryer and Morning Musume mens make up kit, then those asexual poodles we see with dangley 80s style earings may get interested in cars.

 

are of course a direct result of a shrinking population. The premise that you could sell more cars to fewer people is a little stretched. In addition, people keep their cars longer than in the past because the vehicles are of better quality: they simply last longer and it is better economics. I see nothing wrong with a smaller automotive industry. Let it diversify and invest in the environment. Responsible forestry, agriculture, planting trees and find a way to turn a small profit. Give something back to the earth; that which it has taken in overdoses for decades.

 

When I go back home I won't be buying Japanese either. Korean cars are pretty good and a bit cheaper with a better warranty. I don't care how hard these Japanese companies have it. adjust.

 

You can't even drive past shops. Especially the 7-11, seven eleven places that have sprung up like mushrooms everywhere and often in the most impossible places without parking lots so the cars are on the corner, on the cross walk, double parked, on both sides of the street in areas where parking is prohibited - this is everywhere in cities by the way. How do these businesses get a permit? Why is there never a cop in sight? Why is it when there is an accident people get barked at by arrogant law enforcement officers (what a joke these days), why do insurance companies get to decide who is liable to pay damages? Why are traffic rule violation settling disputes so fuzzy? A hundred more questions may arise. Simple answer: Because this is Japan. Logic and reason differ from other parts of the world. Take it or leave it. Sorry if this is a bit off topic!

 

In the United Sates, Toyota and Honda are considered high-quality cars for the money. The Toyota hybrid is very famous.

With the great "public transportation" i read about in Japan. I can see a family of four (two adults, two children) having the need for 1 car. In the United States they would have 3-4 cars.

Big fast cars, should die like the dinasour. Just make gasoline expensive.

The day of cheap oil will fade soon.[
.

 

This is the first I've heard of Japanese people losing their lust for cars.

 

For personal transportation it is hard to beat a motorcycle on efficiency, it's an engine you ride. However, because for most people a motorcycle reflects a sort of prisoner's dilemma regarding their own survival chances, they aren't very popular. While I love bicycles more, I would love to not be afraid of getting owned by a car while traveling long distance on a motorcycle. However US accident statistics for motorcycles makes me more terrified than any horror movie.

 

but a car in Japan is a lot less necessary than in the US. In the city taxis and public transit will take you anywhere you want. We had 3 cars in the States and up until a few months ago had 2 here. We just got rid of my Pajero and kept my wife's VW Cabrio. The parking and shaken and everything else just wasn't worth it. For family trips now we will just have to rent a van. The only reason we had the big car was extended family weekends out to Unzen or my in laws vacation house in Omura.