The greatest thing about K-car
Left: standard sedan, Right: K-car
I got into a K-car today, and despite its size, it actually didn’t seem so small from the inside and was more spacious than I thought! Not only are the backseats roomy and wider than some luxury cars (e.g. expensive German cars!), but you can also load a bunch of things in there once you put the seats down! “What about tall guys like me?” you say? No need to worry! People who are 180cm tall can easily fit in comfortably in K-cars! You can even try fitting in an open umbrella easily (if you really wanted to!)!
You definitely won’t find K-cars anywhere outside of Japan. Why not give it a shot while you’re here?
Who knows? You might end up liking it a lot!
Japanese K-Car
The first thing that surprises you when you come to Japan is the small size of the cars.
Those cars are call “K” or “Mini car” or “light automobile.”
You can easily tell which car is “K” because its license plate is yellow.
Its engine capacity is below 660cc, and the body length is less than 11.42 feet and 4.86 feet width, but it can still hold four passengers and have the maximum loading capacity of 771.6 lb or less.
K is easier to drive with the snow because of 4WD.
According to the report, Japan’s average number of Kei is 36% in Japan, and it is 44% in my hometown, Nagao prefecture.
Japan has become a real “K kingdom” and the Japanese automobile competitions developed a K into a real comfortable and affordable car.
High Competition of Japanese Vending Machine Deals
There are 5.4 million vending machines in Japan.
One Coca-Cola costs you 120 yen or $1.40
But, some of vending machines sell for a quarter less.
The vending machine technology is of such a high standard and brings many conveniences to peoples’ lives.
For example, you can buy hot or cold drinks from one vending or a cup noodles which comes with hot water.
So, you can buy a drink or dinner everywhere 24/7 and cheaper.
The secret of empty cans on the sidewalk
Photo by Tomoko
Recently, I see empty cans on the sidewalk in my neighborhood.
They are placed on trees, signs and everywhere.
In Japan, the smoking population is still high. Even though some cities banned smoking while walking on the street, many Japanese still do.
We brought ideas to the table, and this is what we came up with to prevent from littering cigarette butts and keep our parks clean.
These empty cans are used as ashtrays.
“Omiwatari” – Passage of the Gods
Omiwatari from previous year
Omiwatari happens in Lake Suwa this year, too.
This is a natural phenomenon in Lake Suwa, Nagano Prefecture. When the whole lake got frozen, the ice on the lake cracks in a night because ice shrinks when cooling. Water seeps through a crack and it turns to a thin layer of ice. The expansion of the ice during daytime breaks the layer, and the broken ice heaves. Repeating the cycle of ice expansion and contraction due to daily temperature variations makes omiwatari. Shinto priests will judge a fortune about a good or bad harvest for the year by the traces of omiwatari.
According to a legend, omiwatari was the route that a male god took to visit a female god.
If you come to Japan winter, you may want to visit to Lake Suwa to see this fantasy event.