I often read that people in Japan often have emotional attachment to gadgets and robots.
But I cannot recall something about cars. Do you know if emotional attachment to cars is a thing in Janan?
Cars are not nearly as popular in Japan (or, in reality anywhere in the world) as they are in the US. Many houses and apartments don’t have garages, and the majority of the population uses (excellent) public transit.
Owning a car in Tokyo is a pain in the ass, and it has the lowest car per capita in the world.
That said, if you jump through the hoops to get a car, it’s probably because you like the car. Nobody there owns a car just to commute because public transport is cheaper and easier.
Not sure about the average person, but street racing and tuning have always been a big subculture in japan. People into that are certainly as in love with their cars as people who do that in the US.
A drivers license is hard to get in Japan unless a rich bad driver is trying on the same day.
The safety and inspections are at such a high standard that it is rare to see a car older than 10 years old on the road in Japan.
Under heavy costs like this, sentiment in objects is one of the first things to go, so only the car otakus are emotionally attached to their cars
A drivers license is hard to get in Japan unless a rich bad driver is trying on the same day.
How does this work?
From a story from family: he failed the driving test. He went to go again and passed and in the waiting area there were people talking about a professional athelete that was indirectly “going to pass no matter what” so this relaxed standard applied for that entire day.
