So my friend Chris did his presentation about cars.
It was cool.
Japan is an interesting place to find car culture. There is no need for cars here. The public transportation system is awesome and allows you to get anywhere you want to go within a reasonable amount of time.
So, why do people want cars?
According to Chris, people want cars, not because they are useful for something, or they need to commute or whatever. It is because they want to be a car owning person.
There are many people in Japan who, having bought a car, proceed to leave it in what passes for a driveway. Most people who own cars probably don’t use them much. Which makes sense with the public transit an all. Interesting.
Cars are expensive in Japan
First, you need a driver’s license. these cost ~$3000, because, like I said, cars are not needed–they are a luxury item. Makes sense doesn’t it?
Then, before you can buy a car, you need a place to park it. Garages at home, unless they were there before are not such a great choice. Why? Because the taxes for building a garage are the same as for building a house, garages are expensive.
Like I said, interesting.
Later.