It's like squeezing a size 12 foot into a size 8 shoe

I received my car today. It's not a gift, but more like a company car. I may take it home, which is about a 5 minute walk from work, but I can't drive it outside of Shimane-ken (like a state). On the upside, they pay for all of the maintenance/upkeep and I can use it unlimitedly for personal use. What's the real problem you ask? The car is about as big one of my hiking shoes. Many of you remember my MINI Cooper. It was a small car but everyone thought it was pretty cute. My new car makes the Cooper look like an SUV. I go in and when I look to my right I have to look out of the BACK window - no joke! Getting in and out requires a shoe horn or a crane lift or a team of Japanese martial artists. I mean, if I didn't mind banging my head, my knee, my foot, and my elbow each time I get in, then I really wouldn't have anything to complain about, would I?

A few things are going to take some getting used to. First, I sit on the right side, not the left. Weird, but OK. The pedals are square in the center in front of my seat. It's like that WANT you to drive with both feet. This leaves virtually no room for my relatively gigantic left foot. So, I drive with it tucked under the other. This is probably better, since if I were to have an accident, my left shin would instantly be crushed by the dashboard. If it were a head-on collision, then I could expect the front bumper (about 18 inches in front of the windshield) to meet me in a fiery mess. Finally, we drive on the left side of the road, and it can get confusing when things get harried. Today, I turned left at a light and went for the right lane... There was oncoming traffic... It was embarrassing.

So as not to worry my mother, nearly ALL the cars here are this small too, so I could probably just stick my arm out the window and hold back the other car. Also, the speed limit is less than 40 mph everywhere up here in the mountains. Finally, the Japanese are obsessed with security, so the car probably turns into a giant ball of protective argon if I get into an accident.

Driving on the roads is also a bit fun. There are very few guard rails and all of the small streets have 12 inch wide and 18 inch deep street gutters. We call them "gaijin traps" here, because mostly it is foreigners that fall into them and have to get neighbors to help push the car out. Hopefully this will not happen to me.

Here is a link to the picture of my car...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemangos/209607205/

Enjoy!

Love you all,
Maikeru Mangosu
:-)