Shiotsu Autotrade - President’s Blog

Kinokawa is a small town in Wakayama prefecture of western Japan. There is nothing special about this town, but a cat named Tama has made the town very famous in Japan.  

Tama, a 9 year old calico cat is appointed as stationmaster of Kishi Station in Kinokawa. She has been officially working for last two years. Two other cats were named deputy stationmasters at the same Kishi Station. Stationmaster Tama, wearing a formal railway uniform cap, and two other cats often welcome passengers at the unmanned Kishi Station. The railway company feeds her in lieu of salary.

In Japan, you will often see small sculptures of lucky cat called Maneki Neko. These cats are supposed to bring luck.  Tama is also bringing luck to Kinokawa town. The station went unmanned in April 2006 as the railway line was losing money. But since Tama was appointed as the stationmaster, number of passengers using the line increased dramatically. The Wakayama railway company  expressed its appreciation of the cat’s role in boosting business by promoting her to super stationmaster and also by giving her a spacious stationmaster’s office equipped with a ventilation fan and a toilet.

The operator of the grocery shop at the station has been keeping the three cats. Tama became a national star when she appeared in books and documentaries.  She is also set to appear in a French documentary film about wonder cats around the world.

Technorati Tags: Kinokawa, Japan, Tama, cat, Station, stationmasters, Maneki Neko

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, recently said in a statement that Nissan is aiming to launch an electric car in the Japanese and US market by 2010. Nissan aims to offer their electric cars globally by 2012, in their long term plan.

In this world of rising gas prices and pollution, Nissan Electric Cars would also be able to meet the stricter fuel-economy standards in developed nations through this initiative.

Nissan has plans to develop subcompact electric cars powered by self-developed lithium-ion batteries. With this Nissan has now become the first Japanese automaker to announce their plans to develop and sell mass market, all-electric vehicles globally.  This would put them in direct competition with domestic rivals Honda and Toyota both of which are already selling hybrid cars in Japan and USA.

Technorati Tags: Nissan, electric car, Japanese, cars, pollution, Honda, Toyota, hybrid, Japan

We constanly hear all the talk about the rising gas prices, importance of fuel economy,innovations of Hybrid Cars and how they are sweeping the whole world.  Honda and Toyota  can not build them fast enough to meet the rising demand for hybrids. One of our customers recently inquired if there are any hybrid trucks made in Japan. And my answer was Yes.

Hino Motors, the heavy-truck division of Toyota, already offers the Hino 165 Hybrid in Japan since 2003.  Hino 165 Hybrid is powered by a diesel/electric hybrid system.  However, this truck currently sells for more than $100,000, so not affordable by many people. The fuel saving is a solid 14 to 27% over the conventional models like the Isuzu and other competing trucks.

Canter Eco Hybrid from Mitsubishi Fuso is another energy-efficient medium-duty truck in the world.  With its diesel-electric drivetrain, the Canter offers the best of both worlds: a Li-ion-powered electric motor that kicks into action during stop-and-go driving (ideal for city-bound, delivery-type trucks like this), and a high-efficiency, cleaner-burning diesel engine for highway cruising.  The result is a 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over similar trucks, and the first commercial truck to meet Japan’s new long-term emissions regulations, which came into effect August 2007.

Because of the relative efficiency of modern (bio) diesel engines compared with petrol engines, diesel hybrids are becoming a popular, if still more costly twist on typical hybrid cars.

Technorati Tags: Hybrid, Cars, Honda, Toyota, Japan, Hino, Isuzu, Canter, diesel

With the cost of oil continuing to climb past $100 a barrel, many say $4.00+ a gallon will soon be a reality. Many researchers are working on alternative fuels and improving car engine efficiency to take control of this fuel crisis.

Recently, one of my friends showed me his old used car which he has modified to run on water and gas. Does it not sound unbelievable?

Well, his modified car works on a principle called Hydrogen On Demand System which uses  a little electricity out of your car/truck battery, to separate water into a gas called HHO (2 parts Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen).  The HHO gas is 3 times more potent than gasoline, so when the HHO gas is mixed with gasoline, the results are claimed to be simply amazing - leading to increased fuel efficiency by over 100%.  

I won’t recommend you to convert your new car to run on water. However, if you have a spare old car or truck, and you are a DIY fan, you can definitely try to run it on water.  You can find more information about this system on  Water4Gas Cars website.  You can also order all the necessary parts from Water4Gas Cars site.  Please let me know your experience if you try this modification on your car or truck.

Technorati Tags: used car, water, HHO, gasoline, fuel efficiency, car, truck, Water4Gas

Golden week is over now and people are getting back to busy work life once again in Japan. To those who may not know what is ‘Golden Week’, it is a group of national holidays in Japan, beginning with April 29 and ending with May 6. It is not only one of the longest holidays in Japan, but also one of the most popular holidays. Many businesses close for about a week to 10 days depending on the calender. So, if you are going to Japan on business, you should never go during the Golden Week. However, if you are looking for a lovely time of the year and get a first hand experience of Japanese culture, by all means, you should visit during this period.

Many Japanese take this holiday as an opportunity to travel overseas as well as inside Japan. So, many sightseeing and amusement places are very crowded at this time. Also, airports and train stations in Japan are overflowing with people. It is extremely hard to get reservations for accommodations and transportation around this time.

Apparently the origin of Golden Week comes from the movie industry. They thought it would be a “golden opportunity” for people to have the time to go to the movies. Major holidays in the Golden week are birthday of the former emperor Shouwa, Constitutional memorial day, and Children’s day.

Technorati Tags: Golden week, Japan, Japanese, culture, holiday

Recently one of our customers from Chile imported few used Japanese Tow trucks. He was very impressed by the way Japanese tow trucks lift cars in the street. Though we are used to such scenes in Japan, many foreigners find it very interesting. So, I am publishing this video of a heavy duty tow truck lifting a broken car from the street.

If you wish to import such used tow trucks from Japan, we will be happy to serve your needs.

Technorati Tags: Chile, used, Japanese, Tow trucks, trucks, cars, Japan