We all know that soda and other beverages, and even candy can be sourced from a street-side vending machine.  But in Japan they even have vending machines offering hot beverages like tea and coffee in the winter.  And now, guess what Japanese vending machines will be doing next?  They’ll be helping the Japanese motorists to charge their electric cars as well!

Recently, there was an announcement by a consortium of companies from Japan that they had decided on installing a number of electric vehicle chargers at beverage vending machines across the country.  The consortium comprises telecom companies, electronics makers, and a vending machine manufacturer – Forking Co. – an organization that owns around half of the vending machines, over one million in all, across Japan.

The reasons behind this interesting move include the setting up of additional recharging infrastructure in the country which was sadly lacking till now, and to bring about higher sales of electric cars.  According to Forking, eventually, the chargers will be incorporated into the vending machines themselves.

The innovative proposal of providing electric vehicle chargers at the ubiquitous street corner vending machines could also provide the solution to another problem.  It could help allay the fears and concerns in Japan about electric cars not being able to go a long enough distance on a charge.  To help relieve the apprehensions of consumers, Japan’s electric car manufacturers, Toyota and Nissan, had announced last year that they would be attempting to standardize the recharging stations across Japan, and would eventually create an international standard.  Electric cars usually have to depend on expensive batteries, but yet provide consumers with a disappointingly short driving range.  This is one of the main drawbacks of electric cars and the reason why they are still not very popular even though they are environment friendly vehicles.

Early this year, Mazda announced it was going to take a leap into the electric vehicle arena launching its own battery-operated vehicle in Japan by 2012.  Ford has announced its own lineup of electric car models in the US. President Obama has asked his countrymen to make the U.S. the first nation in the world to have one million electric vehicles on the road by the year 2015.  Till now however sales remain low.  As per Engadget’s announcement, only 67 Nissan Leafs and 281 Chevy Volts were sold in February in America, thus indicating brighter chances for Japan to lead the electric vehicle race.

During the first year of the project, scheduled to commence soon, the consortium plans to install 10,000 electric chargers at various vending machine sites across Japan.  So now electric vehicle  owners in the country can look forward to better recharging facilities.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Japanese, electric cars, vending machines, electric vehicle

The massive earthquake that occurred in the Miyagi prefecture of Japan on Match 11, has affected normal life in many parts of the northern Japan.  We were grateful to our customers who inquired about us well being. Osaka being far from the site of the earthquake, life is normal here.  However, Japan’s automotive sector was severely disrupted by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake followed by the tsunami that struck the country last Friday.

Currently, auto makers in Japan are constantly evaluating the destruction brought on by the earthquake and the tsunami that had ravaged the coastal regions along the Miyagi prefecture.  Their assessment has revealed that Japan’s car industry will be more deeply affected by these calamities than what was thought earlier.

Leading Japanese car makers like Honda Motor Co., Isuzu Motors Ltd., Hino Motors, Nissan Motor Co., and Toyota Motor Corp., have had to shut down their manufacturing plants in northern Japan after the earthquake disrupted the power supply.  Production is expected to be stopped till March 18 at most of the facilities in the affected areas.

Japan Quake Disrupts Auto Shipments

Nissan Motor announced that around 2,300 new vehicles had been swept away by the waves of the tsunami, two offices and four facilities were slightly damaged, and minor injuries were caused to employees at their Toguchi plant.  Nissan also reported it was still checking on its subsidiaries.

Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, has shelved production at eight of its ten plants, including the five factories exclusively manufacturing vehicles.

The damage reported at several large automobile factories was minimal, but things were worse for a few suppliers.  In the areas most severely affected by the earthquake, subsidiary operations also took a big hit. Such plants handled the production and supply of transmissions, brakes, torque converters, wheels, and other components.  The transportation networks required for moving vehicles and auto parts were so badly affected that a quick recovery may not be possible.

Most Japanese car makers, particularly Toyota, are known for carrying out tight operations with just-in-time inventory systems where the different components and sub-assemblies are assembled into vehicles soon after arriving at the main plant.  Some of the smaller suppliers located in the more severely damaged areas could take several days or even weeks to get back to their full capacity.

Labor, fuel supplies, electrical supply, rail and highway transportation, shipping ports handling cars for export, and many such elements that are crucially important for the production and distribution of vehicles were all disrupted by  the earthquake and tsunami.  Most auto makers may keep their assembly plants shut till the supply chain recovers sufficiently to handle the demands of normal production and this won’t happen very soon.

There is no denying that all Japanese car manufacturers have been badly affected by the recent calamities in some way or the other. Efforts are still on to also assess the full magnitude of the damage caused to the ports, ships, as well as the crew necessary for transporting the models to overseas markets.

We expect that all used car export activities from the major ports in Japan – Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama and Tokyo – to function as normal; however,  there may be delays in shipments of vehicles.

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Japan is the Giant ice sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival also known as Sapporo Yuki Matsuri in Japanese language.  This is the 62nd year of this winter event which has started yesterday being held at a former paralympics site in Sapporo city located in Hokkaido Prefecture of northern Japan.  The Sapporo Snow festival will last for one week, till Sunday, February 13.   The snow festival gets millions of visitors who brave sub-freezing temperatures to watch these awesome pieces of creation.

The sculptures in past years have varied from Japanese traditional cultural monuments like pagodas to other world famous monuments like the Taj Mahal.  Japanese anime cartoon characters and popular western characters like Spongebob Squarepants  have also found their way in the snow sculptures.   The sculptures also feature complex architectural feats and Japanese sports icons.

This year, there are more than 250 ice sculptures as well as snow sculptures displayed at the 62nd Snow Festival at Sapporo.  The works on display a variety of sculptures ranging from that of  Yuki Saito,  a famous baseball player in Japan who currently enjoys huge popularity in Japan to Disney characters.

Many of the sculptures this year have Asian themes to greet international visitors. This year an intricately carved Temple of Heaven – a UNESCO World Heritage site in China, has been recreated in ice during this winter event.  Daejeon, Sapporo’s sister city in South Korea has also been represented with snow sculptures of its modern buildings.  You can also find snow sculptures of Sazae-san a popular Japanese comic and TV show character.  And, you can also see a sculpture of the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Professor Emeritus Akira Suzuki of the Hokkaido University, in this snow festival.

This year’s international team participants are from countries like the Netherlands, Finland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Lithuania, New Zealand, Portland and Oregon.

The Sapporo snow festival has begun in 1950 when high school students build six snow statues in Odori Park in Sapporo.  Since then, this winter festival has become one of the biggest and most popular winter events of Hokkaido.

This event requires a lot of planning and its preparation started a month ago.   More than 6,000 truckloads of snow has been used for the creation of these sculptures.

This ice and snow sculptures turns Sapporo city into a winter crystal dreamland.  This snow festival is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Japan.  Last year about 2.5 million people visited this event.  Even sub-zero temperature cannot stop visitors from enjoying these wonderful sculptures.

If any of our customers is planning to visit us this week, please reserve your weekend for enjoying this beautiful snow sculptures in Sapporo.

Technorati Tags: Sapporo snow festival, Japan

Decotora truck owners are very passionate about the looks of their decorated trucks. They have an emotional attachment with their trucks and do not care about the money they spend in decorating these trucks.  What gives them the satisfaction and pride is the personalization and symbolic meaning of these art designs on their trucks. The trucks look like artsy monsters after decoration.  Seeing at this large scale decoration, anybody could easily confuse these Dekotora trucks to be something art related but automotive. Despite of so much decoration Dekotora trucks still retain their performance ability and are used as reliable workhorses.

You can see great variations in Dekotora truck design and art which often reflect the owner individual taste and choice.

Different types of Dekotora trucks

Dekotora trucks are styled in three different ways namely Kansai, Retro and Kanto.  Since 1990 onwards, these Dekotora have been greatly influenced by the art of Manga and Gundam.  Apart from these magazine influenced designs, it is very common to see decorations related to modern art or some of the retro design which bear resemblance to those found in the movie Trucker.

To show off the decoration of Decotora in the night time,  parts of trucks such as bumpers, the frame of the luggage rack and foils are illuminated using relay computer illumination patterns. Few people who don’t like all these decoration of Decotora do complain about that trucks look like a Pachinko parlors.

Owners of these decorated Japanese trucks ofte form groups or Dekotora communities. They organize shows to showcase Decotora trucks and arrange competitions for best decorated trucks. Prized Dekotora trucks are also showcased in some other events, as these giant trucks are also used as art promotion trucks .  Decotora shows are real crowd pullers, so the show surely becomes a hit.  If you ever visit Japan, keep your eyes open to spot these loudly decorated monster trucks.

Technorati Tags: Art trucks, Japan, Decotora, Dekotora, Dekotora trucks, Manga, Japanese trucks, trucks

Through Mega Web, Toyota displays all its products and brands, so that people can get closer view of all their products and get an opportunity to look at the latest technology in auto Industry.  Mega web is a giant  showroom built over an area of 24,000 square meters, which includes Car Museum, Theme park, E-com Ride and History Garage.  It has over 150 cars on display of over 70 various models. Apart from the cars, there are plenty of other things to do there to keep us entertained throughout the visit.

The main attraction of this Mega Web is the Toyota City Showcase where every one can have a look at all the latest as well as future brand of Toyota models. Visitors can actually test drive these cars, but since I went there on a Saturday, the place was so crowded and needed prior reservation for a test drive. You can test drive even luxury cars like the Lexus. There is an outdoor driving course for all car enthusiasts who want to test drive and experience the magic.

Then there is the Mega Theater where one can experience rides called as Ride One or E-com (Electric Vehicle Commuter)  Ride.  Ride One gives opportunity for test drive but only thing needed is a valid driving license.  Kids section has also been included so they enjoy their 150m circuit drive known as Kids Hybrid Ride One.  I truly missed my kids, I wished I could have got them along with me. I, however, took advantage of this opportunity and tried my hands at the E-com ride.  This ride costs just around two hundred yen, and it is definitely worth spending few yen on this.

There are also other areas of the Toyota Mega web which provides rides – the History Garage and Universal Design Studio.  History Garage section of Mega Web is the one were you can go back in to the history of Toyota and find out all the vehicles manufactured by Toyota from 1950 – 1970.  The Universal Design Showcase is a great learning experience as you can have closer look on how cars specifically designed to better suit our lives.  Car museum section displays iconic cars from all over the world which includes brands other than Toyota also.

Other attraction of this Mega Web is “Hybrid Wonderland” section which showcases the green side of automobiles. This section is designed specially for all Furl Cell powered and hybrid cars created by Toyota.  So that people can gather more knowledge about relatively less used hybrid cars.  Other than Toyota’s products, you can also get to know its latest technology which is used to design different cars.

Inside the Toyota Megaweb there are many restaurants for visitor’s refreshment.  So on a whole, my visit to Toyota’s Mega Web was entertaining, knowledgeable and fulfilling.  So you all can also visit Mega Web with your family or friends and spent your whole day enjoying.  If you are planning to visit Japan, I definitely recommend you to visit Toyota Megaweb at Odaiba.

Technorati Tags: Toyota, Car museum, Toyota Megaweb, Japan, Odaiba

Fuel consumption in trucks is influenced by three factors, namely, driver operation, driving circumstances which are outside the control of the driver and the vehicle itself. Significant amount of fuel can be saved just by practicing fuel conservative driving habits.  Tests show that a truck having average of about 35,000 miles yearly could alone reduce fuel consumption by more than 1,200 gallons just by using eco-driving techniques.

Research has shown that one can easily drive at a speed of around 30 km/hr without pressing accelerator even once, when one starts the vehicle slowly in low gear and engages the clutch. One can save about five cc of fuel this way. Moreover while running the truck there is no need for drivers to use accelerator as engines (rpm) revolutions per minute is very high. One should try to maintain steady speed while driving trucks which reduces the need for accelerating and decelerating trucks, which ultimately can help to cut down the fuel consumption.

If the speed of truck is reduced by 5 to 10 miles per hour while driving on highway; fuel economy can be enhanced up to 12% or even more. Idling of truck for long time also wastes fuel.

Make sure that tyres are properly inflated and avoid unnecessary use of the exhaust brake. It is advisable to use engine brakes as it requires longer distance to slow down the truck and fuel consumption is less. Other precaution to be taken to reduce the fuel consumption is to minimize the usage of electrical accessories, particularly air conditioning which can increase fuel consumption.

Thus Eco-driving is a cheap, simple and effective way to suppress about 10% fuel-burning CO2 spillage of every driver, which is large amount if properly applied to every type of vehicle usage. Japanese Government sponsors programmes promoting eco-driving with training campaigns, eco-driving program models and public events. Japanese truck manufacturers such as Isuzu also encourage eco-driving concept.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Japanese Truck, Eco driving, fuel consumption, Isuzu

Cherry blossom are special highlights of spring in Japan. Very few countries have the pink cherry trees which get covered wholly by flowers.  Though Cherry blossom can be seen only for week or so around April first week, those few days are the most glowing days of kyoto.  Many tourists visit Japan specially to experience the beautiful cherry blossoms also known as Sakura in Japanese language.

Japanese people love to sit under the cherry trees with their friends and families and watch the beautiful blossoms while eating and drinking – this style of flower viewing is also called as Hanami. In Kyoto,  the main attraction is “Cherry Blossom” festivals which take place everywhere in Kyoto during this time. Apart from this, “Cherry Blossom Dance” is another attraction of this season.  Different places in Kyoto experience different types of cherry blossom viewing.  Heian Shrine experiences  ‘weeping cherry-blossom’ trees while in Path of Philosophy one can leisurely walk through the shelter of  blossoms.

The short lived beauty of cherry blossoms has inspired many poets and philosophers in Japan. The Philosopher’s path  or ‘Tetsugaku no Michi’ in Kyoto is the special street lined by cherry trees, where many poets and philosophers indulged in their creative pursuits.

If you are coming to Osaka for buying Japanese cars from the used car auctions, you must have a visit to Kyoto in your itinerary. It is here you can get to know the real old Japanese culture.  Kyoto’s beauty also attracts many film makers to carry out shooting in its beautiful locations. Kyoto’s cuisines are equally famous for their taste. In Kyoto  can also get numerous types of delicacies which can be Buddhist due to its great influence in Kyoto and also different varieties of vegetarian food.

Technorati Tags: cherry blossoms, Kyoto, Japan, Sakura, Japanese, Hanami, Philosopher’s path, Japanese cars, used car auctions

This robot named HRP-4C is developed by scientists at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, in Tsukuba city, near Tokyo.  And this very robot will make a special appearance in Tokyo fashion show, next week. So models like Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn are going to have an ageless competitor now as they do the catwalk!

This robot has been created for the entertainment industry, and will go  on sale for about 20 million yen (US$200,000).  I wonder who will buy this robot at such a high price in this time of economic downturn.

The female robot has a feminine Japanese face, large doe-like eyes, a small nose and shoulder length straight hair.  It is 5’2″ tall, about the average height of Japanese women, and has 42 motion motors programmed to mimic the human like movements.

You can watch a preview of the video of this robot taken at Tsukuba city.

Technorati Tags: Japan, female robot, HRP-4C, Tokyo fashion show, Japanese

In Japan, New Year (shogatsu) is an important holiday season. Most businesses are closed in the first week of January.  Japanese people would typically be with their families to welcome the new year together.

January 1 is considered a very auspicious day in Japan.  It is best to start the new year by going to temple or shrine to offer prayers and watching the first sunrise (hatsu-hinode).  People clean their houses, shops and offices before the commencement of the new year. The new year day is supposed be full of joy and free of stress and anger and people prefer not to work on this day. However, many young people take this opportunity of a long holiday to visit nearby countries for vacation.

For those who can not visit Japan to welcome the new year in Japanese style, I am posting here a picture of sunrise at the Itsukushima shrine in Miyajima island, near Hiroshima. It is considered as one of the three most scenic places in Japan.

Technorati Tags: Japan, New Year, Japanese, Miyajima

The robot girlfriend may not be tall and blonde, but she doesn’t complain about dirty socks ! She is big-busted, petite, very friendly, and she runs on batteries. She can sing, dance and – should the occasion require it – hand out business cards. She could prove to be a good companion for lonely-hearted men everywhere; she can even kiss on command. The friendly robot is named “Ema”  standing for Eternal Maiden Actualization.

Sega Toys says they want to break the stereotyoe image of robots where the robots are associated with strong, tough and battle-ready, and want to provide a robot which is friendly and interactive.

There will be a big demand for this friendly robot when it will be released.  If any of you would like to own this robot, I can arrange to get one for you.

Technorati Tags: Japanese, girlfriend, robot, Japan