Ray Ho 07/12/2025

With my recent trip to Japan, I did a road trip in the central and northern parts of the country. I racked up over 1000 miles in a little over a week driving from Sendai to Morioka and up to Aomori, and then traveled down to Fukushima. Throughout this trip, I encountered many interesting cars, and many of them belong to the Kei car category. Kei cars, or “light cars,” are limited to 660 cc max engine and 63 HP and come in tiny packages. I think I have Amazon boxes that are comparable in size. Their minuscule dimensions are one of the reasons why they don’t exist in the states; they would not pass the safety standards to share the roads with the F-150s. They are perfect for the roads in rural Japan, though. Their maneuverability, ease of parking, gas efficiency, and affordability make them an overwhelming choice. They are seen everywhere. They even have designated parking spots. Sure, we have compact spaces here too, but the difference is that drivers in Japan actually respect the rule. No, SUVs, or crossovers, whatever, are not compact cars!

The next time I road trip in Japan, I will rent one of those Kei cars. For this time, I rented a Corolla station wagon from Toyota Car Rental. Being that this is the first time driving in Japan, I wanted to rent a reliable car from a reputable company. What is more reliable than a Toyota? No, you don’t have to answer. The Corolla station wagon is not available in the states. It also has a “C” badge in the front, which made it go much faster on the expressways, where I incidentally tallied about $200 in tolls. Of course that doesn’t include any speeding fines I may incur later. I had a great time driving in Japan. If you ever visit rural Japan, I highly recommend renting a car, preferably a Kei car.

So far my favorite Kei cars is the “Hustler” by Suzuki. A close second is the Baby G, err, I mean the Suzuki Jimmy. Which is your favorite? Besides the F-150, of course.