The Japanese are truly car crazy. In addition to all their wonderful domestic steel, during our recent Japan trip we saw more Lamborghinis and Ferraris in a couple of commutes along the Tokyo-Yokohama wangan than we see in the States all year. We also encountered obscure marques and models that we’ve never seen in the US, period, such as Autobianchis, Ginettas and Lotus Europas. And only in Japan can you have magazines like Garage Life, devoted to the art of the perfect garage.
But if all that isn’t enough for you, there’s the upcoming Garaging Expo 2009. The three-day event is a show dedicated solely to building, designing and accessorizing your dream garage. Not cars, just the room where the cars sleep at night. Someday after we win the lottery, we will attend this show. Then we will finally learn how to upgrade our oil-stained concrete floors and wobbly workbenches to one of these glass-walled Garage Mahals that let us view our hakosuka GT-R from the comfort of our living room.
That type of garage is the kind that just leaves you… in awe.
Haha… nice.
“Honey, I’m back from the meeting with the architect…”
“Great, how are the plans looking?”
“The plans look awesome, come and see!”
*5mins later*
“…the garage is inside the house.”
“Yeah! Isn’t that great?”
*slap*
Wimminz, they just don’t understand!
always leave an open garage space for her car and you’ll be ok
You know why the car sits inside the house…. because there’s no space for the garage…. Sounds like a joke but is reality. You really have to live in the country side or be super rich to own a enclosed garage. When I was living in Japan, I chose in between the country side and the city, since I had to commute into the city.
Here’s pictures of my tiny garage:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koich/189289491/sizes/l/in/set-1519437/
The house actually sits on top of the garage:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koich/70697571/sizes/l/in/set-1519437/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koich/322907820/sizes/o/in/set-72157594421159332/
I still own the house, but don’t plan to live there.
As a people, the Japanese rarely do something halfway. The garage is IN the house; why didn’t i think of that?!?