Japanese

Regardless as to whether you call it the off-road-ready Wrangler of Asia, the Suzuki Sidekick, or the micro-sized G-Wagen of Japan, there is one thing that you cannot ignore: The Suzuki Jimny is a massive hit.

A massive typhoon had just blanketed the majority of Japan in torrential rain, and shortly after letting-up, my wife tells me that we were going shopping. Unsure as to whether anything would be open I opted to tag along, secretly hoping to discover another interesting Japanese automobile.

Have you ever seen the film Lost in Translation? The one where a completely washed-up Bill Murray goes to Tokyo in order to ride whatever fame he has left in his sad career by selling his image via Japanese whiskey commercials?

It’s mid-March in Yokohama, and I’m feeling a bit on edge over the weather. The forecast calls for rain, followed by slushy snow, and then a massive mess of sticky-sweet sakura pollen. My sinuses don’t feel up for it, my head is swimming from the time difference, and there are a slew of things I still must do ahead of my big day with Nissan.