In the Panamera and Air-Cooled 911

Previously, I was invited by President Suga of WRP, who also invited me to a driving event at Fuji Speedway, and recently I went on a touring trip to Fukui Prefecture. I had been looking forward to participating with my family of four for a while, but the day before, my younger daughter caught a stomach flu… (This pattern is becoming a bit of a tradition, lol)

I thought, “Unfortunately, I guess I’ll have to stay home,” and gave up, but the medicine the doctor gave her worked wonders, and her condition improved instantly, so we were able to join the tour at the last minute.

Actually, this was my first time participating in a touring event. So I was a little nervous, wondering, “What will everyone talk about?” and “What kind of people will be there?” But once I joined, everyone was so nice, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable debut tour.

To Soranone Shokudo

Since WRP, the organizer, is a company based in Nagoya, many participants came from the Nagoya area, but since we were coming from Hyogo, we decided to meet up at the lunch break spot, Soranone Shokudo. Soranone Shokudo is located in Azumigawa, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture. It has the atmosphere of a dedicated natural-style restaurant, where you can enjoy meals cooked with rice steamed in a traditional kamado stove and vegetables grown locally.

*Image source: Soranone Shokudo

On the morning of the day, we left home at 8:30 a.m. My husband drove the air-cooled 911 (964C2), and I took the Panamera with the girls. We got on the Meishin Expressway and headed toward our destination, making good time, but the area where we got off the highway was quite congested. Well, that’s what happens on holidays.

After that, we drove about 30 minutes on local roads and decided to stop at a convenience store for a break. There were many rice paddies around, and since it was rice planting season, the kids unexpectedly got excited, saying, “There’s so much water!”

I realized… these kids have never seen rice planting or young rice plants in the fields before.

I was born and raised in the countryside of Kyoto, surrounded by rice paddies, so this scenery is familiar to me. In elementary school, we used to borrow nearby rice paddies for rice planting and harvesting as part of our lessons, and every year we had the tradition of “making and eating mochi with rice we harvested ourselves.”

During rice planting, we would go barefoot into the paddies, and the students would shout things like “Ouch! A leech bit me!” or “Look, it’s sucking blood!” while planting rice with lots of excitement… but nowadays, for safety reasons, such experiences might no longer be possible.

After gazing at the rice paddies for a while, we set off again toward Soranone Shokudo. The area had beautiful and refreshing farm roads, but there were many slow-moving cars, so we couldn’t drive as smoothly as we wanted. Well, it’s a local road for residents, so that’s understandable.

About five minutes before the destination, the road suddenly became narrow. There were spots where only one car could pass. The air-cooled 911 is compact, so it was easy, but the Panamera was just barely squeezing through, which made me nervous.

After passing through this mountain road, we arrived at a cluster of houses, and I thought, “Is there really a restaurant here?” But just around the next corner was Soranone Shokudo.

It’s a lovely, lush green spot. In the back, I could see horses grazing. Looking toward what seemed to be the parking area, there were already Porsches and other classic cars gathered!

“Porsches on a green carpet“… It felt a bit odd, but surprisingly it suited the scene well. About 30 people and roughly 15 cars participated in this tour. Looking at the license plates, there were cars from Hamamatsu, Nagoya, and also Kobe plates like ours.

By the way, at this restaurant, I ordered the kamado rice set, and the kids had curry rice. Every side dish allowed us to fully enjoy the natural flavors of the ingredients; the food was delicious and felt nourishing.

After lunch, the owners and their families exchanged information, and the kids ran around barefoot… I thought, “It’s crazy to drive a Panamera on such sandy, grassy ground,” but the kids seemed very happy to be running free in nature.

Next page → Touring the bright blue Japan Sea coast in the Panamera under clear skies!

Heading Toward the Japan Sea

After playing and chatting for a while, we set off toward the coastal roads of Fukui. The weather gradually cleared up.

Looking to the side while driving, the deep blue Japan Sea stretched out below. Its color was different from the Pacific Ocean’s, a deeper blue, and very beautiful.

I used to have the image that “the Japan Sea is cloudy, with crashing waves and rough seas,” but on a clear day, the Japan Sea is so beautiful. It was a wonderful view.

It was so beautiful that we suddenly stopped at a parking lot along the way for a photo session. Meanwhile, the girls in the Panamera were fast asleep.

Seeing them sleeping like this made me wonder if I had driven quite aggressively on the mountain roads… (-_-) After that, we headed to our final destination, the souvenir spot in Tsuruga, Nihonkai Sakana Machi. The roads along the way were also very nice.

While toll roads like the various “○○ Line” driveways are of course beautiful, it’s the unnamed wide farm roads and coastal roads that are truly wonderful. I was reminded that Japan still has many great roads. We safely arrived at our destination, Nihonkai Sakana Machi.

Here, you can buy seafood souvenirs, and you can also eat seafood bowls and sashimi on site. The place was quite crowded with groups. However, since our family isn’t very interested in gourmet food, after walking around a bit, we only bought Habutae mochi.

While waiting for everyone to finish shopping, I couldn’t talk to everyone, but I had a nice chat with a family who came in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Apparently, the husband bought a manual Giulietta, and now the wife drives it skillfully.

We joked, “Oh! Another wife brainwashed by her husband, huh? lol” and had a fun conversation. There were also people who already knew this blog… I was reminded once again that people who love cars are really good people.

After the event, we took the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway home. My husband, who was driving behind me, took photos of the Panamera’s rear. It looks so tough. No wonder no one tailgates it, lol.

About the Panamera

This was my first time joining a tour in the Panamera, and after returning home, I had this thought:

“The Panamera is an incredibly good car, but somehow it felt a bit lacking.”

(I fully expect to be scolded with “No, no, no! Who do you think you are saying that!!”)… But it was the first time I felt this way after driving the Panamera, so I was a little surprised myself.

The Panamera has excellent high-speed stability and is stress-free even on long highway drives. It handles mountain roads well, turning smoothly without any sense of its large size. The rear seats are spacious and comfortable, and I even think, “There’s no better car for family drives than this wonderfully made vehicle.”

However, it’s also true that it’s “such a perfect car that there’s little room for the driver’s involvement.”

Even someone like me, who isn’t confident in driving, can rely on the Panamera to drive well without any problems. On mountain curves, there’s no need to think about weight transfer; no matter when you brake or accelerate, it turns in smoothly and confidently. It even makes you feel like your driving skills have improved.

In other words, it’s such a well-engineered car that it’s hard to feel like you’re really driving it yourself. Having driven the Panamera for over three years now, maybe I’m just getting used to it, but this time I really felt that the Panamera is like a model student of cars.

When I told my husband this, he said:

“If you want to really unleash the Panamera Turbo’s potential, you’d have to go to the unrestricted speed zones on the Autobahn or the Nürburgring. In Japan, there aren’t many places where the Panamera Turbo can show its true worth, so it ends up being a wasted treasure. Also, as Matsutoya-san once said, ‘I prefer cars with a bit of character rather than perfect ones. That’s why I still cherish my 996 GT3.’ I think that’s true.”

I see.

Still, if you asked me, “So, will you switch to a different car instead of the Panamera?” I don’t think I could. I’d probably end up driving it every day, thinking, “Ah… the Panamera was so good… I miss the Panamera…” (lol).

That much is certain: the Panamera is a wonderful car.

But I never thought I’d feel this way. Well, for now, I’ll focus on getting better at driving the BMW 320i first!