Year-End Porsche 911 Touring

Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone, I was able to recharge slowly over the holidays. I look forward to your continued support this year.

Now, at the end of 2021, my husband went on his usual solo touring trip. Meanwhile, I returned to my parents’ home with the kids and enjoyed a relaxing break.

This time, he headed north in the 911 Carrera 4 GTS (991.1) he bought last fall in search of snow. The reason was to test the performance of the Carrera 4 GTS equipped with winter tires.

As expected from an all-wheel-drive, the Carrera 4 GTS had no trouble driving on snowy roads and was said to be incredibly stable. However, when driving on snow that wasn’t compacted, the 911 almost acted like a snowplow, making it difficult to drive. So he ended up heading south, driving through Okayama and Shikoku before returning home.

And then,

“Next time, I want to try going with the Cayenne on winter tires!”

he said (laughs).

I think he’ll write an article about his 2021 year-end touring experience sometime later.

A Slightly Unusual Couple’s Dynamic

Not just during the New Year holidays, but whenever there’s a long break, my husband and I often spend time separately: “He goes touring, while I relax at my parents’ place with the kids.”

Recently, a car enthusiast friend asked me about this separate way we spend time.

“Don’t you ever feel bad that your husband goes solo touring alone during long holidays?”

I’ve been asked this many times before, but honestly, “Now that you mention it, it’s not the usual way couples spend time, but I don’t really mind at all.”

I’m probably brainwashed by my husband and have become numb to it (lol).

For him, going solo touring in his beloved car is a reward for working hard, a precious time to reflect and think about the future, and a special journey with his favorite car… It means a lot in many ways.

Also, my husband turns the idea of “being free while earning enough so that his wife never complains” into a positive pressure that motivates him at work.

As his wife, I’m more than happy that he works hard to earn well, so since learning about his mindset, I’ve come to think, “He can go solo touring or whatever he wants as much as he likes.”

Besides, the fact that I’m also given freedom is a big part of it.

If he had freedom but I didn’t, I’d probably be furious and things would be a mess by now (lol).

But instead, I’m free too—I write my blog, work from home while spending time with the kids, use various services to make housework easier… I get to do what I like.

From this, the feeling of “If my husband is free, I can be free openly too” has grown (laughs), and I feel this way of spending time suits us well as a couple.

Goals for 2022

So here we are at the start of 2022.

For years, I’ve made it a habit at the beginning of each year to decide on at least one new challenge to take on that year.

A few years ago, it was things like learning to drive a manual transmission or work-related challenges… I want to keep living a life full of curiosity and challenges no matter how old I get.

By the way, here are my goals for this year:

・Visit the Royu Driveway
・Take English conversation lessons and get comfortable speaking English
・Fully launch a new project I prepared last year

Last year, since our eldest son was still very young, we hardly visited the Royu Driveway. But now that things have settled a bit, I hope to visit the Royu Driveway when it gets warmer and have the chance to connect with everyone.

Also, this year I decided to try online English lessons for a full year. First, I want to get used to English and gradually become able to speak it.

Actually, a few years after starting this blog, I vaguely thought, “It would be great to become friends with Porsche employees in Germany someday.”

After buying my own Porsche, I want to visit the Porsche Museum in Germany again.
Then, before going, I’d email them saying, “I actually write a Porsche blog in Japan,” apply for a factory tour, and communicate with local staff in English while being guided around the factory. That would be amazing.

Well, it’s totally a daydream, but nothing starts without taking a first step, so I decided to start online English lessons for now (lol).

2022 looks like it will be a busier and more challenging year than ever, both personally and professionally. I have no idea what the situation will be like by the end of the year (which is a bit worrying, but also exciting), and I’m looking forward to it.

I hope to continue blogging and doing Twitter Spaces at my own pace, enjoying it with my husband. Thank you for your continued support of “Welcome Home, PORSCHE” this year.