To Royu Driveway Yesterday evening, my husband said, “I’m just going for a quick drive,” and headed out. After that, I took our daughter to drop off some laundry nearby. Just as we arrived at the cleaners, I got a message from my husband. “Royu is cool and refreshing right now. Why don’t you come over while you’re out?” I thought, “If I go now, dinner will be late,” but since opportunities like this are...
Reflections on the Expressway I drive my Panamera almost every day, and I use the expressway about once or twice a week. Today, I want to share some thoughts on “courtesy when driving in the passing lane on expressways.” By the way, when I looked up the definition of the passing lane, it’s described like this: In Japan, it refers to the rightmost lane on roads with multiple lanes in one direction, mainly on expressways...
About Parallel Parking Yesterday, when I went to pick up my daughter from kindergarten. Her kindergarten faces the main street and has no parking lot, so parallel parking is unavoidable. However, when many cars are waiting for pickup, it’s hard to park, so I try to come at a different time, usually toward the end, but still, parallel parking can’t be avoided. Parallel parking a large car like the Panamerais quite challenging. There is a...
Where Do I Go in the Panamera? I think the Panamera suits mountain roads and the seaside, but it also fits perfectly in an urban setting. I can just imagine it on Fifth Avenue in New York—it would look amazing there. It would also suit Omotesando and Minami-Aoyama perfectly. (Though I’ve never actually been there) In Kansai, I think it fits right in around Kobe Daimaru or in front of luxury watch shops. …And yet,...
Naming Your Beloved Car It just occurred to me. “Do Porsche owners give their beloved cars nicknames?” Usually, I think most people just call their cars by their model names, but I wonder if some treat them like pets and actually name them. I once tried to give a name to the Panamera currently in our home. That’s because I thought giving it a name would “make it feel even more like a partner.” Even...
Hitchhikers During summer vacation, you often come across hitchhiking teens. They usually stand near highway entrances, holding boards with their destinations written on them. Just yesterday, I encountered one as I was about to enter the highway. There’s something I want to say to them. The spot where you’re standing is just wrong (-_-) The hitchhiking teen I saw yesterday was holding a board for the opposite direction of where I was headed, so I...
What Is the “Uchikake” Steering Technique? Despite often talking confidently about driving positions and such, I used to frequently drive using the uchikake steering technique myself. But what exactly is uchikake steering…? Uchikake steering is a driving technique where you turn the steering wheel using a reverse grip. It’s also called “reverse-hand steering.” This method was used back when power steering didn’t exist and more force was needed to turn the wheel. Quoted from Wikipedia:...
Unlike Golf or Tennis My husband said the other day, “With golf or tennis, everyone basically pays attention to and values their form, but when it comes to driving a car, why do people completely stop being conscious of their driving position or form? It’s the same thing, isn’t it?” …Huh? The same thing? I feel like it’s not quite the same, but at the same time, I can understand where he’s coming from. Certainly,...
Alfa Romeo, Giulia Before I knew it, I had 85 Hatena Bookmark readers. Thank you so much… The other day, my husband requested a brochure for the new Alfa Romeo Giulia, and he showed me the catalog when it arrived. I hardly knew anything about Alfa Romeo, and I even blurted out, “Giulia? Romeo and Juliet? What’s that?” So my husband started telling me all about it. Since Alfa Romeo became part of the Fiat...
Driving the Golf on the Highway After a While During this long holiday, my family and I went to Oishi Plateau seeking some cool air. It was our second time visiting Oishi Plateau, and since we already knew the roads leading there were narrow, we decided to go in the Volkswagen Golf 7, which is easy to maneuver. We were soothed by the grasslands of Oishi Plateau, and the kids were happy too. On the...
