Manual Driving = For Men?

The other day, when I went back to my parents’ house and was out with my parents and kids in a BMW 320i manual transmission, my mother said something like this:

“Isn’t driving a manual such a hassle?”

When I replied, “No, it’s fun,” she said, “You’ve always been like this, but you’re totally a guy in personality…” Is enjoying driving a manual car something only men do? lol

But this casual remark from my mother was also very thought-provoking.

You see, I had been thinking for a while about organizing and writing about “What my husband did to turn a wife who wasn’t interested in cars into a car lover,” but as I dug deeper, I came to think that “more important than what the husband did to the wife is what kind of person the wife is in the first place.”

A Personality Not Typically Feminine

I never thought my personality was particularly unusual, but looking back at my past behavior patterns, I feel “indeed, I’m quite different from what society generally expects of women.”

I grew up with one sibling, an older brother, and as a child, I mostly read the Shonen Jump manga he bought and wasn’t very interested in girls’ manga.

While all my university friends landed jobs at big companies, I was the only one who joined a startup. (Well, actually, I failed all the big companies’ exams, so that was the only offer I got lol) At the company I joined, all the female classmates were assigned to office work, but I alone was told, “You’re not suited for office work, so sales is your only option,” and was assigned to sales. Since I was doing sales, I worked hard to be number one—and I achieved it.

Also, I rarely gathered with female friends in groups to chat for hours at cafes. I used to get invited, but after declining repeatedly, no one invited me anymore… (-_-) (I prefer one-on-one, deep conversations.)

I’m clueless about brands, gourmet food, sweets, and other things women are usually interested in—I have almost no knowledge about those. For example, on my first date with my husband, when he asked, “Where do you want to go for lunch?” I answered, “Kappa Sushi,” which made him burst out laughing.

Then, at 27, I started my own company, experienced childbirth and parenting, launched this Porsche blog about two and a half years ago, and now I drive a manual car every day.

Looking back like this, I’m definitely not an ordinary woman… (-_-)

Making Room for Cars

I’ve always been restless and liked trying new things.

Starting my company at 27 was largely because the moment I saw the future clearly—“In three years, it’ll be like this, and in ten years, like that”—it became boring. I wanted to be in a world where the future was uncertain and exciting.

I also have a strong desire to do things others aren’t doing rather than what everyone else is doing. But these are not about “gender differences” but about personality.

However, when I met my husband, I had zero interest in cars and showed no interest no matter what he talked about. At that time, it was because “I had no room in my life for cars.”

I had just started my company and was desperately trying to get it off the ground.

After my children were born, parenting became busy, and there was even less room for cars. Even when my husband talked about cars, I would say, “Not again with the car talk (-_-)” and didn’t listen at all.

What changed me was “having more mental space than before” and “starting the Porsche blog.” My kids grew a bit older, and although it’s still tough, I felt mentally freer than before.

That created a gap in my life where cars could fit.

Also, as the blog grew well, I decided to organize and wrap up the work I had been doing and shift my focus to the Porsche blog. This made me think, “If I’m going to write a blog, I need to know more about cars” and “I should drive and test things for articles,” which deepened my interest in cars.

Before I knew it, I had become a car lover.

So rather than “what my husband did to me,” I think it’s more that I was naturally curious, liked new things, wanted to do things others weren’t doing, and as work and parenting settled down, I gained mental space—and cars just perfectly clicked with me.

What a Car-Loving Husband Did for His Wife

That said, there’s no doubt I was influenced by my husband’s actions and words, and if I list what I think was “really significant,” it would be:

① He tried to create mental space for me
② His unwavering passion and overwhelming knowledge about cars

My husband takes our daughter to kindergarten every morning before going to work, which is a huge help. When I was overwhelmed with housework and parenting and constantly irritated, he suggested things like, “Shall we hire a cleaning service?” or “Should we buy a robot vacuum?”

If it had been a situation where “he’s free but the wife is always overwhelmed,” I don’t think things would be like they are now.

And then, his unwavering passion and overwhelming knowledge about cars. From when I had zero interest in cars until now, his passion has never wavered—in fact, it’s only gotten stronger lol. I think what he said back then hasn’t really changed.

Also, he answers any question I have about cars, so since I started the blog, I’ve been asking him all sorts of questions every day, and through those exchanges, I’ve come to understand the depth of cars.

If he didn’t have that level of knowledge, I probably wouldn’t have thought, “I want to know more about cars” or “I want to get better at driving.”

So, it’s hard to say simply “this is what a husband should do to make his wife a car lover,” because it really depends on the types of husband and wife, and every couple’s answer is different. That’s what I’ve been thinking lately.