Yesterday, I had a work meeting with a company that kindly agreed to let me bring my child, so I headed to Osaka\u2019s Honmachi district with my younger daughter in the Panamera. When I drive into central Osaka, I often park at Hankyu Umeda Station Parking<\/strong>. It accommodates large vehicles, has a roof (a tent, perhaps?)<\/span>, and is directly connected to Hankyu Umeda Station, which makes it convenient. It costs \u00a5600 for the first 60 minutes and \u00a5300 for each additional 30 minutes, with no maximum daily rate\u2014but I rarely park for more than two hours, so that works for me.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Umeda Sky Building Parking<\/strong> also has a roof, can accommodate large vehicles, and has a maximum rate of \u00a51,600. The downside is that it\u2019s a little far from Umeda Station, which can be a hassle on rainy days or when you have a child with you.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s meeting, however, was in Honmachi, Osaka\u2019s business district. Where on earth should I park?<\/strong> After looking around, I found that the St. Regis Osaka<\/strong> parking garage seemed promising: it had a roof and could accommodate vehicles more than 1,900 mm wide. I checked the entrance on Google Street View beforehand, set the navigation, and set off. The estimated arrival time was 30 minutes before the meeting. Perfect.<\/p>\n I made it onto the Hanshin Expressway without a hitch, but a few minutes later, the navigation system warned me of a major traffic jam ahead. \u201cIf I stay on the expressway,<\/strong> I might not make it to the meeting on time\u2026\u201d<\/strong> So I got off and continued on local roads. At last, I was getting close to the St. Regis Osaka<\/strong>. Even after taking the local route, I still had 30 minutes before the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll grab a coffee at a caf\u00e9 first,\u201d I thought as I looped around to make an easy left turn and arrived at the entrance to the St. Regis Osaka parking garage. Just as the navigation system announced I\u2019d reached my destination, a security guard came over.<\/p>\n Guard: \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d Wait, what?! (\uff1b\uff9f\u0414\uff9f))<\/span>Nobody told me that!<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s a bit far, but I\u2019ll be fine. I can walk and still make it.\u201d<\/p>\n I tried to calm myself down and somehow cut across several lanes of traffic. Just as I pulled up in front of the parking garage and breathed a sigh of relief\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cFULL\u201d!!<\/span> (Cue dramatic crash)<\/span><\/p>\n Why today of all days? There was another multi-story parking garage close by, and I\u2019d heard the Panamera could just about squeeze in. But risking damage to the tires or wheels seemed way too dangerous, so I kept looking. And of course, every lot seemed to be full, full, full\u2026 Even when I found an open space, the parking garage often couldn\u2019t accommodate a Panamera more than 1,900 mm wide. A 1,900 mm limit on a multi-story garage is pretty useless in a situation like this. Meanwhile, time was running out.<\/p>\n \u2026Oh no. I have only 10 minutes left.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019d left home early. I\u2019d checked things out in advance. I\u2019d even avoided the traffic jam on the expressway. So how did it come to this? Was I being punished for something? The company I was meeting with was fairly formal. They\u2019d kindly agreed to let me bring my child, so being late on top of that was completely out of the question.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s using her child as an excuse for being late. Working moms really are so careless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I absolutely didn\u2019t want anyone to think that. (They wouldn\u2019t\u2014everyone there was lovely.)<\/span> Nearly in tears, I desperately scanned the signs for a \u201cP.\u201d Then I spotted the \u201cP\u201d for Semba Center Building<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! This parking garage looks big! Given the time, it\u2019s my only option. Now, the width. Will it fit?\u201d Clinging to that last hope, I took a chance and turned right. A sign read: \u201cMaximum height 2.3 m, width 2 m, length 6 m.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Maximum width: 2 m\u2026<\/p>\n Maximum width: 2 m\u2026<\/p>\n Yes! ( \uff9f\u2200\uff9f)\uff65\u2235.!!<\/span><\/p>\n Wrapped in a strange sense of accomplishment, I drove into the underground parking garage. It was pretty dark and had a slightly grimy feel, which made me a little uneasy. Would it really be okay? Then I spotted\u2014<\/p>\n A Panamera GTS!<\/span><\/p>\n Relieved, I parked, strapped my younger daughter into the baby carrier, dashed into the building, took the elevator, and called the reception desk from the lobby. I checked the time: five minutes before my appointment.<\/p>\n I-I made it\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n My back was drenched in sweat, but I did my best to look cool and composed, and the meeting went smoothly. Phew. When you\u2019re in a situation like this, owning a big, imposing Panamera can be seriously stressful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parking a Panamera in the City Yesterday, I had a work meeting with a company that kindly agreed to let me bring my child, so I headed to Osaka\u2019s Honmachi district with my younger daughter in the Panamera. When I drive into central Osaka, I often park at Hankyu Umeda Station Parking. It accommodates large vehicles, has a roof (a tent, perhaps?), and is directly connected to Hankyu Umeda Station, which makes it convenient. It...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=105","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aboutpanamera","en-US"],"yoast_head":"This Time, I Was Headed to Honmachi, Osaka<\/h3>\n
\nMe: \u201cWhere\u2026? I was hoping to park here\u2026\u201d
\nGuard: \u201cNo, where are you going after you park?\u201d
\nMe: \u201cI have a meeting nearby\u2026\u201d
\nGuard: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but this parking garage is only for people visiting the St. Regis Osaka or Garden City. You\u2019ll have to find another parking lot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>
\nI should have just said I was staying at the hotel or going there for a meal\u2014even if it wasn\u2019t true. But I\u2019m too timid to come up with something like that on the spot, so I headed for a parking garage closer to Shinsaibashi where I\u2019d parked the Panamera before.<\/p>\nOfficially a Parking Castaway<\/h3>\n