Let’s face the reality first.

The adult average salary in Japan:

Employment Type	Avg Salary	Male	Female
Full time	approx. 5.08mill	approx. 5.70 mill	approx. 3.89 mill
Part time or contract	approx 1.98mill

The base minimum hourly wage was raised to ¥1004/hr  which is around a whopping $6.92 USD  at today’s exchange rate.

Iwate prefecture clocks in at one of the lowest with  ¥896/hr.

According to this government survey, a key characteristic is that while there is no significant difference in annual income in the 20s, the gap between male and female workers tends to widen from their 30s onward.

Source:   https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/statistics/kokuzeicho/minkan2021/pdf/002.pdf

By Age:

Age range	Avg	Made	Female
20~24	2.69 mill	2.87 mill	2.49 mill
25~29	3.71 mill	4.04 mill	3.28 mill
30~34	4.13 mill	4.72 mill	3.22 mill
34~39	4.49 mill	5.33 mill	3.21 mill
40~44	4.80 mill	5.84 mill	3.24 mill
45~49	5.04 mill	6.30 mill	3.28 mill
50~54	5.20 mill	6.64 mill	3.28 mill
55~59	5.29 mill	6.87 mill	3.16 mill
60~64	4.23 mill	5.37 mill	2.62 mill
65~69	3.38 mill	4.23 mill	2.16 mill
Over 70	3.00 mill	3.69 mill	2.10 mill
Avg	4.43 mill

Source：National Tax Administration Agency, “2021 Statistical Survey of Private Sector Remuneration,” 2021.

By Industry:

Ranking	Industry	Avg salary
1	Electricity, gas, heat, water	7.66 mill
2	Financial, insurance	6.77 mill
3	IT and telecommunications industry	6.24mill
4	Academic research and professional services	5.21 mill
5	Academic research, professional and technical services	5.21 mill
6	Education and learning support industry	5.21 mill
7	Manufacturing	5.16 mill
8	Construction	5.11 mill
9	Complex Service Business	4.94 mill
10	Real estate and goods rental	4.26 mill
11	Transportation and postal services	4.25 mill
12	Medical care, welfare	4.07 mill
13	Wholesale and retail	3.77 mill
14	Lifestyle-related services and entertainment	3.69 mill
15	Service industry	3.69 mill
16	Lodging and food services	2.60 mill

Overall, industries related to lifelines, such as electricity, gas, heat supply, and water supply, tend to have high annual incomes.

Source ：National Tax Administration Agency, “2021 Statistical Survey of Private Sector Salaries

 

But Why?

Why is the salary level so low?

After seeing the data, it’s pretty dismal, yes I know.

Combined with outdated corporate culture and long hours, there seems to be no reason to endure this.

But why doesn’t the whole country crumble into a huge civil uprising?

Well, one major factor is that low pay is a trade off for lifetime employment and financial security.

This financial security is tied into all the banking loans and financial systems as well.

Most respected, larger corporations, due to strict Japanese working laws, technically cannot fire you. That’s why, even if you were a crappy employee, you may find yourself simply transferred to an unproductive division instead of being canned.

This topic of job security, which warrants a different blog post altogether, is directly related to the slow reaction times of Japanese corporations.

 

Learn Japanese for that extra edge

Unlike most western countries which value skill over loyalty and length of employment,  most major Japanese corporations are stuck in the hiring system where guaranteed lifetime employment is the norm. This is one of the reasons why corporations are so slow when reacting to things, because they cannot act quickly, or sometimes do not have the human assets to counter the quick changes of the time.

Of course, that is changing but in general, the stereotype still holds true.

One factor that is a make-it or break-it skill is language.

The truth is, you should have a strong knowledge of Japanese if you want to really go anywhere.

It’s not impossible to climb the ladder without it, but you will have far more opportunities and deeper relationships if you can speak.

My personal take is that if you were serious about anything, learn the language. I worked in so many companies where the foreigner who could not speak, were always left out of the good stories. It wasn’t about racism or anything like that. It has more to do with the fact that the Japanese staff are overworked as it is, held to a stiff standard and with all the need for maximum efficiency at play, don’t have time to slow down and teach Japanese to a foreigner. It’s just a corporate reality.

If you can read and write Japanese, you will gain a tremendous advantage.

Even if you cannot handwrite the kanji , but can use software you’ll have an undeniably large advantage over your counterparts who can only speak.

 

So what to do?

If you can, try going to a  foreign company that respects the global wage standards.

Obviously, those may require a higher educational degree, especially if you’re going into the finance, pharmaceutical or tech industries.

If you’re lucky enough to work at a company that is considering sending you to Japan for a couple years, that is probably your best gig.

I know many people who have been offered to stay in Japan and run the Japanese office.

I strongly advise against working at a small to midsize Japanese company, because you’ll have much less of a chance at changing the corporate climate, especially if you get stuck with an unpleasant Japanese boss.

Also, try to steer clear of very old, traditional companies because they cling to the old corporate styles almost as if it was a badge of honor.

Anything over 35 years is a yellow flag, and really do your due diligence on companies that are 50 to 100 years old.

 

Closing

It may seem like a lost cause but it’s not.

It’s weird, you wonder how people can survive with such low salaries, and with exchange rate, now being as bad as it is, (¥145 at the time of writing) many Japanese cannot afford to travel out of the country.

Depreciation has kept overall prices lower, but now that the rest of the world is moving in a different direction, Japan is faced with a big challenge.

It’s hard to raise interest rates like other countries because then people will not be able to pay off their loans, and their household budget will even be hit harder. \

Many people were assured that their long-term home loans would maintain almost nonexistent interest rates for their whole period, so even a small increase will throw off their expenditures.

When you’re only making ¥4 million a year, considering your take-home salary, that’s a big concern.

I guess if corporations stopped hoarding cash and paid employees higher rates, that might be one solution, but it’s not that easy.

This is because as mentioned before,  Japanese employment at major corporations is not based off worker skills, but more on  lifetime employment, so it really is a headache that the country needs to address at one point.

 

Unfortunately, this cannot last forever and the day of reckoning is coming. Add to this the country’s stringent immigration policy (despite declining birth rate) and you can see why the general population doesn’t trust the Japanese politicians.

All the warning signs have been out there for years and politicians are seen as having done nothing to address it, but rather promote their own individual needs and careers.

But I digress, greatly.

 

All this may have nothing to do with your next potential job in Japan, but this reality does exist, and knowing about it, even in the back of your head, will arm you with knowledge to make better decisions in the working environment.

In the end, I think that from my experience working in Japan, despite all these cautionary factors I brought up, working in Japan could be a great experience.

You’d get to stay in Japan long term and experience all the wonderful things that country has to offer, including nature, gourmet food, and high-tech living.

Most of the bad things about Japan are from the Japanese people anyways.

If you are a good people person, then perhaps, you can create your own ideal working solution. I know many expats who have.

If you want to try living in Japan, be sure to manage expectations and that will be your first step towards a happy stay here in Japan!

 

I’m sure many of you have gone through part of this, what’s your experience been like?

Leave it in the comments below!

The Hyatt Regency Seragaki has been one of my original favorite hotels even before it was upgraded to a category 5 property. It’s situated on the northern side of Okinawa’s main island and sits on top of its own cozy little island. 

I came here for the first time during Covid with low expectations but the place has been fabulous throughout the years. 

I had one last weekend before the end of summer break so I decided to go for a weekend getaway and learned they just celebrated their 5 yr anniversary. Until now, the lack of crowds was something I took for granted.

Being a Globalist member, I’ve been able to stay in numerous suites and rooms, which I’m sure you can find online from other well-established travel or influencer blogs.

It’s safe to say that, just like any other Hyatt property, all the amenities you have come to expect are there, plus the Japanese standard of Hyatt, which includes impeccable service, unbelievable attention to detail, and super super clean everything. Once again, it’s amazing that everybody can do this without getting tipped.

The main attraction here is the variety of pools, it’s cute little beach and the view ( if you get the good side of the building facing the ocean.)

One of the first things you see when crossing the bridge onto the property is the private beach on the left-hand side. To be honest, it’s quite small and on low tides, it looks like a kiddy pool. However, it’s not too bad when you actually go to it. They keep the buoys floating around to keep the jellyfish out. Unfortunately, it also keeps many of the larger size fish out as well. If you have some goggles, you can still look underwater and see some nice tropical fish. I was lucky enough to find a blue starfish once. It’s worth noting that snorkeling is not allowed. The sand is soft and you can also see hermit crabs, which make for great sand playing fun. (not for the hermit crabs themselves tho…) The water is extremely warm during the summer, but it was a bit chilly when we went in November. The hotel offers lounge chairs and umbrellas free of charge, but you have to go early to get your spot. We usually just drop by for an hour or so and head back up to the numerous pools or leave the property altogether to head up to some of the more beautiful northern beaches on the island.

It may be called Hyatt Regency, but this is definitely a tropical resort property! The pools are one of the main draws and attractions of this hotel and it doesn’t disappoint. There are two Infiniti style pools, one on top and one right by the ocean. The lower pool is designed as a sort of artificial beach and has a little side area where kids can enjoy rides in paddleboats. This is definitely the pool to be at during sunset and what a great experience! It is flanked by some VIP lounge chairs, which I never get to use …but they are there. The upper pools include three sections. One side houses the kiddy pool where they sometimes put in little colorful balls, and the opposite side has a jet-bath style area where you can lounge. This upper deck pool is also an infinity design so if you sit back just right, it looks like you are connected to the ocean. Despite having many lounge, chairs around, they fill up quite fast, so like with any other resort, be on the lookout for an open seat. They also have full drink and food service as well. There is also an indoor pool with a Jacuzzi for when it is chilly outside or if you were looking for a more controlled environment. Either way, the pictures speak for themselves, and this is where we were for most of our stay.

Food menus, especially breakfast, is where the Japanese Hyatt properties truly shine. There is an endless selection of fresh vegetables, salads, local foods, and cooked cuisine which you can choose from. This hotel also offers a choice between western breakfast and the Japanese breakfast. My favorites for the western breakfast are the eggs, Benedict and local foods. The steak is a nice touch, but they are a bit thin and tough. That’s more of a Japanese problem than the hotel itself. Unless it’s Wagyu beef, beef, and Japan is expensive so don’t expect it to be as great as the fish selections throughout the country.

When I went during Covid, I took for granted how empty the place was, but this past trip brought me to reality. There were lines everywhere with Japanese and tourists from Southeast Asia. It wouldn’t be so bad if the Asian tourists could be patient and wait in line but I guess that’s a whole different story.

The Regency lounge is stocked with great soft drinks and snacks. Cocktail hour  is always nice and they really upped to their game for food offerings. During Covid, it was just finger foods, but this time they had lasagna and other dishes so we didn’t even need to go out to eat for dinner.

One cool bit of trivia that the hotel told my kids was that there are three hidden hearts embedded in the stone pathway outside the hotel. Next time you are there, see if you can find them! It’s not as easy as it looks. lol

The property has great food, and great pools, but the real reason I keep coming back is for this view. If you can get the ocean, Sideview, you’ll notice that the hotel sits on a big chunk of volcanic rock looking land. On top, there is nice vegetation, and a small wedding chapel to the left. There is a small lagoon with substantial water level changes depending on the tide, but nothing beats opening up the sliding door to your room and looking outside at a beautiful sunset or a beautiful see-through ocean. It’s different from Hawaii, it’s different from the other islands and this is truly unique. You can see to thethe intercontinental hotel across the bay to the left and sneak a peek at their fireworks show sometimes. However, I really think this property is set on a very special piece of land and that’s what gives it its charm.

All in all, like I said, this is one of my favorite hotel properties, and I hope that you get to visit one day.

Have you been here and if so, how was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!

I recently stayed at the Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, and Hyatt House Kanazawa for about a month and here are my quick thoughts.

To be honest, they are both excellent properties with world-class hospitality and attention to detail. They really deserve their own articles that I’m sure you can find plenty of those from the professional travel websites.

I’m going to focus more on my own personal experience.

It all started with the decision to go to Kanazawa, Japan, in Ishikawa, Prefecture.

We started off at the Hyatt Centric, which is one of only two currently in Japan. The Hotel concept is to serve as a base point to go explore the surroundings and this location doesn’t disappoint.

The building is brand new and huge. It’s also pretty new, because it still shows an open lot as of now on Google maps.

Both Hyatt Centric and Hyatt House share the same building. Parking is right underneath, and 800 yen on weekdays and 1000 yen on weekends. It’s worth noting that the parking lot fills up quickly especially on weekends, so come back early if you don’t wanna park in the larger parking lot around the corner. Both hotels and the adjoining shopping complex Crossroads have direct access from the parking lot as well so it’s very convenient especially when you’re coming back with lots of bags.

After seeing about properties for about a month, I saw several extended stay customers go back-and-forth between the hotels and the staff are totally used to it. Not all the customers, but I saw some of the staff work both hotels as well.

Here are some pics of our rooms. Note that I included a picture of a king bedroom, as well as the twin room. Being Globalist members, we were given room upgrades to the twin deluxe, but opted for the king room, city view, one time for the awesome fireworks show. I included those images just for comparison.

As you can see the cleanliness, and the attention to detail that’s other properties to shame. It’s always wonderful staying in the Hyatt Japan properties just from the cleanliness aspect. The housekeeping crew really doing an incredible job and really deserve tips.

So, what was it like?

Well, for us, the answer is biased because we had two kids. We were already planning on cooking so we felt limited by the drink specific refrigerator and that’s up amenities in that area. Of course, this hotel is geared for couples and people don’t want an apartment like environment.

The decor with stylish, and you could tell the customer base was different.

I guess the highlight of our trip would be the breakfast. They have multiple items you could choose from the menu and the self-serve buffet area was well stocked with a variety of food. Service was good and overall it was a very pleasant experience. It can get pretty crowded around 8:30 AM, so prepare for a long line.

Then we moved over to the Hyatt House for extended stays.

My first impression of getting to Hyatt House was… Simplicity.

Dare I say plain?

There was obviously nothing wrong as you can see from the pictures, but I think I got that first impression because it didn’t have that extra flare like at the Centric. I am specifically referring to the stylish in sip illumination all over the place and non-kid friendly decor.

However, this minimalist design space turned out to be our favorite because of the kids.

The kitchen was great, new, and well stocked with kitchen ware. We did go to the front desk and borrow a rice cooker, and vegetable peeler.

Much better.

The front desk service was impeccable and they went out of their way to help us all the time. It was more than we could ask for.  A month later and we were still enjoying it! They really made us feel like family and I think it’s a special place.

The only gripe, if any, would be the fact that they serve the same breakfast every morning…

Every. Single. Morning.

The mushrooms, the slightly mushy grilled zucchini, and red/yellow peppers, sausages, soft scrambled eggs, miso, soup, rice, kiwi, fruit, orange, salad, okra and seaweed mix, two types of dressing, pink and yellow,… Get the picture?

I can memorize the whole menu.

At first, it was OK, but it really starts to wear down on you after 3 1/2 weeks. That would be my only gripe. They also use any of the food items from the Centric menu, obviously, for cost reasons, so you would find the same items at Centric.

I read on Japanese websites that the menu has been like this since like 2022. Also, the coffee can get really dinner depending on who who made it but that’s about it really. Small gripes.

Here is a glimpse of our first standard twin room with kitchen. Please forgive the green shot. It was a screen capture from a video.

This is the one bed room suite we stayed in the second round using our suite upgrade award. There is also another special suite room that comes with its own washer and dryer (which would have been unbelievably convenient during our trip) but that room is not valid for suite upgrade awards.

These suites were awesome because it had an amazing amount of space for Japanese property, was very clean and very comfortable.

Here is another one bed room suite in a mirror layout. This one didn’t have the sofa bed made up but using the sofa was nice too. One note about room placement, this particular suite was located in between the buildings, meaning that the sunlight was blocked from coming into the room.

Result was a substantial darkening of the room, which really had a larger effect on our daily mood than we expected. You really come to appreciate a sunny room!

As for daily life, plan ahead for laundry.

You can go across the parking to the train station and hit up the supermarket on the second floor up the escalator. Great selection of sushi and they often have snow crab on the weekends!

Public service announcement: If you do get the crab or sashimi, don’t be a jerk and try to throw the raw shells and leftovers into the hotel room trash unsealed. Be considerate and put it in a sealed, tight bag. House keeping works very hard for no tip and they don’t deserve to clean up rotten smelling trash.

You can write a nice note like my kids did, and give them a 1000 yen note if you like. I’m sure it would make their day.

I think that’s it for now and will add to this post as I have time.

Let me know if you have stayed here and have any experiences you’d like to share! Also, feel free to add any questions in the comments below!

After living in Japan, one important thing that I cannot live without is the washlet.

Japanese people and society, place great value on the cleanliness of bathrooms. Not only is it very hygienic, but is also a sign of cultural civility and courtesy. It means people respect bathrooms and try to keep them as clean and comfortable as possible. It is a sanctuary. It is a place that offers comfort to the one activity that all humans must do: going to the bathroom.

Having said that, there are a few misconceptions about the almighty washlet that I thought I’d share here. I mentioned hygiene earlier, but the very systems that make the washlet clean, can also be its enemy.

Namely, the water nozzle.

Make sure that any washlet you use has been regularly maintained. If not, that nozzle that is spraying water into your butt could be a host to other germs and making matters worse.

Thankfully, major areas like airports and hotels regularly maintain their washlet and replace their units so it should not be an issue.

One of the rental properties that I moved into was owned by a family that had a seven and nine-year-old boy.

After we moved in, I couldn’t help but notice the smell of urine, despite having fully cleaned the washlet.

After requesting maintenance, the repair man showed me what the problem was and I was shocked.

We opened the side panel and found that behind the clean and smooth, modern exterior panels of the washlet , the inside was completely covered in syrup-like dried urine, and that was causing the smell. It also had some sort of mold growing around it.

Totally gross.

He mentioned hope common it was and  that it’s difficult to smell your own urine, but it is very easy to smell other people’s urine.

Also, that the washlet needed to be properly maintained on a regular basis.

In this particular case, the kids would miss and pee on the cover for the water nozzle. The pee would then sink in underneath and stain the backside of the plastic and nozzle where normal cleaning and maintenance could not reach.

Combine this with your senior citizen missing the toilet as well, and multiple leakages over the course of 5 to 6 years and you can see where this is going…

Either way, like with anything else in life, the benefits of clean hygiene and comfort only come through a certain level of basic maintenance so keep that in mind the next time you randomly use a washlet somewhere in public.

The other function that really made a difference was the odor eliminating fan. I cannot stress how important of a role this unit was playing in my life up until now.

Most of the middle to high-end models have this at standard equipment. I took it for granted. It uses the low speed fan during use, and after you sit up, it switches to a high-speed fan with the assumption that you will close the lid to let the fan remove the smell.

Back to the rental property, little did I know that the washlet model installed in the house didn’t have a fan…

After using the fan-based washlet for so long, I forgot how much of a big difference the fan makes.

Let me tell you again, it makes a big difference.

It’s like being catapulted into the dark ages to where humans took a crap in a hole.

As of now, the tangy and intense smell of after doing your deed is unbearable every day as I wonder how much longer I can take this crude existence.

I called the property management company  and was denied a replacement. I also looked online to see if they sold just a fan m, but the washlet fans use a special charcoal carbon filter which binds with the smelly atoms.

There were many ozone based deodorizer units out there, but that just opened up a whole new can of worms and would be a project for another day.

So for today, I am still stuck in the medieval times, having to deal with terrible odors after doing my thing.

The deodorizer fan is one of life’s great inventions and although I want to try an aftermarket add-on deodorizer, I can’t help but think that they won’t work as efficiently. The washlet version works because while you are sitting on the toilet seat, you are e creating a complete seal, allowing the small fan inside to effectively collect all the odors before it disseminates into the room itself.

These smaller units that advertise deodorizing could not possibly be as effective because with that small suction fan, it would take a long time to suck in the odor smell once it spread into the toilet room.

The whole point of having the fan is to have instantaneous deodorization, so that if somebody is waiting in line, or you are at a dinner party and don’t want people to know, you wouldn’t have a lingering smell effect or have to wait 30 minutes for the deodorizer to work.

So, alas, to end this deodorizing rant, it seems that the only way to solve it is to purchase a washlet with deodorizing function. But I seriously think about it every single day because it’s that important. Plus I just wanna live the most civilized life possible.

Let me know if you had a similar experience in the comments below! I may just have to try those aftermarket solutions and report back to you!

Wakamiya park

If you have kids and are in the Kanazawa area, this is a great park that is next to small pool and nice nice big grassy area. There’s also a pond as well.

The equipment is old but it’s big and has lots of activities for the kids.

The pool is usually for Kanazawa residents so it’s ¥200, but out of area people can enjoy it for ¥400 or double the price.

My kids really enjoyed the zip line… over and over and over again and because it was summer, we had fun chasing down the cicadas (semi). After a while, though, they just look like big flies…

It’s a hidden gem, and since we have hit up almost every park in the area, we feel this is one of the better ones.

Here’s a map just in case you don’t find it right away on Google and let us know if you’ve been to any other good parks in the area!

When cleaning in Japan, don’t forget the corners. Even better yet, start at the corners and work your way in words. People are much more likely to commend your cleaning efforts if the corners are clean, because it means you have a heightened awareness of detail.

Many Japanese like to clean houses and decorate them as if it were café or a retail store.

I think it’s a great idea, and it really focus more attention and love to your possessions because now, instead of just putting them away, you are actually displaying them to see.

This means, just like in a retail store or cafe, all bottles, jars and products would be shown with the label facing forward.

You’d be amazed at how much of a difference this makes when cleaning up your own room.

Having said that, as easy as it might be, it’s important to note that this habit should not be mistaken for OCD.

That would make every owner and staff member of a retail store, OCD!

Some people might still say that’s the same thing, but I feel there is a big difference.

Either way, the next time you clean up your room or house, make sure you wipe the corners first. Also take the extra time to line up the labels, facing front, and putting items on display as if it were a retail store. You will be so happy with the results.

One of our most unexpectedly memorable adventures during our stay in Kanazawa was north toward the Noto Peninsula at the Noto Island Aquarium.

Our trusty Kei-car took us up the Chirihama Nagisa Beach Drive Way, through beautiful country scenery and up to the aquarium.

To be honest, we didn’t expect much, and we were just looking for some sort of activity to do in that direction. My first impression of the place was that it was old and from the Showa Era (golden years of Japan 10-20 yrs ago).

We paid the reasonable entrance fee and made our way in. The sun was blistering and it was a super hot 35°C outside. We took the walk from the parking lot and freely rushed into the air conditioner building.

Unlike other aquariums, the Noto Aquarium opened up immediately into one of its main attractions, the huge whale shark exhibit.

It wasn’t as big as the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa but it turns out that this aquarium is the only one in northern Japan that houses, whale sharks, so that was sort of cool. The whale sharks seemed like younger ones, and were accompanied by other two sharks, a bunch of stingrays and other larger fish…

I didn’t think my kids would be too into it, but they spent a fair amount of time in all, just staring at the fish and at the ominous blue light. The path spiralled around the water tank, giving us multiple views of the aquatic environment.

After that, we walked through some actually pretty innovative and clever projection mapping displays and other illuminated walkways that really updated the feel.

It showed that the staff were actively trying to update the entertainment factor as much as possible. That is something that we really appreciated.

After that, we made our way through variety of different, aquatic, displays, fish, and crustaceans, which I kids really enjoyed.

After moving from building to building, we enjoyed the dolphin show outside and got up close with the penguin walk. Each penguin had a name and they were probably more than 30 of them. It was funny, watching the younger caretaker try to figure out the name of which penguin was giving him trouble. The more experienced caretaker was quizzing him on bodily markings and other hints.

We also got to feed the fish. That was actually more enjoyable than expected. There was a discreet little box with some fish food and a sign written in Japanese saying leave ¥100. Foreign tourists would totally miss this but it was definitely a lot of fun. The fish were used to getting fit so they were swan wherever you were. Try to throw the food as far as possible to watch them. Consequently, other tourist could walk underneath that particular aquarium, so they probably had a great show watching the fish swarm in different directions.

After lunch, we noticed a pier where you could go fishing for a fee. You could rent all the equipment and it is something we will definitely try it the next time. Even on other local, attraction, blogs, that fishing pier is highly rated so I think we will check it out.

The drive up there was also half the fun taking you through quaint old fishing villages and beautiful country sides with old school Japanese houses.

I’d give the aquarium a 3.5 out of 5 for facilities bit a 4 out of 5 for fun.

It’s just an enjoyable place to be and I look forward to going back there again.

So what is it like to drive a Kei car?

A Kei car is a truly Japanese thing. In true Galapagos fashion, kei cars have engfine displacements of less than 660cc and are super cute, super small cars. The cool thing is how they’ve evolved and advanced throughout the years providing amazing space (or sense of space) as well as thoughtful utility and options. They also offer a wide array of vehicle types ranging from sports cars to pickup trucks to off road vehicles.

As an automotive industry professional working with the finest engineers in the world , I like to think I know a thing or two about cars.

However, this is my non-scientific, non-professional opinion piece.

That being said, here’s my impression of driving the Nissan Rooks rental Kei car!

So let’s start with the most obvious: power and driving performance.

Power and size are the main areas where you realize you are driving a Kei car. It’s important to note that this is not a “traditional” car.

With a legal limit on the size of the engine, technically speaking 660 cc, one can expect almost nonexistent acceleration, and engine power. Many higher grade models, offer forced induction turbo models, so I’d have to try those to give it a true fair impression however, my trusty rent-a-car was normally aspirated.

So what’s it like to drive?

My first journey started from Kanazawa city in the Ishikawa prefecture making my way towards the mountains in nearby Gifu Prefecture to check out some UNESCO villages…mainly the World Heritage Shirakawa-go Village to be exact.

Naturally, I was excited to drive the mountainous touge roads !

I naturally sat in the cozy cockpit, threw my Yeti tumbler into the gigantic cup holder conveniently located on the side of the dash and got onto the road. The AC was cold and strong despite the searing summer heat of 36 degrees celsius.

However, once on the road, reality slapped me in the face real quick.

Any kind of incline was a painstaking chore and challenge, making even the slightest hill a full-throttle affair.

Banging on the throttle did absolutely nothing, as there is almost no throttle response. The pedal sensitivity is perfect for very slow and gradual acceleration suitable for 80-year-old people.

It’s like beating a dead fish…

I know that makes no sense, but that was the first impression that popped into my head. (This is true automotive journalism at its finest)

The steering wheel position, with the tilt, is set in an uncomfortable vertical position similar to an arcade driving game.

It’s just enough to feel uncomfortable on longer drives.

Perhaps something similar to a truck…

The pedal position is also very upright, hurting the ankles because you have to keep your ankle tilted upwards, which eventually hurts the front muscle of your shin on long drives.

While we’re on the subject of performance, or lack thereof, handling is sketchy at best, as the vehicle is well-suited for driving amongst the rice fields in the countryside, not carving up the touge roads like we were trying to do.

Brake fade is just a couple of corners away, but that’s not why you’re driving a Kei car in the first place!!

One great plus was filling up the tank. I was surprised to find that it only cost around ¥3000 to fully fill up, and we drove a lot!

I guess that’s why it appeals to so many grandmas, grandpas, and country folks. It’s convenient, economical and gets the job done.

The interior is surprisingly roomy (especially the head room), and the steering wheel is nice and beefy, giving the car a distorted sense of strength and upscale refinement.

Unlike the older Kei cars, ride quality was decent in this car, and it surprisingly felt like a normal compact car. Besides not having any trunk space, you would never know that it was a Kei car.

Sitting in the driver’s seat is comfortable like any other car, as long as you realize that you’re sharing the center armrest with your passenger. Think economy-class seats…

There’s plenty of well-thought-out utility as well. Just remember to go to Daiso and get the cigarette lighter USB power  plug, and a ¥200 cell phone mount, and you’re all set. You can thank me later.

Dash storage is designed exactly for a wet tissue box and paper towels, and as I mentioned before, the cupholders can accommodate large-sized diameter Yeti bottles.

Despite its engine power  shortcomings, vehicle size is the one place where the Kei really shines.

It’s SO much fun diving into the narrow village roads, where even a Prius would seem too large.

You have a weird sense of invincibility and maneuverability. It’s fun to park into a spot and see so much space left over.

The car and diving experience would feel much cheaper if the steering wheel wasn’t as thick and meaty. But to Nissan’s credit, they did a great job so that is a huge plus.

One notable memory of the kei car experience was one of getting constantly bullied on the road.

Suddenly, Mazda 3’s were menacing and terrorizing you in the rearview mirror.

That old lady would be all up on your ass. And heaven forbid you have a Toyota Alphard minivan come tailgating you.

I often found myself fighting at the bottom of the food chain… battling with other kei cars and getting chased down by Yaris and other compact cars.

These would usually be small distractions and harmless annoying vehicles but today, they were my biggest fear. They were huge.

All of a sudden, all the cars with yellow license plates (Kei cars) were my friends, and I feared the larger white plate cars (normal cars. )

In the end, I realized you can’t look at Kei cars as “normal” cars.

They’re small go-karts with super refinement.

If you manage expectations, you will not be let down.

They’re wonderful pieces of technology, and it’s cool to see how they evolved Galapagos style in Japan.

I can’t wait to get into more examples of Kei cars and will be sure to post them here!

After driving the Nissan Roox for a few weeks, I returned the car and bumped up into the next compact class. This time, it was the Toyota Roomy.

Don’t let the name imply that it is trying to compensate for something as looks can be deceiving.

My first impression is that it looked just like a Kei car…but a tad bigger?

It was probably due to the extended head room design popular today.

The first thing I noticed when jumping into the Toyota Roomy was that it was a REAL car, not a large go-kart.

It felt more luxurious and had a heavy sense to it. It also had a little bit more power compared to the kei car, so that was nice.

However, flooring it a little bit more, you started to realize how much power it didn’t have, mainly because you started comparing it to larger cars like the Prius.

Once that association is made, the car starts to feel bigger and heavier as you realize it is in a totally different class. It’s not as light and nimble.

The width of the Roomy is 1670 mm, while the Roox is 1475 mm.

A Prius is 1780 mm for reference.

A menacing Mazda 3 is 1795 mm.

In the end, the available power from the engine makes for a less stressful drive.

Driving the Kei car made every trip feel longer than usual because you were always fighting against acceleration. It actually slowed down time.

Having said that, I think I would rather enjoy a new Prius over a Roomy, and the Kei car would be a selection all on its own.

One bonus for all cars are the sliding doors.

Usually reserved for minivans, I don’t know why they don’t put more sliding doors on other types of vehicles!

Getting in and out of tight spaces is a breeze and the entry space is so big. This is a huge plus.

You can’t look at a Kei car as a traditional car.

And once you can get over that, it’s a pretty fun experience to drive… regardless of the nonexistent . That just adds to the charm.

Next time, I want to try the Honda 660, a convertible Kei car.

My conclusion? Get a bigger compact car, if you need some power, but if you want to try a new experience, try the Kei, it’s funner!

Fun to drive, invincible on small tight Japanese village road and loads of fun, you won’t be disappointed!

Have you driven a kei car too? What were your experiences? Are there any cars like that in your home country? What’s your favorite Kei? Let me know in the comments below!