I recently had a one night stay at the Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

I never been here before, but the Sheraton is right next to Yokohama Station and a short drive from Tokyo. I went by car, so it was nice to have the Times parking lot right next to the hotel. It’s an underground parking lot that’s about ¥1900 per night. Once I went up into the lobby area, my first impression was that of an older nostalgic Showa-era design hotel.

They don’t make hotels like this anymore.

It’s almost a snapshot from history with the lavish chandeliers and gold and marble accents everywhere.

Taken in a negative context, it’s a bigger version of a common business hotel that you could find all over Japan.

It was older, but kept in very good shape, as with all other Japanese properties. But it still felt old, especially compared to the Hyatt properties.

Being Marriott, Bon Voy member is meant we could check in at the club lounge on the 26 floor so we decided to move towards the elevators. The old Showa era design decor, continued hear portraying a sense of older Japanese views of what luxury meant. It’s quite intriguing actually.

The elevators remind me of an old Japanese department store.

I don’t have many pictures of the lounge itself because the entrance of small and crowded and I didn’t want people to think I was some blogger but you can check out pictures here.

 

To their credit, the service was excellent, and check-in was a breeze. The lounge offered free drinks and a variety of appetizers. Some things that stood out or many of the Chinese theme dishes, I suppose that, because Yokohama has a huge Chinatown in a large population of Chinese customers, they had lots of items that Chinese people would like. Actually, come to think of it, there were a lot of Chinese customers in the lounge.

The hotel was nice enough to upgrade our room.

Was, wow, this is big! Which was a very good thing!

However, in essence, you realize that it was two rooms, renovated and combined together. The layout was long and rectangular with the bedroom area on one side and the shower bathroom split on the other. All in all, it was a very spacious area, so no complaints there. We had a nice silhouette view of Mount Fuji in the morning sort of obstructed by some sort of tower but some Fuji is better than no, Fuji.

The bathrobes were plush and the bath was nice.

Because I only stayed one night, obviously the highlight of my trip was breakfast. It could’ve been the lounge and free drinks the night before but really, when you look online, especially with the Japanese reviews, the breakfast here is the best. Retail price is ¥4400 for adults, but I think it’s very worth it. They source many of their ingredients from local Kanagawa Prefecture, and they also had a Hokkaido festival going on. The star item at the buffet would be the Maguro-don. I also enjoyed the Roman, Jon, and the other selections. To be honest, this Buffay may not have as many items as some of the other Hyatt hotels I have gone to, but, the satisfaction level was extremely high. Also, one thing I love about this place is the fresh orange juice squeezer. That is a treat.

My only gripe for the room would have to be the positioning of the toilet. I understand that you could close the sliding doors at either end of the bathroom zone to get full privacy, but this is where the large space becomes a hindrance, and I just thought it would be better to give it its own door, not see-through glass, and give it a look. That would add so much more freedom to how the occupants use the room. But that’s just my two. Cents.

Also, there are little things, not from a hygienic level, that bother me, but you could definitely see the wear and tear over the years.

Considering this place can cost upwards of ¥27,000 a night, I think they could do better.In conclusion, my final thoughts are that this is a decent, solid hotel right by the station and would fit the needs of many people. It is old, but they have kept it in very good condition. My only gripe would be that in my own personal experience, I don’t think the high prices match the experience that the hotel has to offer. However, it is important to note that the location is very good so their cost must be expensive as well.

I think I still prefer the Hyatt Regency in Yokohama.

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!

Toyota Raize

This is the second time that I’ve rented this car and it was a reaffirmation of what I had thought the first time I rented it.

It’s a compact SUV that is really not good at anything. It’s not bad, but it’s not good.

The ride is mediocre, you hear a lot of wind noise. Throttle response is close to nonexistent and everything feels  heap and plasticky.

The whole experience is plastic.

I think the Roomy and the Kei car that we drove had a more refined experience. Of course, some of this can be attributed to the fact that we may have gotten base models as rentals.

The seats were so thin that when my younger son kept kicking the seat, it would push my seat forward, which didn’t happen in the other two cars.

It’s not like the interior was spacious because it’s an SUV, it’s not like the back trunk was overly spacious, it just felt like they shaped it in an SUV to be trendy.

I would be more than happy to sacrifice some power with power sliding doors in the rear. Those were great. The car did have some decent trunk space but I would gladly sacrificed some of that for some rear legroom as well.

I’m sure the car, which was a very popular rental all across Okinawa, is very reliable and gets good gas mileage, so I’m very sure it is a very capable car.

However, I can’t help but think how much better of a driving experience, the roomie and the kei car had. Even the Toyota Corolla is more exciting.

Toyota Raize is just that, a common Toyota. And I am sure a lot of people will buy it and drive it and love it just because of that.

This time I’m showcasing today is one of my favorite Pasta places,  Mar-de Napoli.

My first encounter here was at the Mitaka Tokyo location and I didn’t really give it much thought.

However, after I ate there, I could not seem to find the same, tasty, creamy, thick sauce that blew me away for my Uni pasta experience.

Therefore, as much as I don’t want to, I’m gonna give you a quick rundown of my favorite pasta place so you can try how great this place is.

Nothing is scientific and there’s no culinary backing to my review. However, I have spent a lot of money on some pretty good food at some pretty good restaurants and this place is still on my regular list of places I take my family to eat.

So I guess that says something!

First off, the place gets credibility from the owner, who won a pizza contest somewhere in Italy a while back. You would figure it’d be easier to find on the corporate website, but it seems that a larger restaurant corporation is taken over the “brand.”

You get the idea for the restaurant concept though.

Usually, this might be a recipe for disaster, but even though the restaurant website sucks, and the corporate website is very clean, I’m happy to tell you that there is no compromise on the quality of food that is served at the restaurants.

Top quality!

My favorite is the Uni pasta, with the large portion for a couple hundred yen more, and the lunch special, which comes with a salad and an ice cream or pudding dessert. The pudding is a little mushy, so I’m not into it, so I usually opt for ice cream. Also, if you get hot coffee, it’s all you can drink so that’s a plus too. Get the lunch special two steps up and you get to choose from the wonderful cakes in front. I always get the Mill-crepe. It’s to die for.

The pizza is baked in the trademark pizza oven, and I must tell you it is heavenly. My kids don’t like any of the fancy pizzas so we always get the margherita but I could eat three of them.

Not much else to say, except his place is always crowded with families, elderly, and young couples. It’s super popular.

They have several locations in the suburban, Tokyo area, as well, as in Nagoya, so check out their website to find the destination …  you won’t be disappointed.

One small note is that different locations will have different menus so the Nagoya train station location did not have the Uni pasta which was very disappointing.

They also have limited cake selections. The suburban Setagaya and Mitaka locations have the full selection of cake which I think is totally worth it.

There are many pizza places in the heart of Tokyo, but this place rocks with price and quality, and as the wait times might show, it is definitely worth your time to go.

let me know if you’ve ever been here or need information in the comments below!

So in the quest for cheaper sparkling wines, I’ve introduced a couple of them here but none of them were organic.

My favorite organic one actually cost more than ¥1000 and we are looking primarily for selections that are under the ¥1000 so I have not included it but, so far, today’s brand Don Juan seems to be a front runner in the organic sparkling wine market.

I’ve only found this one at Hanamasa supermarkets and be honest, my first impression of this green version was not very good.

In fact, it tasted so weird, let me say unique, that I actually had to buy the rosé sitting right next to it to compare.

The rosé version was much more palatable, and considering it was organic, you couldn’t beat it for the price. 

However, there were a few times when the rosé was sold out, and I was just looking for a cheap drink.

Fast forward and basically, I tried the green version again a couple times and you know what? I got used to it.

Now, my first impression is… it doesn’t taste like a decent, sparkling wine that you might taste anywhere else. Not to say it’s bad, but it does have a ”unique” flavor that takes getting used to.

What I did find was that if you can put up with it and drink a couple bottles, you actually get used to it and it develops into its own unique flavor which I can drink.

I actually buy it regularly now.

So the recap from when I first tasted it, it didn’t taste that great, but now I can’t even tell why it was so bad anymore…

So I guess that makes it good, right? I adapted to the flavor and I think it’s worked out.

Therefore, for its price, and for its adaptable nature, this is my current go to organic sparkling wine, and I have not been let down since.

The plus side is for this price, you can toggle between rosé and Chardonnay as well, so give it a try the next time you’re at a Hanamasa.

Have you tried it too?

Let me know in the comments below what your impression was!

680 yen. You can’t beat that price!

It’s fruity, and not overwhelming for the first sip. It takes a moment to get used to, but it’s not as bad as some other acidic sparkling wines in the same price category. Gets fruitier as you drink but not too sweet. It’s definitely drinkable but not memorable. I give it 3 stars but my Japanese colleagues give it an official 2.68.

You can find it here.

 

Bought it at Aeon supermarket Hakusan Kanazawa.

 

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!

I doesn’t taste sour and acidic, but has a deep, nutty? flavor.

It’s hard to describe because I’m not a connoisseur,  but I can tell you it tastes a lot better than the other ones.

This one is very drinkable.

In fact, I bought it a few times and enjoyed it every time.

It gets the job done especially for the price.

My only request would be if it was organic but hey, you can’t have it all.
3.5 stars!

Anyone have similar experiences with this?

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!