Here in Germany cars are getting bigger and bigger, almost 50 % of newly registered cars are SUVs that weigh more than 2 tons. They clog up cities like Berlin and take more and more space. They're also completely useless as no one actually needs a 4x4 or extra-elevated car, it's pure marketing and ego stroking.
Japanese cities and places like Okinawa use public space so much more efficiently, you see tiny cars and Microvans everywhere. For urban settings they're really the perfect choice of vehicle IMHO, so it's quite sad you can't buy them here.
I think the main reason those exist in Japan is the special tax category for small vehicles: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_size_class#Japan In Germany such legislation would probably be opposed by the local automotive industry, who would be behind overseas competitors in this space.
Microvan is great but the K-car restriction is too hard. (car manufacturers make effort to build great cars even the restriction)
It restricts car width max to 1480mm, it's very hard and not very sense even in Japan. I wish it was expanded to around 1600mm and engine to 1000cc. It should also make it easier to export K-car to overseas.
Packaged lifestyles: For a reasonable monthly fee I want a company to handle all the necessities like housing, food, clothing, laundry and other cleaning, vacations and so on. At some level there should be some choice, but my life could become like one big all expenses paid vacation or cruise. Insurance and accounting requirements would be open for my inspection and review but always be default handled up front by someone else who has a budget planned out with my priorities in mind.
1) Turkish Kebab / street food like I could find in Melbourne OZ
2) "chips" or "wedges" like I could find in Melbourne OZ
3) Effective (real) chipper-shredders for lawn care. The number of times I've tried to rent one and had to hire someone for $200-300 to turn trees on my property into mulch is beyond frustrating. Heck, even if I needed to get training and take a test for a license I would do it. I think the US took a bit of a harsh stance on these devices for common consumers after it was widely publicized that Saddam Hussein used these devices to turn his political dissidents into "fodder".
I'll second you on 3. I've been trying to find ways to turn Amazon boxes into either something more compostable or something that consumes less space in my recycling bin.
I ended up with a paper shredder that will shred cardboard, but it's still a pain in the ass to tear up the boxes. I would kill for something like a mulcher than I can just chuck whole boxes into and let it deal with.
I should probably order less stuff online, I know, but the recycling around here sucks. They only pick up recycling every 2 weeks, and the bin is smaller than my trash bin. Despite the fact that I generate a lot more recycleables than I do genuine trash.
I've also been looking for a decent cardboard shredder that does not require tearing the boxes into smaller pieces and sells for a reasonable price. The only thing I've found is industrial shredders which start at $1500 and go up fast from there.
They can't be much more than a motor and some heavy duty shearing cutting disks, but they are really expensive! There seems to be nothing in the price range between office paper shredders (which require tearing cardboard into small pieces) and industrial shredders (which are designed for extensive heavy duty use, much more than a home owner would need.)
"I think the US took a bit of a harsh stance on these devices for common consumers"
What makes you say that? I don't see any laws about owning these. The good ones are just really expensive. Renting one would probably run you about the price that you mentioned ($200-300).
I've been looking at used ones on craigslist, but haven't found the right one yet.
I was talking to a guy I rented one from and he pretty much said "yeah, you used to be able to buy these at sears pretty much up until the year 2000". He mentioned that in order to rent them in the state of Texas you actually need a heavy machinery license (the same necessary for excavators, bobcats and bulldozers).
This guy was great though, he also helped out with my 30th birthday where my friends and I went out to a friend's ranch and just "played" with heavy machinery for a weekend.
I've seen "1. European-style folders with elastic bands at the open corners" used once in the US before. Whether or not it was imported by an individual, a store, etc, I have no idea.
I had to google for "Rip Its". Wikipedia says "Rip It drinks average about 160 mg of caffeine from all sources per 16 oz. serving according to product packaging (purchase date: 2020-11-24)". So about 2 espresso shots worth of caffeine.
The Gladiator has a bizarrely small payload capacity making it a bit of a white elephant.
The new Bronco looks _nice_. It’s built on the Australian developed Ford Ranger platform. The Ranger is so popular here it’s unseating the Hilux as the top selling vehicle. We don’t get the Bronco locally, though. A lot of people would love one.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser would also fit your bill but it seems like they stopped selling it in the states.
No, the Hilux is available with a 3L turbo Diesel engine that’s much more efficient and torquey than the Tacoma. Also the SW4 Hilux is much nicer overall than the Tacoma IMO.
I have been learning Japanese for a while and I am at a level good enough to consume native content. You don't realize how hard it is to buy (mostly digital) Japanese content online. I believe it is due to 20th century pre internet zoning regulations. On several occasions I spent a lot of time trying to buy some stuff legally but it was so hard or impossible that I ended up consuming pirated content.
Google apps store does not allow you to buy an app in Japanese from the UK, Amazon.jp requires a different account than amazon.co.uk (which is not the case for amazon.com), Netflix does not provide Japanese subtitles for animes, same for steam, some games are in many languages but not Japanese.
2. iFixit repair parts (especially MacBook Pro batteries; fake ones killed 3 logic boards last week)
3. Affordable bicycle lights (white lights cost $20 in NZ, 60€ in France, 100 NTD in Taiwan)
4. Apple laptops with keyboard engravings from other regions (there are many Chinese and Koreans in Auckland, not to mention Russian, Arabic, Thai, Japanese, etc).
Readit News
Here in Germany cars are getting bigger and bigger, almost 50 % of newly registered cars are SUVs that weigh more than 2 tons. They clog up cities like Berlin and take more and more space. They're also completely useless as no one actually needs a 4x4 or extra-elevated car, it's pure marketing and ego stroking.
Japanese cities and places like Okinawa use public space so much more efficiently, you see tiny cars and Microvans everywhere. For urban settings they're really the perfect choice of vehicle IMHO, so it's quite sad you can't buy them here.
It restricts car width max to 1480mm, it's very hard and not very sense even in Japan. I wish it was expanded to around 1600mm and engine to 1000cc. It should also make it easier to export K-car to overseas.
This is very much achievable around $700 - $1.5k/month, does not include the cost of food itself and supplies.
This is reasonable spending for a household making +$225k if this is the bulk of their "f you" spend kind of budget.
2) "chips" or "wedges" like I could find in Melbourne OZ
3) Effective (real) chipper-shredders for lawn care. The number of times I've tried to rent one and had to hire someone for $200-300 to turn trees on my property into mulch is beyond frustrating. Heck, even if I needed to get training and take a test for a license I would do it. I think the US took a bit of a harsh stance on these devices for common consumers after it was widely publicized that Saddam Hussein used these devices to turn his political dissidents into "fodder".
I ended up with a paper shredder that will shred cardboard, but it's still a pain in the ass to tear up the boxes. I would kill for something like a mulcher than I can just chuck whole boxes into and let it deal with.
I should probably order less stuff online, I know, but the recycling around here sucks. They only pick up recycling every 2 weeks, and the bin is smaller than my trash bin. Despite the fact that I generate a lot more recycleables than I do genuine trash.
https://www.amazon.com/HSM-Profipack-Single-Layer-Converter/...
They can't be much more than a motor and some heavy duty shearing cutting disks, but they are really expensive! There seems to be nothing in the price range between office paper shredders (which require tearing cardboard into small pieces) and industrial shredders (which are designed for extensive heavy duty use, much more than a home owner would need.)
What makes you say that? I don't see any laws about owning these. The good ones are just really expensive. Renting one would probably run you about the price that you mentioned ($200-300).
I've been looking at used ones on craigslist, but haven't found the right one yet.
This guy was great though, he also helped out with my 30th birthday where my friends and I went out to a friend's ranch and just "played" with heavy machinery for a weekend.
2. 8oz Rip Its
3. Toyota Hilux
4. Small but rugged SUVs (RAV4 Adventure and maybe Jeep Cherokee are the only things even close in the U.S.)
5. Tim Tams. They haven't been available since COVID.
Deleted Comment
Now sure if they are actually rugged or not, but the marketing certainly paints them that way.
The new Bronco looks _nice_. It’s built on the Australian developed Ford Ranger platform. The Ranger is so popular here it’s unseating the Hilux as the top selling vehicle. We don’t get the Bronco locally, though. A lot of people would love one.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser would also fit your bill but it seems like they stopped selling it in the states.
EDIT: I just checked and apparently they DO make a Trailhawk version of the Renegade, so that might fit the bill.
Google apps store does not allow you to buy an app in Japanese from the UK, Amazon.jp requires a different account than amazon.co.uk (which is not the case for amazon.com), Netflix does not provide Japanese subtitles for animes, same for steam, some games are in many languages but not Japanese.
2. Souvlak's (Greek street food)
3. Firecrackers that have small explosive power(They used to sell them here like 20 years ago)
4. Amazon Prime
5. Electric bikes that go faster then 25km/h
6. More second hand old cheap Japanese pickup trucks
1. Weed, to be honest. I'm not a heavy consumer, but I'd appreciate a safe, reliable source.
2. Old Dutch BBQ chips
3. Cheese curds
It's a pale imitation, and no amount of Canadian flags will nake it authentic.
1. Jack Wolfskin Berkeley backpack
2. iFixit repair parts (especially MacBook Pro batteries; fake ones killed 3 logic boards last week)
3. Affordable bicycle lights (white lights cost $20 in NZ, 60€ in France, 100 NTD in Taiwan)
4. Apple laptops with keyboard engravings from other regions (there are many Chinese and Koreans in Auckland, not to mention Russian, Arabic, Thai, Japanese, etc).