Demon Dave

Well, it was a Honda civic. If you have a look in the any Civic's User's Manual, page 1, line 1, it reads: Thou shalt modify thy civic using as many stickers and rice add-ons and conveniently possible. So, I was only following instructions when I carried out the mods...

hehehe Too right: inline 6 N/A, plus big bore, stainless kakimoto exhaust means LOUD!!! I spent most of my time driving with the baffle in the tailpipe otherwise the wife refuses to ride in the car!

I have to agree with Rezz on that point...all too often I'm referred to as "Gaijin" by Japanese people that I don't know or don't know me. I think a lot of times there don't mean it in a derogatory sense, rather they're just ignorant of the fact we prefer the term "Gaikokujin"... Though to be honest it doesn't bother me at all, hell I though it was rather funny learning that the loose translation of Gajin meant "Alien". That's why I decided to do add this sticker to my old car :)

Dan, I've not seen any documentation for the R34 specifically (with the exception of the FAST DVD). With our engines being the NEO Strait 6's there's likely to be a fair few differences but I believe the document Mark is offering would be a good starting point and a valuable source of reference. Not to mention, it's Free!

the official Nissan Parts catalogue. Updated monthly. It's basically what the nissan dealers use to look up parts. Each DVD (or CD in the set) has complete listings for most of the current nissan cars, their parts, diagrams, part numbers etc...

in the words of Oliver Twist: "Please sir, can we have some more! " :O

Mitsubishi is a BIG company... They make lots of stuff. They own lots of other companies. They're everywhere!

Mark, I'll let you know on Sunday the part numbers you need. I'd also like a copy of the word document just for reference [email protected] Just out of interest though - how big is the file? 202 pages in MS Word is gonna be pretty big! Thanks! Dave

Merli, This is a TOP THREAD I've been here 5 years and never witnessed anything like the gangs you've described, but I do live in a out of the way place. The only thing we get a lot of around here are the bike gangs - sometimes 30, 40, 50 youths on screaming bikes, revving the ass of them, going straight throught red lights - they don't care. No helmets. No plates. I've even witnessed the police follow them along our main bypass, keeping their distance and actually holding normal motorists back as if they were escorting the bikers through town! My friend also recounted a trip down to Narita one day. Heading along the Shutoku expressway in Tokyo a large group of bikers appeared toting baseball bats. They'd swing at the traffic, forcing all the drivers to slow to a snails pace...They'd keep doing this, preventing anyone from passing them, causing huge tailbacks (not that there aren't plenty of tailbacks anyways!) then the'd speed off only to re-appear and do it all again... Keep the photos coming, this has got to be one of the most informative threads ever.

Merli, I can see page 2 - hiroshima. Moving stuff. I've been meaning to get over that way and check out the Peace Musuem. There are many lessons to be learned from there... I'm glad I'm not the only one who had fun and games the first time they got on a Japanese bus! Took me a while to figure it out also, especially since I couldn't accept that they'd use a system where the onus is on the customer to pay the correct fare - i.e. everyone is trusted to be honest. In England that system would be abused so much it wouldn't last a week...

I didn't have hicas on my old R33, so I can' t really compared the system on a 33 to that of my R34. If anyone has a pic of the 33 system, then we'd be able to compare the two! re the hicas light - same for me: comes on when I turn the key, goes off when the engines started...

Here's the website for RS Watanabe...makers of some damned fine wheels! R.S. Watanabe

Meglev - Magnetic Levitation, or Linear Motorcar as the Japanese call it. The train that floats on a magnetic cushion. The development/test track is in Yamanashi, forget exactly how long the track is (a few KM or so I recall), they have a small visitors centre, a mock-up of one of the actual trains and if you're really lucky you can watch them doing some of the test runs.... I went there, woa, must have been at least 4 years ago now...actually stumbled across it by accident on my way to Yokohama. Had not idea what it was at first!

Yep, that was me! Lot of the people thought I was crazy for doing that, hell even I though I was crazy. Toughest decision I ever made - I had a good job in England at the time (IT) and had just been promoted. But, I wanted to stay in Japan, and I knew if I went home there'd be too many people trying to talk me out of moving to here. I would have probably never returned, except on vacation. Dived in head first is what I did, and I have no regrets. Still, it would have nice to have been prepared a little. I often look back on my Uni days I wish I'd spend 3 years learning Japanese instead of Environmental science Since photography is a hobby of mine I've got god knows how many GB of pics of Japan...when I get more time I'll start to upload some to share... Merli if you really want to come and live in Japan I'd say go for it!!!! Don't worry about your IT career - IT jobs will still be in Aus should you decide to return home... Even now, if I wanted to return to England I could at any time - it wouldn't take long to pick things up again and living in Japan is bound to look good on a resume. Not that I have any intention of going back to Merry old England! Dave

Absolutely!

Merli great pics! It's nice to have a fresh perspective on Japan. One of the downsides of being a resident, is that the longer you live here the more you become used to the culture. Things stop standing out, cease to become as different and strange as they once were... Still, even after five years I've got a lot to learn and I know I'll never become bored of living here! I look forward to the continuation! Dave

Cool! When Rezz gets his V35 we should organize a cruise or something. Definitely wise to wait until after winter though, unless you've got snow tyres, chains and 4WD I've been to the maglev track - they have a nice visitors centre with loads of info on the technology. The train is there too, but wasn't in operation on the day I went