Pop fandom knows many guises, but few singers have followers so rabid—and blind to the constraints of good taste—that they adorn their cars with images of their idol. Sure, Ayumi Hamasaki has fallen a long way from her early-noughties commercial peak, but her ardent supporters haven’t given up hope—and they’ve got the rides to prove it. The singer’s year-end concerts at Yoyogi Stadium provided a good excuse for the more lunatic fringe of her fan club, Team Ayu, to show off their Hamasakied vehicles: Cadillacs, kei cars and custom vans adorned with stickers and airbrushed portraits of the star. Trunks were converted into ad hoc shrines, with multiple TV screens blaring out concert footage, while the real diehards—read: just about everyone—proudly sported 1002 license plates, a reference to Ayu-chan’s birthday. Note to Lady Gaga: you’ve got a way to go yet.
If your car has a GPS navigation system, you’d better keep an eye on it. According to the National Police Agency, 35,688 car navi systems were stolen in 2009. Many of these are subsequently resold, often on internet auction sites, and police are urging manufacturers to install features that would help prevent such thefts. The police are also proposing to make it mandatory to list the serial numbers when selling navigation systems online. Meanwhile, automakers are also working on the problem. Some of Toyota’s navi systems, for example, cannot be rebooted without a preset password once they’re removed from a car, and they also display the serial numbers on their screens, making it easier for police to identify the real owners.
One day, all taxis in Tokyo may look like this. Hinomaru Limousine’s Zero Taxi is the capital’s first zero-emission cab, an electric four-seater with a range of approximately 160km that can be quick-charged to 80 percent capacity in just half an hour. Eco car geeks will recognize the vehicle lurking beneath the paintwork as Mitsubishi’s i-Miev, a consumer kei car which first went on sale here last July. Hinomaru currently has two Zero Taxis operating during the daytime in the Marunouchi area, each complete with a female driver and an information display that gives the lowdown on the neighborhood.
Call 03-3212-0505 for reservations. http://hinomaru.co.jp
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