One of the many monumental challenges that moving to Hawaii poses: I will have to drive. Our house is in the middle of nowhere. Even fetching an egg will mean getting in the car and driving. The closest store, imaginatively called “Da Store”, is three miles away and the only fresh produce they have is wilted lettuce.
I will have to drive. I have a license, but since I left the States 30 years ago and gave my 1974 Super Beetle to my mom, I haven’t driven. Not really. I hate driving and I suck at it. I did drive for a few minutes in the Florida Everglades 25 years ago, but as I approached, crocodiles ran in all directions, screaming in terror. My driving skills, never worth sneezing at in the first place, are rather rusty.
Having a car in Tokyo is really more of a liability than an asset, so I’ve always been a bicycle gal. My bicycle, though, is as old and rusty as Methuselah. It’s not worth the price of shipping it, so the trash people came today to take it away. We came back from lunch today and it was gone. It made me sadder than I expected.
I’m trying to make the transition to car life. We’ve been casually shopping for cars, meaning looking at other people’s cars as we walk around. Honestly, I’d be afraid to drive anything bigger than a Tonka truck, so when we found this one, we both fell in love.
It’s a Daihatsu Canbus and just as cute as a baby bunny wrapped in a pink blanket eating marshmallows while being cuddled by a koala. I mean, this sweet little guy is actually smiling. It doesn’t matter that he’s a roller skate with a box on it and powered by a sewing machine that tops out at 60 mph. That’s just my speed.
Unfortunately, it turns out that these tiny Matchbox cars are not up to US crash test standards and therefore unavailable in the States. I have the option of self-importing, but that would be a mistake for several reasons: 1) it would be expensive, 2) the car would be an orphan, unable to have his cogs and switches replaced without significant trouble, and 3) he would get stolen within minutes because everyone would be so terribly jealous that I had the cutest car in the universe.
So I’ve come up with a solution. I’m sure Tonka trucks do come up to American safety standards, so I am going to get myself a pair of Tonka dump trucks, lash them to my feet, and use them as roller skates to get around the island. That’s a sensible solution, no?
Tokyo Tales 
There might be a Kia Sol in your future… personally, I covet the tiny Fiats that are as bubblegum-pretty as that van. But it sounds like you definitely want to meet crash standards… I mean, because of the other drivers and their craziness of course!
Yeah, judging by the number of memorial I saw on the roadsides, a little self-defense might be in order. I’m thinking an armored tank. If I had one of those, it wouldn’t matter that I’m such a bad driver!
If you’re not going to be driving a ton there is always Lift and Uber (once you add cost of car, ins, gas and upkeep, this might be cheaper).
Or leasing maybe? I have to do some more research.
There are many similarly cute cars on the American market now, lucky for you! AND, organic, mail-order food is a thing and it comes in VERY fresh from a CSA or similar weekly, some including eggs! Look into it!
From what I’ve seen online, I can easily buy an enormous pick-up truck but that’s not really my style. We’ll see what’s available. Will look into the mail-order. There’s also a Sunday morning farmers’ market.