It comes as a surprise to most people, even locals, that Japan actually has considerable, under-developed areas and there really are more opportunities to go four-wheeling than you’d imagine. Japan is a mountainous, rugged country and most people don’t really like going into the wild for more than a few hours. One main hurdle to get around is that the majority of these undeveloped lands are privately owned and their owners are not usually in the mood to allow people to go 4-wheeling. Still, while many owners don’t care or don’t know, the real trick is to locate those places that have no restrictions. The largest of those areas accessible from here are in Gifu, Fukui, Nagano and Toyama Prefectures.
Well! I guess most of you already know that my wife Yoko and I drive to the mountains very often and that’s one of the main reasons why I own a 4×4 SUV. Nissan and Mitsubishi are my favorite for this purpose because they make rugged and reliable SUVs with diesel engines, but SUVs from Toyota and Ford are equally good.
This winter we have had excellent opportunities to head for the stars, to hit the woods and mountain tops with my telescopes. Snow has not been a problem at all though I have heard others complain and complain about it this year. One of the advantages of coming from a cold country, and both of my home countries Germany and Canada have been very snowy this winter, is that driving in such conditions poses no particular risk. The important thing is to have a 4×4 with lots of ground clearance, good all-season tires that can munch snow, the experience and skill not to drive too fast and be able to get out of a jam when it does arise.
All things considered, Japan still has natural, untouched areas and its car makers have the right stuff to explore with confidence! Drive safely!
Martin Werner Zander, Partner in the Smith’s School of English Company
マーティン・ワーナー・ザンダー
Owner, Smith’s School in Kotoen
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