they love thier engines......

[cstaylor]

Welcome to a country without decent noise pollution laws. That's one law the Japanese should borrow from the U.S.

[kamome]

on kamome's street, where there's a smash-up every few hours.

Yep, just heard screeching tires right under my window earlier this evening. Damn Japanese drivers.

[Mr. BIG]

One of my fondest memories from my trip to Japan last summer was waking up at 2:30 in the morning to the sounds of huge exhaust systems and motorcycles racing up and down the street.....

I do have respect for people with the knowledge that's required to fix up cars like that, but it can definently become a nuisance to others who may not be so keen on the whole street racing scene.....plus, I was only in Japan for a short while....if I had to live there I'd probably be really pissed, too....

Can anybody tell me about the vans with the huge spoilers and sh*t?? My friend said his host-dad told him to stay away from them and that he saw a group of them try to run another car off the road, but other than that I really don't know anything about them.....

[cstaylor]

They're called "bosozoku" or "violent-gangs". Seen the movie Akira?

[kamome]

I believe the bosozoku are motorcycle gangs. Guys who drive souped-up vans with spoilers and customized stereo systems are low riders. I like the low-riders, hate the bosozoku (mainly because the bosozoku occasionally ride past my window at 3AM).

[Mr. BIG]

Yeah, I'm no anime freak, but I thought that the gangs in Akira were all bikers, too.....

I didn't know that 'bosozoku' meant bikers....that's pretty good to know. Is 'Low-Rider' the term the Japanese use for the souped-up vans?? Also, are the 'Low-Riders' known for being violent on the road?? I know the bikers have a terrible rep for street violence.....

[Mr. BIG]

Cool....very cool.

How often do police actually try to chase down these cars, though?? When I was in Japan, the police cars all seemed ridiculously fuel-efficient.....they probably wouldn't have a chance to get close to the racers without setting up roadblocks or something.

You mentioned that the cops are now cracking down on the 'bosozoku,' but for some reason I was under the impression that they typically overlooked that sort of thing....kinda like they overlook the mafia. Am I totally off in my understanding?

[Mr. BIG]

Aim for the front grill/radiator, once that is punctured he is OUT of the noise pollution business for a while.

Be careful, though.....a lot of racers install fancy front ends that have shields over the radiators.....in America we like to cram a large potato into the muffler (you may need a plastic ball or something, depending on the width of the muffler)....if you can get close enough to do the muffler first, do it--maybe right after he parks the car and goes in one night--and then commence with Pongi-sama's plan for the radiator.....

Very clever Pongi-san....VERY clever

[kamome]

Let's see...wrist rocket: check. Pachinko balls: check. Hockey mask/glove: check. Uh, why do I need the mask? To conceal my identity? To keep from putting an eye out?

I would have an awesome vantage point from my balcony for slingshotting some of those bosozoku, construction workers, and horn-honking drivers. Yeah, baby, that would be lots of fun....

[kamome]

Rob Pongi: All I can say is

Also, is PACINKO pronounced "pa-kink-o" or "pa-chin-ko"? I've always wondered about that whenever I pass a PACINKO parlor.

And you forgot one important feature about using the Jason hockey mask: it's good for concealing the fact that the wrist rocket user is one hell of a f*ed gaijin!

[cstaylor]

It's "Pa-Chin-ko". Not that I spend any time there or anything..

[tidbits]

Well, these are some guys from my Seijin-shiki who were rollin' with the bosozoku crowd......

Ultra,may I know if this is an old pic or you all were celebrating your 2nd Seijin-Shiki?

[DoriKin]

Dunno why there is a Ayumi Hamasaki sticker on the window, must be a girl's.....

[kamome]

Ultra,may I know if this is an old pic or you all were celebrating your 2nd Seijin-Shiki?

I was thinking the same thing. Man, those are some old hairstyles.

It's "Pa-Chin-ko". Not that I spend any time there or anything..

Yes, CS, thank you for explaining the obvious. I was only playing along with Rob Pongi's implied joke about misspelled romaji words. I've played Pachinko only once, and actually won about 5000 yen with only a 500 yen investment. Not a bad rate of return, eh?

[kamome]

*GASP!* You mean.....Japanese people have black hair

I always thought they were born with yellowish/brown colored hair! Youve gotta' be kidding me. Next thing you'll be hearing is something crazy like they don't actually wash their jeans.



P.S. CS, the above was also a sarcastic joke. Please be advised.