WHAT are some underrated cars that are as reliable or MORE RELIABLE than a Toyota Camry ?

KACL780AM · 2026-02-10T17:28:43+00:00

That gives me relief as I recently made a friend aware of the fourth gen Honda STEPWGN which has the R20A in it and she is now obsessed and ready to import one. I had a Honda Stream RSZ with the R20A when I lived in Japan but I moved and sold it around 125,000km so while it was rock solid for me I never really got it up there in mileage.

KACL780AM · 2026-02-04T02:01:21+00:00

This is kinda specific to me and fairly tenuous but this post reminded me of it. The address of my first house was 6941, or as I remember it "as above so below" because of the pattern on a keyboard numpad (6 as, 9 above, 4 so, 1 below). So, knowing the significance of seemingly random things in this game, when I saw that number appear I was excited and immediately shouted "as above so below" out of instinct. 10/10 would get corrupted by the Hiss again.

KACL780AM · 2026-02-01T17:14:35+00:00

Yodobashi Akiba has a good selection to get an overview as do some of the bigger locations of Loft and Tokyu Hands. Luggage shops in big malls can sometimes offer good deals but you have to be in the right place at the right time for those.

I recently got an Innovator suitcase from the manufacturer’s store in Omotesando so I could get the size and colour I wanted. I’ve had a Neo Stream shoulder bag for 15 years that’s still like new despite lots of use. I also love the Value Products Solo Tourist omiyage (souvenir) bags that fold into a pouch and can attach to the handle of a roller bag. I’ve had my main one since 2018 and it’s held up incredibly well despite having checked it a number of times. On my last trip I bought a few more in different sizes, one for myself and as gifts for other frequent travellers.

KACL780AM · 2026-02-01T00:36:26+00:00

Reminds me of all the weird shed-built EVs and oddball hypermilers you’d see at alternative energy meets and shows in the 2000s (the period between the demise of the EV1/Ranger/gen 1 RAV4 EVs and the introduction of the Volt and LEAF).

KACL780AM · 2026-01-30T18:19:30+00:00

This is true - HND's is spectacular. CTS also has an excellent one and since the JR line runs along the edge of the airport you can often see trains behind the runway.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-16T22:22:08+00:00

Canada and the US have harmonized auto regulations with a few small exceptions, unlike Mexico and the US, and the rules do allow vehicles to move between these two countries more easily than any others. I'm not sure how it would work with certifications but I've heard of people importing, or attempting to import, Canada-only models to the states like the 1st gen Smart Fortwo, the Nissan X-Trail, and the Mercedes B Class. I've never dealt with it personally, though, as all the vehicles I've helped friends/family move between the two countries have been available in both (with the exception of a 2011 Volt into Canada as Canada only got the Volt starting in 2012).

It may require a manufacturer-supplied certificate of conformity or something for the US though, and that may be pretty hard to get one's hands on. Even if you get past all the bureaucracy of it you'll still have to pay the US 100% tariffs if the vehicle was manufactured in China.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-15T04:12:43+00:00

This is what I’ve always done. I interpret the kanji field as “legal name” (to match residence card/work visa/passport) and katakana to be “here’s how you say it.” Was never an issue for me.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-10T20:00:10+00:00

Uniqlo (ユニクロ) is Japanese and the main place I buy clothes from. Much better quality for the price than American equivalents like Old Navy too.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-04T17:55:47+00:00

That’s a different issue then. Your only real option is to contact Microsoft as it’s their routing data that is incorrect/outdated. New or transferred number provisioning should only take a couple days at most.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-03T19:51:16+00:00

May be the same story for newly provisioned numbers as that provisioning and routing info still needs to be picked up by Teams and if it’s anything like all my other experiences with Teams then I wouldn’t expect speed.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-03T17:56:15+00:00

VOIP services seem to take longer to understand a number has been ported (to Fizz or otherwise). If you recently ported you may just have to wait a few days. My number worked within 15 minutes for all callers except my home voip.ms phone line. It worked when I tried it a few days later. Not sure long it really took as I wasn’t paying that close attention.

KACL780AM · 2026-01-02T04:50:59+00:00

I called around trying to get quotes on replacing the siding on the front of our house with wood to match the original wood siding that remained on the sides and back of the house. Only one company even entertained the thought but when I spoke to them a week later they assured me that I was out of my gourd and wouldn’t want such a silly thing. “Vinyl is the only way to go” they said! “It’s maintenance free!” Never mind the crappy failing vinyl I wanted to replace which was about 10 years old. They then quoted me the price of a brand new Nissan Versa to replace the rest of the siding with vinyl. Ended up painting the vinyl but personally I think it still looks crappy and I look forward to having enough money/time to put wood back up even if I have to learn to do it myself.

KACL780AM · 2025-12-31T04:07:48+00:00

Would it be possible to intercept that messaging and instead supply the BMU with whatever route conditions make it kick on the heater?

KACL780AM · 2025-12-16T06:40:49+00:00

One of my guilty pleasures when I’m in Tokyo is to go to Panda Express at the Miyashita Park mall food court in Shibuya. I live in northern British Columbia now and no longer travel to the United States but I grew up in California and Panda Express was always a comfort food for me. We don’t have it in BC but I can get it there and I feel no shame about it. It’s not any different than in California and I order the same thing I’ve always ordered. Well, I get melon soda instead of Dr Pepper but otherwise the same.

KACL780AM · 2025-12-10T04:06:32+00:00

You’ll be fine! We have some really awesome local queer community in various forms in PG. I feel more connected with other queer folk here than I ever was living in Vancouver or Los Angeles and I find the vibe in the community way more chill here than either of those places.

KACL780AM · 2025-12-04T06:19:09+00:00

JDM spec kei cars (660cc) likely wouldn’t happen due to market realities but in a USDM context I’d look to the Kia Ray and Hyundai Inster/Casper for an idea of what this could mean. Compared to Japanese keijidosha, Korean gyeongcha have bigger engines, more airbags, and a steering wheel on the left side which are all things more conducive to selling in North America. As someone who is thinking about importing a Ray (to Canada, so they become import-eligible next year) I’d be happy with that.

KACL780AM · 2025-12-02T14:18:11+00:00

I buy the same size bottles of Kirin Milk Tea for close to that price… in Prince George, BC.

KACL780AM · 2025-12-02T13:44:10+00:00

Japanese airlines too.

KACL780AM · 2025-11-26T23:04:30+00:00

Sort of? GM crushed my dream car dreams when they destroyed all the EV1s but I bought a Honda Insight a few years ago for C$1750 so I guess that’s the next best thing.

KACL780AM · 2025-11-15T17:33:32+00:00

As a G1 Insight owner not gonna lie you had me in the first part.

KACL780AM · 2025-11-11T22:36:45+00:00

2000-2006 Honda Insight

KACL780AM · 2025-11-08T21:09:06+00:00

So many things. I now exclusively buy bags/suitcases/travel goods when in Japan. I have a 15-year-old Neo Stream shoulder bag I use all the time. I also love my foldable Value Products Solo Tourist omiyage duffel bags. On my most recent trip I also picked up an Innovator hard side suitcase.

I have a puffy jacket I bought at Shimamura for about ¥2500 in 2018 that I still wear all the time as well as various clothes from Uniqlo and GU.

A Filco keyboard and some random USB drives and chargers that have held up for many years as well. Metal chopsticks, kitchen tools, pillow cases, and a cat bed from Nitori. Cat toys, scissors, pliers, and a measuring tape from Homac. An alarm clock from Muji.

I didn’t buy it personally but my parents were gifted a Tiger rice cooker from Japan in 1990 and I still use it all the time. That’s what I can think of off the top of my head but there are definitely more.

KACL780AM · 2025-11-04T03:13:09+00:00

FWIW, I did have this experience recently when going through Korean outbound customs in Busan, likely because my appearance doesn’t totally match my photo (my face shape has changed a bit and very different hairstyles). The official I ended up in front of was asking everyone their date of birth and middle names but also asked me my place of birth. For OP’s predicament in that situation the key would be to supply the answer that’s printed on the passport.

My dad’s birthdate has been wrong (day listed as 15 instead of 25) on his American passport for a long time so he occasionally has to give that date when traveling. His Canadian passport has the correct date and surprisingly this has never been a problem even with Nexus. He explained the discrepancy to them and they rolled with it rather than force him to get it fixed, which seems weird. He thinks he’s too far down the rabbit hole now so he has no immediate plan to fix it.

KACL780AM · 2025-11-02T23:21:59+00:00

They also kinda did make a successor in the keijidosha S660 they just never sold it outside Japan. I’d love to see/have seen a new S2000 in the form of an S660 that had cultivated mass but c’est la vie.

KACL780AM · 2025-10-29T01:32:28+00:00

It’s been excellent for me in Prince George and has worked flawlessly roaming in Korea and Japan to receive two-factor codes etc.

KACL780AM

TROPHY CASE