(AP) To get around Tokyo, Yutaka Makino hops on his skateboard or rides commuter trains. Does he dream of the day when he has his own car? Not a chance.
The 28-year-old musician and part-time maintenance worker says owning a car is more trouble than it’s worth, especially in a congested city where monthly parking runs as much as $330 (30,000 yen), and gas costs $3.50 a gallon (about 100 yen a liter).
That kind of thinking is a U-turn from earlier generations of Japanese who viewed car ownership as a status symbol. The trend is worrying Japan’s auto executives, who fear the nation’s love affair with the automobile may be coming to an end.
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association predicts auto sales in Japan will fall to 4.86 million in 2009 — the first time below 5 million in more than three decades
To boost sales, Nissan has dealerships featuring colorful accessories for cars, Toyota, has hosted test-drive events, took part in fashion shows and even developed its own suburban shopping mall that houses a dealership to reach out to buyers.
Motoharu Ishii has turned his Honda dealership into a special shop for dog-owners. Bigger dogs can’t travel in Japanese trains, and so pet owners may be among the last holdouts in car ownership.
He helps them fit their vehicles with cages, offers discount coupons at dog runs, and has a fuzzy mat ready for visiting pets — in the same way some dealers prepare play areas for children.
This sounds families.
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