Road to Rotary: Japan to France in an RX7

Kenai said:
Perhaps I missed this somewhere amongst the thread developing but you're shipping the car to France, registering it, then shipping it back to Japan, so you can drive it back to France?
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That is correct, yes.
Kenai said:
That's even more bonkers than what I thought was the plan - buy the car in Japan, get it fixed up, drive it back on temporary registration - has anyone (thinking your corporate contacts) asked you about the carbon footprint of shipping a car from Japan to France to Japan and then driving to France? :p
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Yea, it makes no logical sense, but as much as I have always wanted the car, it's about the adventure more than the car at the end of the day.
You cannot get a temp registration. You can't sell a car to a foreigner in Japan, it has to be exported. Trust me, the only proper way to do it is this way. I have had all the eventualities and options hashed out.
 
Kenai said:
That's a bit disappointing I suppose, especially after someone telling you that you could is part of what spurred you on originally.
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The bonus is that I will be able to now explore more. I will spend a week driving around japan and then a week driving round south korea, before the big journey back. At least I'll have all full documentation in my name and fully legal, so no reason why there could possibly be any documentation issues going through all the countries I am. I just don't want to have any potential for any officials to pick holes in my paperwork. Best not to give any excuse for it.

If I wasn't publicizing it so much and wasn't taking my son, I would no doubt just windmill in and not worry about any of it, but when you have your kid with you, it's most important to avoid anything that could add complications.
 
Subbed for this. I'm planning to do more of a driving holiday in Japan so will be interesting to see how it goes for you. Rest of the trip will be icing on the cake!
 
I think I would be more then a little bit concerned about driving through Russia. But it looks like you have to drive through either Russia or Iran and I don't know which is worse! Both countries have a habit of arresting westerners on spurious grounds to use as political capital.
 
EdwardTeach said:
I think I would be more then a little bit concerned about driving through Russia. But it looks like you have to drive through either Russia or Iran and I don't know which is worse! Both countries have a habit of arresting westerners on spurious grounds to use as political capital.
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Sometimes you just have to turn the TV off and go experience the world for yourself.
I'd do both countries to be fair.
I just followed a couple from Durham who drove the other way to me, from the UK to Vladivostok in their marketplace Mercedes ML. We obviously got chatting a fair bit over insta DM. They made it to vladivostok and said the Russian part was one of them best they experienced. I do follow a lot of people who have/are traveling in russia etc. and their experiences have not been what all the people who haven't done it but read about it somewhere from the media have been, so you know. I'm happy to go experience the world myself and have my own perspective rather than be scared to do anything. Not a dig, just saying that's how I prefer to live.
 
randomshenans said:
Sometimes you just have to turn the TV off and go experience the world for yourself.
I'd do both countries to be fair.
I just followed a couple from Durham who drove the other way to me, from the UK to Vladivostok in their marketplace Mercedes ML. We obviously got chatting a fair bit over insta DM. They made it to vladivostok and said the Russian part was one of them best they experienced. I do follow a lot of people who have/are traveling in russia etc. and their experiences have not been what all the people who haven't done it but read about it somewhere from the media have been, so you know. I'm happy to go experience the world myself and have my own perspective rather than be scared to do anything. Not a dig, just saying that's how I prefer to live.
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There is a difference between not being scared and being naive and reckless. No one from the UK should be travelling through Iran or Russia without a good reason with the current situations. Especially with how the Russian government are framing the Kursk invasion as being directed by the UK "one of the main curators".

EDIT: Same for citizens of other major Western nations.

Sure you might have a good time, but a not insignificant chance of things going very badly wrong.
 
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It is a shame about the double shipping thing. It takes a crazy "why not?" idea of travelling half way across the world to pickup a car and drive it back home to more of a simple "why?".

That said I'm still looking forward to seeing what you get up to. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of hoping that you find yourself in all sorts of scrapes and 'what the hell do I do now?!' moments but I get the impression that you do to :D As long as you make it back safe that's all that will matter.
 
Rroff said:
There is a difference between not being scared and being naive and reckless. No one from the UK should be travelling through Iran or Russia without a good reason with the current situations. Especially with how the Russian government are framing the Kursk invasion as being directed by the UK "one of the main curators".

Sure you might have a good time, but a not insignificant chance of things going very badly wrong.
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Turn off the news dude. you'll be far happier in life.

lordrobs said:
It is a shame about the double shipping thing. It takes a crazy "why not?" idea of travelling half way across the world to pickup a car and drive it back home to more of a simple "why?".
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Yea, totally. The why is pretty simple though. I get to spend a week driving around Japan, a week driving around south korea and then 6 weeks crossing the world in an adventure with my son that is worth more than any car in the world and an experience like no other.

lordrobs said:
That said I'm still looking forward to seeing what you get up to. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of hoping that you find yourself in all sorts of scrapes and 'what the hell do I do now?!' moments but I get the impression that you do to :D As long as you make it back safe that's all that will matter.
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Haha thank you! It will be what it'll be, it'll all be good. Just have to roll with it. A solution for everything really if you let go of how it should be.
 
randomshenans said:
Sometimes you just have to turn the TV off and go experience the world for yourself.
I'd do both countries to be fair.
I just followed a couple from Durham who drove the other way to me, from the UK to Vladivostok in their marketplace Mercedes ML. We obviously got chatting a fair bit over insta DM. They made it to vladivostok and said the Russian part was one of them best they experienced. I do follow a lot of people who have/are traveling in russia etc. and their experiences have not been what all the people who haven't done it but read about it somewhere from the media have been, so you know. I'm happy to go experience the world myself and have my own perspective rather than be scared to do anything. Not a dig, just saying that's how I prefer to live.
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What passports do you have or have access to? If I went to Russia, I would probably travel on my Irish passport rather than British, as I think it would be percieved as more politically neutral.
 
EdwardTeach said:
What passports do you have or have access to? If I went to Russia, I would probably travel on my Irish passport rather than British, as I think it would be percieved as more politically neutral.
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Based on what level of experience in traveling to russia with a UK passport? Wondering if this comes from a personal experience of yours?

Rroff said:
If there is one thing I don't do it is spend time watching the news.
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Too much time in GD then :D
 
randomshenans said:
Based on what level of experience in traveling to russia with a UK passport? Wondering if this comes from a personal experience of yours?


Too much time in GD then :D
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I hope you are mostly trolling as this is really poor decision making against the backdrop of deteriorating diplomatic situation, increasing use of foreigners as bargaining chips albeit it has mostly been people with dual Russian/other citizenship so far and the instability of the overall situation with potential for significant and rapid changes. No one from Western nations should be travelling Russia at the moment just for a jolly. This isn't just things being blown out of proportion by the news or inexperience of travel.

Anyhow if you are really intent on "not being scared" I vote you take a road trip through the war torn parts of Yemen with "Israel is the greatest" written on one side of your vehicle and "I love America" on the other :s that'll show us.
 
Rroff said:
I hope you are mostly trolling as this is really poor decision making against the backdrop of deteriorating diplomatic situation, increasing use of foreigners as bargaining chips albeit it has mostly been people with dual Russian/other citizenship so far and the instability of the overall situation with potential for significant and rapid changes. No one from Western nations should be travelling Russia at the moment just for a jolly. This isn't just things being blown out of proportion by the news or inexperience of travel.
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I literally follow many people that have just been through, or are in Russia, right now. With UK passports... traveling through.

Just stay out of this thread if it's that triggering for you.
 
randomshenans said:
Yea, totally. The why is pretty simple though. I get to spend a week driving around Japan, a week driving around south korea and then 6 weeks crossing the world in an adventure with my son that is worth more than any car in the world and an experience like no other.
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Oh, absolutely. I'm probably trying to apply too much logic to the idea but as the car would already be in France I'd have thought doing the trip the other way, ie. taking the car to its home would make more sense and give the series a real end point. Back to where it all began if you like. Whereas sending it straight back on the boat will leave the end point as 'back at randomshenans house' which I'm sure is very nice but maybe not so much of a climax.

I don't know, as I say, I'm trying to apply too much logic here :p
 
He could have driven/sold his black London taxi (worldwide icon) to Japan and driven back with rx-7
(the 28days later motorway scenes come to mind)

Does UK have an equally onerous import strategy (could you have done a 2step import?)

e: for the nostalgia - great film
e:
28Days03.jpg
 
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Rroff said:
I hope you are mostly trolling as this is really poor decision making against the backdrop of deteriorating diplomatic situation, increasing use of foreigners as bargaining chips albeit it has mostly been people with dual Russian/other citizenship so far and the instability of the overall situation with potential for significant and rapid changes. No one from Western nations should be travelling Russia at the moment just for a jolly. This isn't just things being blown out of proportion by the news or inexperience of travel.

Anyhow if you are really intent on "not being scared" I vote you take a road trip through the war torn parts of Yemen with "Israel is the greatest" written on one side of your vehicle and "I love America" on the other :s that'll show us.
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If he gets shot, bombed or arrested it will surely mean more views though? Think of the publicity! Could even live stream?
 
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