[Sangetsu]

It's incredibly difficult to get a drivers license in Japan (I'm going through the process myself right now), but it's even easier to lose one's license if one does something as foolish as racing.

Japan is not a car-friendly country. If you are parked in a lot eating a donut while reading a paper, and a car backs into yours, you are going to be considered partially at fault for the accident. Add the requirement for expensive annual inspections, outrageous highway tolls ($1 per mile), high gas prices, and parking requirements, you'll begin to understand. In some circumstances you can't even own or buy a car unless you have a parking spot registered with the city. If you get pulled over for being in a speed contest (racing), don't think they'll let you get back behind the wheel within a decade or so.

People don't drive wildly modified cars here because they actually race them. It's only for looks. You'll see women on trains or buses carrying tennis rackets whenever they head out for the weekend even though they've never actually played a game of tennis.

If you want to drive fast, move to Montana or Germany where there are no speed limits.