Japan Car Navigation

Thu 2009/09/24 18:51 JST
 by 
Danny Choo
 32
17661 views

Taken a few hours ago on the way to meet comrades at the Japan Times.
First time there so am relying on the trusty car navigation. A lady
voice tells me directions. I'm pretty sure that they would make a load
of money if they made a car navi with a moe moe kyun voice.

Do you use car navigation systems in your neck of the woods? We
couldn't possibly get round Tokyo and the surrounding cities without
it.
Full review of our navi here > www.dannychoo.com/post/en/804/

先ほどMTGに向かうところで撮った写真。カーナビがないと厳しいですわ。ロンドンでは全く使わなかったけど。うちのカーナビのレビューはここ >
www.dannychoo.com/post/ja/804/

This is a Tokyo Live Blogger post uploaded from the iPhone. (RSS Feed available too)
This post was uploaded from the iPhone by Tokyo Live Blogger [www] Danny Choo. You can view more of Danny Choo's past Live Blogger posts somewhere here.
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  • Arayden KOGs
    Arayden KOGs in 虚空 (Registered on 2009/02/06)

    Hmmm , How about a Noroi WakaMoto Version? Madness!^^;

    Fri 2009/09/25 00:20:13 JST (ID #722176)
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    • lerry[maru]
      lerry[maru] in Kuala Lumpur, MY (Registered on 2008/09/14)
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      LOL! This thing is awesome.

      Fri 2009/09/25 03:00:15 JST (ID #722230)
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    • Danny Choo
      Danny Choo in Tokyo (Registered on 2006/12/11)
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      BB Code links work in comments?!

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      • Arayden KOGs
        Arayden KOGs in 虚空 (Registered on 2009/02/06)

        So far this is the only BB Code i know of 0.0;|||

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  • greenlight
    greenlight (Registered on 2009/09/25)

    If you get a PSP GPS you can get a tsundere Kugyu navi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpiO8oqHGL0

    Fri 2009/09/25 00:27:12 JST (ID #722179)
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  • uncreative
    uncreative in Japan (Registered on 2008/08/15)
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    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dramacd/

    I saw a video of a car navi that used Kugimiya and Wakamoto for the voices. It was pretty funny, and I think it's an actual product.

    Fri 2009/09/25 00:45:13 JST (ID #722185)
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  • Cyberelf
    Cyberelf in Germany (Registered on 2008/11/04)

    The 3D view is nice. Geek eye candy :P

    Fri 2009/09/25 02:03:21 JST (ID #722217)
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  • the great paul
    the great paul in heaven (Registered on 2008/03/14)
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    getting lost is fun too sometimes

    Fri 2009/09/25 02:05:54 JST (ID #722218)
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    • tiberis1221
      tiberis1221 in Death-xico(Aka. Mexico) (Registered on 2008/08/25)
      Student or something like that
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      Yeah sure! XP

      Fri 2009/09/25 03:49:00 JST (ID #722247)
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      • the great paul
        the great paul in heaven (Registered on 2008/03/14)
        pervert

        getting lost can help you find things that you wouldnt normally find such as a girl alone in a forest touching herself

        Fri 2009/09/25 08:02:41 JST (ID #722310)
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        • tymmur
          tymmur in his top secret nuclear bunker (Registered on 2008/01/20)
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          You speak of experience?

          Fri 2009/09/25 08:48:19 JST (ID #722314)
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  • soonkiong
    soonkiong in Malaysia (Registered on 2007/08/22)
    2nd year Civil Engineering Student
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    can't possibly get around Kuala Lumpur without my GPS phone as well... though it's nowhere near the epic size of Tokyo... ^^;;

    Fri 2009/09/25 02:12:47 JST (ID #722220)
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  • tsubasa126
    tsubasa126 in Los Angeles, CA (Registered on 2008/08/24)
    Student
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    Just purchased a portabel GPS a few days ago. It works quite well. So far, I haven't encountered any problem with it. I really want the in-dash Navigation system but they're waay out of my budget. (T_T)

    Fri 2009/09/25 02:28:41 JST (ID #722223)
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  • FMPhoenixHawk
    FMPhoenixHawk in Michigan, USA (Registered on 2008/01/20)
    Scientist, unemployed.
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    Mapquest. I can't afford a GPS unit, and despite a nice phone, I have no data plan, so no GPS through that.

    Fri 2009/09/25 03:17:36 JST (ID #722237)
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  • VanBloodMoon
    VanBloodMoon in The Moon (Registered on 2009/07/29)
    Programmer

    They should make it green monocrome so it looks like the gps from ghost in the shell.

    Fri 2009/09/25 04:24:23 JST (ID #722253)
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  • AMGitsKriss
    AMGitsKriss in UK (Registered on 2009/07/16)
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    We don't have the 3D map here. But the roads and directions are pretty much the same.

    Fri 2009/09/25 05:23:51 JST (ID #722263)
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  • Edward
    Edward in SE Michigan/Osaka (Registered on 2006/12/24)
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    No no Danny, we would be so busy listening to the voice and would forget about the destination. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. I see TomTom here now has a Homer Simpson... ^^; I use the nav. system mostly when I'm in Japan...

    Fri 2009/09/25 06:02:46 JST (ID #722276)
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    • tymmur
      tymmur in his top secret nuclear bunker (Registered on 2008/01/20)
      Mad scientist

      I think there is a limit to how many times "D'oh" is funny when you go "darn, that's a one way street... going the wrong way". TomTom should improve their maps rather than their voice. It's possibly the worst one to get around here. Way too many imaginary roads to be really useful. (imaginary as in "bikes only" or similar)

      Fri 2009/09/25 08:52:44 JST (ID #722315)
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  • SeiWhiteMoe
    SeiWhiteMoe in Caracas,Venezuela (Registered on 2009/06/18)
    Full-time geek/Part-time student/Part-time musician
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    O_O It's even in 3D cool! but I'd rather have a Moé Moé Kyun voiced one ^^.

    Fri 2009/09/25 07:03:52 JST (ID #722293)
    reply to SeiWhiteMoe's comment
  • kevk
    kevk in where ever the navy puts me (Registered on 2008/06/02)
    navy am

    i have one but it gets lost some time mostly on account of old maps it has onit

    Fri 2009/09/25 07:54:00 JST (ID #722309)
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  • 月下メロン
    月下メロン (Registered on 2009/09/05)
    Programmer, DJ, 仮面浪人w
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    When I first heard about doing supermarket shopping online, all I could think of was a 3D display of the supermarket like on that Navigation System and a DOOM style display.

    Fri 2009/09/25 08:25:12 JST (ID #722311)
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  • tymmur
    tymmur in his top secret nuclear bunker (Registered on 2008/01/20)
    Mad scientist

    Do you use car navigation systems in your neck of the woods?

    Most people do and it's causing problems. There is a place not far from my home where the "clever" GPS routing software tells people to turn left because the 20-25% reduced distance is a good thing. It completely forgets that you can drive 40-50 km/h while you can go around 100 if you stick to the main roads. So much for getting there faster and slow driving is even bad for fuel economy. The engine idles too much. The best efficiency is around 90 km/h at a stable speed.

    Well that's their problem. The real problem is that they want to make left turns during rush hour and it blocks traffic. While one car is waiting for oncoming traffic to disappear, all other cars has to wait for that car to move and cars queue up. Several accidents have happened because cars queued up and one car didn't notice. This place wasn't a problem before people got GPS.

    Personally I don't have a GPS. I have no use for such a thing. I have a good map and I just look at where I'm going if it's the first time going there. I can figure out how to get there later based on memory if needed. The only time I can recall having an issue was at some roadworks. The road was closed and they had some signs with temporal rerouting and you had to select a route based on which destination you wanted. The bozos had messed up the signs and I ended up in an unfamiliar place, which I shouldn't have seen. I ended up stopping at a gas station to ash where I was ^^;
    I'm not sure GPS would have helped a whole lot there. It would likely have told me to use the closed road. And for the record once I knew where I was it only took a quick look at the map to figure out a new route to my destination.

    I know one guy, who gets lost everywhere so he bought a GPS. He is really happy about it because he will always end up at his destination. However it often finds strange routes and he really wondered when it told him to leave the road and drive across a field. He did drive on what could be a dirt road, but it was basically just two lines without grass (one for each wheel). He did end up on the roads again eventually and reached his destination. He calls his GPS Hyacinth because it's a woman who tells him how to drive :D
    (anybody who have seen Keeping Up Appearances will know what this means)

    Fri 2009/09/25 08:47:22 JST (ID #722313)
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  • Reltair
    Reltair in California, United States (Registered on 2009/06/13)
    College Student
    http://www.projectsaber.com

    I look up beforehand where I'm going on Google Maps, and then I print out directions. Old school style!

    Fri 2009/09/25 08:55:27 JST (ID #722318)
    reply to Reltair's comment
  • silent1134
    silent1134 in Los Angeles, California (Registered on 2007/08/22)
    ???Confused???

    I have one for my job...works alright, but I wish it had nice details like the one in the picture...could get around a lot better...

    Fri 2009/09/25 09:38:12 JST (ID #722347)
    reply to silent1134's comment
  • Bakkou
    Bakkou in Australia (Registered on 2009/04/01)
    Student

    My household hasn't got around to getting ourselves a navigator yet so we're still using the trusty Melway's (giant book with the map of Melbourne).

    Fri 2009/09/25 09:48:23 JST (ID #722353)
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  • Sorvani
    Sorvani in Collinsville, IL (Registered on 2009/03/06)
    Network Admin & Programmer
    http://sorvai.blogspot.com

    While visiting Kobe to see my brother in law in March, he rented a mini van one day to take everyone around to a few places. The rental had a full nav unit, not quite that nice, but much better than the units in the States.
    It was linked to cameras around the car that showed up on the screen when parking.

    Fri 2009/09/25 14:59:36 JST (ID #722454)
    reply to Sorvani's comment
  • Evil King
    Evil King in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, Earth (Registered on 2007/12/18)
    Student and full-time otaku

    My dad has one in his car and after 3 years he would just get lost without one ^^

    Fri 2009/09/25 18:39:53 JST (ID #722528)
    reply to Evil King's comment
  • NPC
    NPC in Rocklin, CA (Registered on 2007/12/06)
    JR. College Student
    http://npc.talkingincircles.net/

    Nope, I navigate with google maps text instructions and intuition. The former can either be a good or bad thing depending on where I am...

    Fri 2009/09/25 19:08:50 JST (ID #722535)
    reply to NPC's comment
  • shion
    shion in Italy (Registered on 2007/12/05)
    step to step drivers collaudator

    I use ALWAYS the car navi system because i lost myself everywhere.I have a map system on my iphone too for when i go around by foot.............^_^
    Unfortunately no moe voice on my gps......

    Fri 2009/09/25 20:08:09 JST (ID #722545)
    reply to shion's comment
  • agcpictures
    agcpictures in La La Land (Registered on 2009/08/14)
    Screenwriter Wannabe

    lol i don't go anywhere, so i don't really need one!

    Sun 2009/09/27 18:10:56 JST (ID #723624)
    reply to agcpictures's comment
  • Haven
    Haven in Singapore (Registered on 2009/10/29)
    Student
    http://www.fabricerequin.com

    getting lost is fun too sometimes

    Mon 2010/01/18 02:14:25 JST (ID #759543)
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