Having lived here in Tokyo for the past 10 years, I’ve seen many political leaders, celebrities, and other famous individuals visit Japan. As many know, the country is renown for its hospitality, called “omotenashi”, and the Japanese go “all out” to make visitors feel welcome and at home. This certainly extends to the transportation provided to these guests during their stay in Japan also. But, as it does at times, cross-cultural differences can arise. Here is just a representative example of a few times when things got “lost in translation.” Car provided for their use first, name of guest following…
Singer Mariah Carey
Actor Sylvester Stallone
Adult Magazine Publisher Larry Flynt
Comedian Daman Wayans
Former Pro Basketball Player Shaquille O’Neil
Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates (Izusu Mysterious Utility Wizard)
Former President Bill Clinton
I recall that Datsun sold a “Li’l Hustler” over here at one time. I suppose Larry Flynt was a young boy at one time too…
Here’s the ad…
Nice ~
I had two Lil Hustler Datsun pickups , a ’73 (IIRC) with a swapped in 5 speed , great truck and a ’77 long bed automatic one owner super turd I hated from the day I got sandbagged into buying it at an auction ~ the current owner loves it , go figure .
-Nate
And don’t forget the King Cab!. And the Merry Miler camper conversions.
The Alaskan King Cab would have made a great limited edition.
The “OPPAI” number plate should really be on the Hustler vehicle.
The Suzuki Hustler and the (Daihatsu) Naked almost look like decent “niche” vehicles. Perhaps if Toyota had “borrowed” the Naked for it’s Scion brand, instead of the 2nd generation xb….
BTW, I’ve been to Japan 3 times (for work) and would love to go again, and yes, while perhaps initially a bit shy around strangers the Japanese people are very generous and hospitable…maybe more so than most countries.
Would Rev. Jim Jones have had a Suzuki Cultus?
Suzuki Hustler designer series ‘Larry Flynt Edition’.
Lord have mercy, Cincinnati’s favorite son, Larry Flynt. I saw him on an episode of Million Dollar Listing recently, he looked like complete crap. David Allan Coe was in court in the Queen City recently for tax evasion (he lost)…he’s from Akron as I recall, but we seem to have inherited him, for better or for worse.
Hustler was a slightly cheaper Hillman Hunter GT on the Australian market circa 69/70 so the Japanese are far from the first to use that badge all the others and the even weirder ones are on the road here as ex JDM used cars.
I know this is all in jest; but the use of the word ‘omotenashi’ and it’s meaning and implementation; to show the hospitality of Japan during the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games; has come up with some criticism; not just by foreigners; but from within.
The Japantimes.co.jp reported that Hitotsubashi University professor Yoko Ishikura in the Harvard Business Review in June; said the problem with omotenashi, whose tenet is not that the customer is always right, but rather that the service provider knows what’s best for the customer. He says this way of thinking extends to Japanese craftsmanship, manufacturing and even to some traditional pastimes, like the tea ceremony, which is not about the guest, but rather about the host. The guest’s role is to “appreciate the host’s fine taste.” What the guest wants is unimportant.
Maybe this is why we have been getting cars from Japan that are not what we want (I’m thinking of some newer Corollas and Prius’ that I have rode in lately, that are noisy, uncomfortably, and cramped) but it’s what the Japanese designers think is best for us and we should just be happy with them.☺
They don’t only do that with English names. They do have a few weird things with Spanish or Spanish-like names. The most well-known example is the Mitsubishi Pajero, which would be “Wanker” in Spanish. But there are also a couple of more obscure cars, the Mazda Laputa (Nissan TheWhore) and the Nissan Moco (Nissan Booger).
Oh, and lately Nissan sold a model called Pixo here. They strongly advertised it as “Pic-so” because read in Catalan (“Pishu”) means “Nissan Ipee”
That explains why the Pajero is called the Montero here in North America. No wonder.
Suzuki used the Hustler name before. At least in the American market, their 250 two-stroke twin motorcycle of the late ’60’s and early ’70’s was the X6 Hustler. I think it may have even pre-dated Larry Flynt’s magazine, but perhaps not the Paul Newman movie.
I presume that Wynton Marsalis was picked up in a Honda Jazz?
Buick LaCrosse =self-abuse in French Canadian.
Miata= Lady of ill repute
Austin Allegro = Crazy person in Itatian
The Silver Shadow was going to be called Silver Mist= Silver Shit in German.
The list goes on…..
And to all those who whine over and over and over about the current mania for MKZ, MDX, CTS, etc.
Welcome to the reason why. Model names are terrific when you’re only selling in the home country. Expand your market internationally, and you’re suddenly trying to not kill your sales because you named a car identical to some previously-unnoticed bit of obscene slang in some third rate country, only in the big cities, and only among the lower social classes, to boot. But it’s immediately picked up on the first review of the car, and never goes away.
Neil Armstrong would certainly have been given use of a Mitsubishi Space Wagon.