September 15, 2013

Why is This Cab Glowing?


Why is This Cab Glowing?

Vladivostok, a remote city in the Russian Far East, is notorious for the many used Japanese cars on its roads, which are possibly the worst in the country. Despite government campaigns against the right-hand-steering vehicles, locals continue to find ways to bypass the state's initiatives.

Vladivostok streets, by Núria Alonso, August 2008, CC 2.0.

Vladivostok streets, by Núria Alonso, August 2008, CC 2.0.

Many Internet users in Vladivostok have remained adamant that even older Japanese cars are superior to the models now coming off assembly lines in Russia. Some netizens describe owning a Russian car as a social faux pas. As one commenter on the Russian Far East news portal Deita.ru wrote:

увы, даже японки собираемые не в Японии как бы это помягче сказать … xpeнового качества. Опять же если сравнивать с праворульной машиной сделаной япами и для япов. Увы … не могут они взять и перенести свой подход к труду на чужую землю без потерь.

Sadly, even the Japanese [cars] not assembled in Japan are, to put it mildly … of s**tty quality. Again, when compared with right-hand-steering cars made by the Japanese for the Japanese. Sadly … they cannot take and implement their approach to work abroad without a loss [in quality].

Japanese cars en route to Vladivostok, damaged in a storm, 21 October 2012, screen capture from YouTube.

Japanese cars en route to Vladivostok, damaged in a storm, 21 October 2012. 
(Screen capture from YouTube.)

After a deadly tsunami hit Japan in 2011, followed by the nuclear tragedy in Fukushima, the port of Vladivostok received a number of radioactive cars. Two years later, radioactive car parts are still arriving in Russia. Outrageously, Russian customs authorities have had to detain and send back to Japan over 930 radioactive cars since 2011.

Confronted with such problems, Vladivostok residents have gone online to swap stories and ask advice  [ru] about the stream of toxic Japanese motor vehicles. Web user Damir Gaifullin appealed to one forum in the following words:

Ребят, подскажите, кто-нибудь сталкивался с радиоактивными автомобилями из Японии? Как-то например – выбрал машину на аукционе, а она оказалась радиоактивной и отсюда начались проблемы.

Guys, tell me, has anyone had to deal with radioactive cars from Japan? Maybe someone got a car at an auction and it turned out to be radioactive, and all his problems started here?

Some people responding to Gaifullin suggested shopping in auctions farther from Fukusima, in order to avoid any potential contamination. Others argue that measuring the level of radiation before cars leave Japan is a better approach. Unfortunately, it is apparently very difficult for Russians buying cars at auctions in Japan to run comprehensive background checks on vehicles, before purchasing.


This article by Masha Egupova was originally published by Global Voices Online, a website that translates and reports on blogs from around the world.

 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955