Column The Trap of Cars
"I want to drive a nice car"—that desire may be an artificial thirst manufactured by the "Brand Ladder" GM designed a century ago, fueled by hundreds of billions of yen in annual advertising. We dissect the structure of a society where car grade is directly proportional to income—a system that siphons off over 40 million yen of your lifetime earnings and binds your time and attention to "ownership and status." From the perspective of a former car enthusiast who lost interest, this is an awakening column aimed at redesigning your relationship with transportation.