Auto Safety Lab : Safety of Japanese cars

The Japanese Women Soccer Team is like a treasure to Japan. They were given the National Honor Award for  winning the championship in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It could not have come at a more opportune time when the country badly needed an emotional uplifting. As part of tradition, the award comes with a gift. In this case, it was really 2 gifts: a set of hand crafted make-up brushes and a car key. No, it was not Japanese cars but Audi cars. Audi is a sponsor of the Japanese Football Association, so it was not anything else but part of a sponsorship program. One would also assume that these athletes already have Japanese cars.

The Audi 1 cars are not exactly gifts but given on loan for 3 years. It was a media frenzy because of the nature of the loan. Usually recipients of the National Honor Awards get watches or a Japanese art piece. When the brushes given, many questioned its relevance with the thought that these female athletes probably wouldn’t care for make-up, much more make-up brushes.

However, these are not just any ordinary set of brushes. They are considered to be one of the most luxurious of all make-up brushes with the hair coming from animals like the deer, goat, weasels, and horses. In addition, these are considered highly traditional Japanese craft dating back to the 18th century. They can handed down from generation and used for calligraphy.

If one were to think about it, the 3 year rent-free lease on a car that will be outdated in a year or so is impressive on a temporary basis whereas the brushes can be considered valuable as the years pass.

Unfortunately, not many people can see past the end of their nose and think the Japanese women athletes got a raw deal. Wait a few years, those brushes could be worth double its value today.

As far as the female athletes are concerned, they were the epitome of grace under scrutiny and the harsh spotlight of the media attention. Once the 3 year lease-free period is up, no doubt they will happily go back to using their very own Japanese cars.