According to Panasonic, their system controls lighting to guarantee “good sleeping”. I don’t know about you but, to me, “good sleeping” means a large bed, a good doona and someone special to spoon with all night. Still, if you want to get close to the experience of hibernation in a deep space vessel, this is the place to go. [9hours via 9h]

OK, so when I say ‘tearing up’ I don’t mean Formula 1 style. Being that this is a small room it certainly looks like she has some speed behind her though. The i-REAL leans into its corners for a better center of gravity, allowing her to maintain speed while cornering. It looks pretty cool too. It must be said that the woman test driver is small and is only just fitting in the vehicle. Some of the journos here are going to struggle to get in this thing. I think even I will, and I’m just five foot ten by the old tape.

As we watch her go another Toyota rep explains how the i-REAL works. The vehicle is operated very simply. There are dual joystick controls. Push forward to accelerate and push back to brake. We’re going to assume that you can figure out how to go left and right so we won’t insult your intelligence but telling you the rest of the rep’s speech.

Being that the i-REAL is powered by a lithium ion battery it is virtually silent while moving. A single charge will get you up to 30km and obviously be a hell of a lot better for the environment than a petrol powered car or bike. And being that you can hit top speeds of 30kph, you could actually do 30km in a day without spending the whole day on the i-REAL.

Imagine tearing up the pavement in one of these things while you watch those suckers stuck on the highway in peak hour traffic. Thankfully the 30kph speed will allow you to get away from the school kids that will, no doubt, be hurling eggs at you if you did that.

Being a Japanese invention it isn’t be complete without some sort of quirky bit. And here it is: The back of the i-REAL is a huge LED display that’s completely customisable. You can change it as you would your desktop wallpaper. The lady demonstrating the device currently has multi-coloured flashes shooting across the back of the i-REAL. We’ve also seen flower petals, cherry blossoms, waterfalls and sparks.

The display is all well and good, but can you imagine what would happened if this vehicle was actually released in Australia? I’m picturing displays with “If you can read this you can probably smell that I haven’t showered today”, or “NERDS RULE!”, or “Bite me Neil Armstrong”, or “Toyotas slowly, quietly and environmentally consciously urinate on Fords and Holdens”. Ummm, I seem to have forgotten why I am here. Ah yes, to test drive this thing.

Before I get behind the controls, I must mention the social networking aspect of the i-REAL. Yes, that’s right, social networking. The i-REAL features social networking applications. You can speak to other i-REAL users while you’re on the run and geotag sights and places that you like as well. Potentially you and your i-REAL mates could organise to meet up while you are flying around on one.

And now for the test-drive itself. It has to be said that I’m slightly anxious about using this thing. I have never used any sort of vehicle like this and I know it’s worth quite a bit of money. Luckily the chaps from Toyota are directing the journos as they test them.

The vehicle is quite something. As I first get in, I struggle to get my shoulders comfortable in the tiny seat. Unfortunately we aren’t allowed to just go for it Lewis Hamilton style. An instructor is guiding as around the room and making sure we don’t take flight.

I find the i-REAL simple to operate, with buttons on both armrests of the vehicle. There’s a mode that allows you to get in it, as well as park, walk, and cruise modes. You just press whichever button you need and hey presto, the i-REAL is ready to go. Then it’s just a case of moving the joysticks to go.

The difference between walk and cruise is the position the i-REAL takes when in motion and the speed it can achieve. When you put it in cruise mode the back wheel extends to give the vehicle a lower centre of gravity and a headrest pops out the back. It’s almost like a Formula 1 style driving position.

The i-REAL responds brilliantly to your commands through the joystick offering instant feedback. The only issue is the suspension, or lack thereof. Driving on carpet feels a bit like taking a rally car for a spin. You can feel every bump and grind through the ergonomic seat. If it’s like that on carpet, imagine what it would be like on a pavement!

Having said that though this is an early model and Toyota say that we should expect improvements and developments on the i-REAL. According to Makoto Morita, the i-REAL project manager, we could see these commercially available in four to five years time at a price well under $10,000. What you would use it for is questionable. Aside from the suspension issues, there is no weather protection. But as a vehicle for the airport or mall, it could be fantastic.

In terms of the fun factor though, I get off the i-REAL with a smile larger than Krusty the Clown during a Krusty Burger commercial. It’s pretty awesome.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He was in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

1) Check out the news of the new Toyota FT-EV II here at SMH.com.au. I didn’t have enough time to write this up with the rest of the stories but it is certainly a great car and a good look at the future and Toby Hagon, who was on this trip with us thanks to Toyota, did a rather good write up as per usual.

2) Be sure to keep looking out for Tokyo Motor Show news next week when a few of the more detailed features will hit the site. While it’s yet to be confirmed it will probably be a detailed rundown of everything at the motorshow as well as my test ride of the i-REAL and a few other bits and pieces of gold.

Enjoy your weekend!

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia and thought posting for Giz was pretty cool.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

The most impressive point about the Prius Plug-In Hybrid is certainly its charging time. In under two hours at 200V (three hours at 100V) you can fully charge the battery. And that’s simply by plugging it into a standard power point. What’s more, while switched to full electric mode, you’ll be able to drive around 20km on a fully charged battery. Depending on where you live, that’s enough to get you down to the shops and back.

The Prius Plug-In Hybrid looks no different to the current Prius model, it just comes with a plug attached. It can operate with or without the battery charged and has greater fuel efficiency thanks to the improved battery. We asked Yukihiro Okane, Chief Engineer, Product Planning of the Toyota Product Development Group when we could expect batteries that could last for around the same distance as a tank of petrol now, but he said it was still too far away to tell.

This was the Japan premier of the Plug-In Hybrid. When word drops of when we can expect it Gizmodo will be sure to let you know.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

I’ve just had a wander through and seen the following: The Alpha 550 DSLR, multicoloured Walkmans that are super slim, amazing portable digital TVs (which I have a feeling wont come to Australia – and that makes me sad) and awesome fluffy multi-coloured headphones (not for me, of course).

There’s stacks to check out at the Sony store and it even has a shop that sells Sony products for different regions, so you can go home with an Australian Cybershot that you bought in Tokyo. Sony store, Ginza, Tokyo – remember it when you’re next here.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

This is the race car based on the latest Legacy B4. It races in the Japanese Super GT Series in the GT300 class for R&D sport. It has a 1994cc Boxer DOHC engine with 300PS maximum power and 40kgf.m maximum torque. It weighs a mere 1200kg and has a six-speed manual transmission.

Subaru won’t release much more information on it than that (for obvious reasons, they are racing against competitors after all), but it certainly looks awesome. Sadly though, the team has only scored one point so far this entire season. Oh well, at least the car looks good.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

From what I did dig up, it is a brand owned by Sivax, Inc. which also owns a whole range of brands that customise cars. Each brand customises certain makes and models of cars, not just Japanese but European as well. In terms of Mani D’oro, it was a Mercedes-Benz S Class they had turned into the ultimate style bling machine – calling it the Mani D’oro Speciale MB-901. I don’t think even J-Lo could pull off a car like this.

The two-toned car features leather from Pasubio and wood throughout and has lighting fitted that gives the feel of a lounge room. Finished by Japanese master craftsmen, only rare wood and 100 per cent natural leathers are used. The wood panelling is treated with citrus oil and the adhesives used in the car are all natural as well.

The wood panelling was actually created by artisans that are appointees of the Japanese royal household. Yeah, believe it! Even the door step panels are impressive with an illuminated special logo.

I couldn’t get much out of the guys at the stand on performance either, bit from what I gathered it seems that Mani D’oro only really add luxury touches and leave the mechanics to the guys who know them best. In this case it would be Mercedes-Benz.

I don’t know if I want one, I certainly couldn’t pull it off, but I’m mighty impressed!

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.