I’d like to thank Mazda for making this post possible. 
Last week, Mazda invited me to get to know their brand in a way I could not resist: a weekend in San Francisco, up close & personal with their cars.
For those of you who don’t know- we’ve owned 3 Mazdas … the cars are some of the best we’ve owned. Learning more about the brand’s philosophy was a no brainer for us.
First-Why Mazda?
Since I’ve owned several Mazdas, I can tell you a bit about our experiences with them.
Why have we owned three Mazdas? Simple, the cars are made extremely well. We had a Mazda while living in Alaska. ALASKA people, where it gets -60 below zero! Ask me how many problems we had with that Mazda? Go head, ask me! ZERO, we had zero problems with that car. Never one problem…but wait- it gets better! LOL! We moved from the frigid tundra of Alaska, to the fires of hell in Arizona – and our Mazda went with us.
So, now ask me how many problems we had with our Mazda, (the SAME Mazda we had in Alaska), in Arizona. ZERO, we had zero problems with that car. This was our second Mazda, it was ALL MINE because hubby had his own…wait for it… Mazda! Yep, we were a 2 Mazda household! Hubby kept his Mazda for 12 years. Yes, you read that correctly- twelve years-no problems. We affectionately referred to that car as “Ole Blue”, because it was blue & old! He still misses that vehicle.
I kept my Mazda for 10 years. It was the first & only car I’ve ever seen with oscillating AC vents. I miss those vents, they were so freakin’ cool.
Sushi
Mazda is a unique company, as Mazda owners, we already knew that. We got to hear a bit more about what makes them special, during our sushi making class at the Miele San Francisco Experience Center. Kelvin Hiraishi- Director, R&D Engineering at Mazda North American Operations, joined us for some sushi making fun & Mazda talk!
Unlike other Japanese car manufacturers in Japan; Mazda is located in Southern Japan. While everyone else is in Northern Japan-Mazda is unique from the get-go. Mr. Hiraishi was so animated during his chat with us, I could tell he is very passionate about the Mazda brand and takes great pride in producing a car that stands out from the rest. Something he said really resonated with me, “While other car manufacturers are trying to make their cars more autonomous, Mazda is doing the exact opposite. We want you to enjoy driving the car.” Mazda wants us to DRIVE our car & ENJOY driving.
After our chat, it was time to get busy & make some sushi! I had never made sushi before, though I’d always wanted to try. I was pretty proud of myself, here’s what I made:
No, it’s not perfect, but neither am I. Now that I’ve made it- I want to do it again at home.
What’s J-Pop
J-Pop Summit is a Japanese cultural festival that takes place each year in San Francisco. The festival highlights music, fashion, film, art, games, tech innovations, anime, food & this year: Mazda cars! Here’s a lil peek inside- I’ll be devoting a whole blog post to the sights & sounds of the summit next week.
Zoom-Zoom
The best part about my Mazda weekend had to be driving around in new Mazdas! Here’s the MX5, it had heads turning everywhere we went. With it’s Smart City Brake Support, the MX5 was made for San Francisco’s steep hills. (No worries about rolling backwards).
If you’re looking for a well-made vehicle, full of safety features, that looks good & handles great … Mazda is that car. Take it from someone who knows!
