Sunday, June 17, 2012

More Driving in Japan

I posted about driving in Japan last November but I didn't mention all of the differences that I've noticed so I've decided to update!  The good news is that I now automatically go to the proper (right-handed) side of the car when I'm the one driving, which saves time.  I still hit the windshield wiper lever instead of the blinkers sometimes when I get flustered though.  At least the brake and gas pedals are in the same relative locations as they are in the US or else I probably wouldn't be able to drive at all...

Maybe you've seen this on TV before, but the traffic signals in Japan usually do not dangle vertically as they do in America, they are horizontal and are built right into the metal of the traffic light post over the road (which is probably safer during storms with strong wind).  The red light is on the right, yellow is in the middle, and green/blue is on the left.  I say green/blue since it's definitely not a solid green but most of the time the difference isn't really noticeable to me.  One time when I was driving back home at night I saw some blinking/spinning warning lights ahead indicating a part of the road undergoing construction.  I stopped, wondering when it would be safe to go (there was no construction worker to tell me and I couldn't see where the construction ended due to a bend in the road).  Then I noticed that there was a circular blue light staring me in the face.  It was one of those portable traffic lights, and apparently it was my turn to go...

Speaking of construction workers, I've noticed that there are three different methods that are used for telling you when it's safe to drive around construction sites.  During the day, a construction worker employee (not a police officer with white gloves) will have a red flag and a green flag.  When the worker waves or holds up the red flag it means "stop," once you do come to a complete stop the worker will bow to you (I usually bow my head in return).  When it's time to go, the person will wave the green flag vigorously.  In the evening the colors of the flags change.  Neon orange means "stop" while neon yellow means "go."  Finally, at night the workers use two glowing orange batons to tell you what to do.  Holding them up, or in a crossed "X" means "stop," while moving them in a large circular motion means "go."  It can be a little confusing so I try to be extra cautious in the evening and at night.

One other big difference I've noticed about driving in Japan is that stop-lines are usually much farther away from their corresponding intersections than they are in the US.  In Japan the roads are more narrow so when a truck or bus makes a turn they are often in the opposite lane for several meters before straightening out; so the corresponding stop-lines need to be several meters away from the intersection for safety.

Police officers are very nice in Japan.  When they're cruising around town they are required to have their red lights flashing so you always see them coming (luckily they don't have to have their sirens going).  I have never seen officers lying in wait in speed traps, in fact I have only seen people being pulled over by the police twice (and one time was a mandatory breathalyzer test for everyone going down the road so it doesn't really count).  I haven't been pulled over since I've been here.  Also, if you're walking around a city and get lost you are encouraged to go to a koban (small police station, also called a police box) and ask an officer for directions; it's their job to help!

One last thing I've noticed about Japanese roads is that there is a distinct lack of road-kill.  Maybe I'm just too used to seeing squirrels every five feet in MA but I swear I've only seen a couple of cases of road-kill since I've been here.  I think they do have squirrel-like creatures around but they are quite rare.  There aren't any chipmunk equivalents that I've seen, and tanuki (raccoon-like creatures, also called raccoon-dogs) are pretty rare as well. 

Anyway, the car I share with my roommate has been doing well.  I mentioned before that it's a k-car (small car) but I didn't tell you that it's a Mitsubishi MiniCar; at least, I thought it was but when I looked again recently I realized that it is actually a "MINICA" (see below).

... it's clear from the shape of the sticker that it's not missing a letter either...

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago we finally got around to changing the winter tires back to summer tires and of course the car shop lady convinced us to buy new ones... but who knows when they were last replaced anyway and this way we'll be able to tell them next year that we really don't need new ones.  We also had the oil changed, which the car appreciated I think.  Now we don't have to do anything until August when the inspection is due.  In Japan older cars like ours are checked every two years and during the checkup we will have to leave the car with the inspectors for up to a week (they will give us a rental to drive during that time).  The inspection process is supposedly pretty intense and since our car is older it will probably be expensive to get all of its components up to a passing level.  So, I'll be saving up 100,000 yen ($1,270) for my half of the cost to put aside for the testing and repairs just in case, but hopefully it won't be quite that expensive...

In other news, I've started the process of obtaining a Japanese Driver's License.  I'll give more details next time!

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