I Love My Tiny Car!
As some of you may know, I recently bought my very first car from my predecessor here in Japan. It is itty-bitty (but with admirable trunk space for a Japanese "kei" (yellow license plate - smaller engine) car), and everything is on the "wrong" side. I was going to drive it to work yesterday, but alas, the parking brake was stuck. (It is fixed, now. It simply requires a judicious application of strength both pulling it up and pushing it down.) So I drove it today, instead.
It went something like this:
Get in the car, insert key, kick off heels. Take off parking brake (aha!). Raise right hand for gear shift. Frown. Try the left. Furrow brow. Try down on the right. Sigh heavily, grab gear shift down on the left. Put it in reverse. Giggle at the "backing up" beeps from car. Exit perilous parking space. Adopt mental chant, "Left. Drive on the left. The left is your friend." Still get confused at corners when turn signals are not only opposite of expectations, but also on the opposite side of the steering wheel.
Parking was a cinch. That thing is so tiny, it's ridiculous. Think the Mini-Cooper's runt cousin. (I think I put the seat almost all the way back, and it's still just this side of too close to the steering wheel.) It also helped that speed limits are ridiculously low over here. More time to ponder the many mysteries of my turn signal.
And that was my first driving experience in Japan.
Also in Japan...
-You are required to stop before every set of train tracks, no exceptions.
-You are not supposed to drive in the middle of the road - to pass the driving test, you need to be 11 inches from the side of it.
-If a light is red, but below is a green straight, left, or right arrow, it doesn't mean you stop. It means oncoming traffic is stopped for you, and you can do whatever the green arrows say.
-There is zero tolerance for drunk driving. Meaning, if you've had one drink within 12 hours of driving, then you will get cited for it, and probably have your license taken away.
-But there are things called "daiko" - basically a taxi service that will send two drivers - one to drive you home in your own car, and one to follow in order to get the other guy.
-People will stop their cars on the side of the road, put on their hazard lights, and run into a store to do a quick errand. It doesn't matter if it's a one-lane road.
Interesting, huh?
It went something like this:
Get in the car, insert key, kick off heels. Take off parking brake (aha!). Raise right hand for gear shift. Frown. Try the left. Furrow brow. Try down on the right. Sigh heavily, grab gear shift down on the left. Put it in reverse. Giggle at the "backing up" beeps from car. Exit perilous parking space. Adopt mental chant, "Left. Drive on the left. The left is your friend." Still get confused at corners when turn signals are not only opposite of expectations, but also on the opposite side of the steering wheel.
Parking was a cinch. That thing is so tiny, it's ridiculous. Think the Mini-Cooper's runt cousin. (I think I put the seat almost all the way back, and it's still just this side of too close to the steering wheel.) It also helped that speed limits are ridiculously low over here. More time to ponder the many mysteries of my turn signal.
And that was my first driving experience in Japan.
Also in Japan...
-You are required to stop before every set of train tracks, no exceptions.
-You are not supposed to drive in the middle of the road - to pass the driving test, you need to be 11 inches from the side of it.
-If a light is red, but below is a green straight, left, or right arrow, it doesn't mean you stop. It means oncoming traffic is stopped for you, and you can do whatever the green arrows say.
-There is zero tolerance for drunk driving. Meaning, if you've had one drink within 12 hours of driving, then you will get cited for it, and probably have your license taken away.
-But there are things called "daiko" - basically a taxi service that will send two drivers - one to drive you home in your own car, and one to follow in order to get the other guy.
-People will stop their cars on the side of the road, put on their hazard lights, and run into a store to do a quick errand. It doesn't matter if it's a one-lane road.
Interesting, huh?