Driving on the Other Side
One of the things that people don't realize about Japan is that we drive on the other side here, literally the left side. While this might not seem like a big deal it's a bit tricky at first. Think about it from the age of 15 (in most states, and where I grew up in Idaho) we are taught how to drive on the right side. Then 10 years later we move to Japan and suddenly we are expected to drive on the left side, and not only that the cars here are made with the drivers seat, ect on the left side.
Flashback a few years and while we were living in Iceland a few years ago we took a vacation to England with some friends. These friends had previously lived in Japan so they were familiar with driving on the left side. We on the other hand had never done so, imagine our surprise when we picked up our rental car and it was for driving on the left side of the road. Not only that but it was a stick shift that you had to shift with your left hand. Mr. B was the only driver for the trip and had to do a few warm-up laps around the parking lot to figure it out. Thankfully we didn't have any problems on the vacation, although I remember the phrase "think left" being said quite a bit.
A few years later we've just moved here to Japan and it suddenly strikes me that I now have to learn to drive on the left side of the road! I was a bit scared about that. So we go to the 'training' class, listen to a guy talk, take a test, and voila! get a Japanese license. No driving experience necessary...yikes! We buy a car the next day and for the first week I make Mr. B drive everywhere. After many times of saying 'think left' to ourselves in the car he got it down pat. I finally braved it and was delighted to find that it wasn't nearly as hard as I expected. Although still here 3 years later we occasionally find ourselves on the wrong side of the road for a few minutes! Plus driving off base is another experience in itself, the roads are so narrow and with people and bikes on them it can be scary!
So if your in AL and see a crazy woman driving on the wrong side of the road, just give me a honk and point to the other side and I'll gladly get back on it :) They say once you've learned both it's easy switching back and forth between the two....I only hope 'they' are right!
Most Japanese don't even get a drivers license, hence all the bikes and public transportation. When I asked my Japanese friend about this she told me that for the Japanese to get a driver's license it's a huge process. It usually costs around $2000 and takes 2 years! Doesn't that make the process in US seem so simple!? I doubt there would be 15 year olds driving in the states at that rate.
The car situation for us military is unique also. We consider them 3-4 year rental cars. Basically you can buy a used car (from someone who is moving) for $3000 or less. I've even know people to get free cars from someone leaving because you have to get rid of your car before you leave and it can cost several hundred dollars if you need to junk it. So think about it if you pay $3000 for 3 years and then get to sell the car at the end of the 3 years that's a pretty good deal. We only paid $2500 for our 'beast' (van) and Bill got his car for $600 from a friend leaving.
Japan has been a great hands-on learning experience for us :)
Our first car here, got dirt cheap, but upgraded to something bigger...the beast. Notice where the steering wheel is located?
The Beast, view is from the passenger's side
Labels: Driving on Left Side, Japan, Japanese Drivers License
posted by Mrs. B @ 6:17 PM
2 Comments:
talented is what you are! Knowing how to drive on the wrong side of the road & all! I <3 the beast!
I had this big "deer in the headlights" look when I drove on right side of the road and realized that I faced an oncoming traffic when I first learned to drive here. Every now and then I find myself turning my wipers on when I really mean to use my turn signals. Good luck with driving back on the right side.
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