Category: General Musings

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安全

安全 (anzen) means safety in Japanese. I’ve always felt Japan was a very safe place. Rarely have I felt scared walking alone late at night. Even walking around Kabukicho in Tokyo doesn’t feel dangerous to me. Expats who have perhaps been in Japan too long lament that the country is a far more dangerous place than it used to be and a lot of crime goes unreported. While I would imagine it is more dangerous than it used to be and while I know there can definitely be coverups, my home is in Los Angeles and in comparison, Japan is a very, very safe place.

The health and safety flag, often flying at construction sites

On Tuesday, I was preparing to go to Japanese class. It was a nice night and I thought it would be nice to get on the ママチャリ and pedal to class. Except I couldn’t find my usual key. I had my backup key, but my single key was missing. At that point I started wondering, “Did I leave my key in my bicycle lock?” And if I did, would my bike still be there? I had last ridden my bike on Saturday.

I grabbed my extra keys and headed to the bicycle parking area with a little bit of butterflies in my stomach, wondering if my bike would be there and wondering if the mystery of the key would be solved. My bike parking area is not protected by any locked doors. It is simply separated from the sidewalk by a wall, but there is a very open walkway to the bikes. My bike is pretty close to the entrance as well so I think it is visible from the street.

I arrived downstairs, my bike was still there, and sure enough, the key was in the lock, ready to be unlocked and rolled away.

Honestly, I was lucky. Bikes are frequently stolen here. When I related my story to my Japanese teacher, she told me she has had two bikes stolen. Yikes. I’m glad my bike was fine, and I need to be more careful.

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日は明日また昇る

[Translation: The sun will come out tomorrow]

Where do they find the Japanese girls which such red, curly hair?

World famous Annie

Indeed, Annie is just as perky in Japan as anywhere else. I saw this advertisement in my subway station. All the major musicals play in Japan as well. Since I’ve been here I’ve noticed Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Aida, Annie, The Lion King, and others I’ve forgotten. I haven’t gone to see any of them as they are all in Japanese. At first I thought it was crazy that they shouldn’t be in their original language, and then I realized how much I liked Les Miserables. In English. Of course, the original Boublil & Schonberg lyrics were in French, although the English version is considered by the lyricists to stand alone.

The English language version, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and additional material by James Fenton, was substantially expanded and reworked from a literal translation by Siobhan Bracke of the original Paris version, in particular adding a prologue to tell Jean Valjean’s back story. Kretzmer’s work is not a direct “translation” of the French, a term that Kretzmer refuses to use. A third of the English lyrics were a rough translation, another third were adapted from the French lyrics and the final third consisted of new material.

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Fuji Rock 2010

For quite a while, Tomo has been trying to convince me to attend the Fuji Rock Festival, held every year at the Naeba ski area in Niigata-ken north of Tokyo. While I love a good live show, and the open mountain space seemed cool, I never made it there. Music festivals sometimes seem like more work than fun: I’ve been to two Coachella festivals, and one Summer Sonic. Both of them were extremely hot, multi-day draining experiences. Of course, I saw some good acts, at those festivals, but I will admit I was looking forward to the end of the festival.

Entering the festival

 

Since I feel like I am living a little bit on borrowed time here in Japan, I decided I would attend Fuji Rock this year. And I’m really, really glad that I did and will most likely go next year if I am still here. There are still plenty of excuses I could make not to go, and they are all true. There is no convenient way to get from Nagoya to Naeba – if you go by train you still need to go to Tokyo, if you go by car it is a 6 hour drive that is fairly inefficient, and if you take a night bus, well, that’s just hell. Also, it ALWAYS rains at Fuji Rock. Always. Plus, late July, early August in Japan is super hot and humid, even in the mountains. Each one of those excuses came true (well, no night bus), but I overcame them and my age and had a blast.

One additional problem is that Tomo almost always has some commitment for Fuji Rock as well, so he doesn’t really get to see the entire three days as a concertgoer. This year was no different, as he had obligations for Saturday and Sunday of the event. I really wasn’t that keen on spending two of the three days at the festival alone, but I cajoled one of my young Japanese colleagues to go to Fuji as well. Thanks Kanamori-san for joining on Sunday. It made the experience that much better.

Prior to the festival, I did my necessary scholarly research and learned of some new bands. Many already had a buzz about them, so picking up a few albums on iTunes was a welcomed expense. The way the lineups were shaping up, Friday and Sunday were looking amazing and Saturday was looking, um, well, not that interesting. Sorry John Fogerty, I’ve never really liked your voice or your solo work.

In order to get to the festival for the first band, we decided that I should come up to Tokyo on Thursday night so we could catch a 7:00 am train from Tokyo Station on Friday morning. Of course, I had a full day of work, on a really hot day as well so finally getting on the train felt great. Vacation.

By the time we were buying our shinkansen tickets to the nearest train station to Naeba, all the reserved seats were sold out. Uh oh. This was not to plan – I had expected the tickets would have been purchased already. But, no biggie, we got seats on the train no problem. Once we got to Yuzawa, the line to catch the shuttle bus to Naeba ski area was probably 1 hour long.

Arriving at Yuzawa

 

It was about 8:30 am and the first band was at 11:00 am. We were already pushing the schedule. Hey, things take time. Tomo did some scouting and discovered a taxi ride would be about 7000 yen. But split 4 ways, it was only about 2000 yen each. Definitely affordable. It took about two seconds to find two people to share the taxi and away we went. We arrived and started schlepping our luggage to the area where Tomo thought was the drop off point. Except it wasn’t. I felt a little silly dragging my over-nighter around with me while other more rough-and-tumble festival types were camping.

Camping on the hill side

 

Others went for tiny car camping.

Miniature car camping

 

We got almost to the ticket area and merchandise area and then Tomo realized that the left luggage area was the other way. Oops. At that time, we decided to get our wristbands since we were nearly there. Already the line for wristbands was really long, and definitely was going to get much longer. Fortunately, we were on the guest list for that day thanks to Tomo’s connections (thanks to The Cribs!) so it was really easy for us. No wait, just our special red wristband.

thanks to the Cribs

 

The merchandise line

 

The merchandise line was really long but we decided we could come back for that later. We started against the crowd to drop our luggage. As we were heading in the general direction, I suggested to check with our “ryokan” to see if we could just drop off our bag even though check in was at 3:00 pm. The answer was basically, “Sure, no problem.” So we had a plan – everything would be taken care of. We would have checked in, our bags would be were they needed to be, and all we had to do was enjoy the show. At this point, it was getting hot already and I was wondering if boots with wool socks was a smart idea. Short answer – the weather is very changeable and it was a great idea.

Room for 4?

 

I’ll summarize all the bands we saw at the end of this entry. But the opening band was, “Superfly,” a pretty popular Japanese band. We made it for the start and enjoyed it a lot. FRF has about 5 main stages spread throughout the valley, with about 3 or 4 small DJ stages elsewhere. On the first day, we didn’t make it beyond the first two stages – the Green Stage (headliner stage) and the Red Marquee. I would call Red Marquee the stages for up and coming bands (although Fishbone laid down a set full of hate towards an ex there).

Superfly on the Green Stage

Superfly

 

Even the young enjoy the show

Fans of all ages

 

And the crowd behind.

Looking back from the Green Stage

 

And the Red Marquee

The Red Marquee stage

 

Tomo had raved about the food and he was not wrong. The food was excellent. We immediately enjoyed とろろめし (tororomeshi) for breakfast on Friday. I actually enjoyed it EVERY morning. Basically, it is rice, soupy ground Chinese potatoes, and a little soy sauce. That’s it. Kanamori-san told me that the rice from Niigata is the best rice in all of Japan. Maybe that was the secret. I don’t know. I just know the food was great. We also enjoyed miso soup, pizza, ramen, tacos (as in Mexican soft tacos, not taco like octopus), corn on the cob with soy sauce, and of course beer. We were lucky for the most part because the oft promised rain came without fail. There’s basically only one covered stage – the Red Marquee – and we were in it when the rain came. We weren’t so lucky when we were eating dinner, but soon were able to move inside the tent and stay dryish.

The place for great local food

 

A dry food court

 

A wet food court

 

We were able to enjoy MUSE together. Unfortunately, the beginning of the show was somewhat impacted by a totally obnoxious, totally drunk Brit. Imagine a rude Brit? So out of character. Once the crowd started surging when the music really got going, we decided to beat a hasty retreat and enjoy the full spectacle of the show without injury or burns from the Brit smoking in the no smoking area.

MUSE

 

We headed back to the ryokan and soaked our tired bodies in the public bath in our ryokan. Tiny bath, and not very clean but the water was hot and it felt good.

Japan is very conscious of manners, or マナー (mana-) as it is called here. It is such a crowded country, manners go a long way. What was absolutely amazing about this festival is that the grounds are so clean and so respected. People bring their trash to the trash area and sort it very specifically. I think that’s great. I think it is amazing. Coachella becomes a big trash can by the end of the night and it all has to be cleaned up for the next day. But in Japan, the grounds, although muddy, are very clean.

Keep Naeba clean!

 

Even the mud is clean

 

Even the mud is clean

 

Saturday

From early Saturday morning, I was solo due to Tomo’s commitments. There was still so much I had not seen though I could spend the whole day alone and just wander the site. In the morning I did decide to get some merchandise. Unfortunately, by the second day, the shirt that I really wanted was already sold out. So was my second choice. Not to be deterred, I bought something anyway. That’s good marketing – settling for your third choice because you just want something.

I caught some bands in the morning and then took the “Dragondola” to one of the local peaks where people were decidedly more “chill.” If this was Coachella, I’m sure the smell of pot would be everywhere. The whole weekend I caught one strong whiff only.

Through a river valley on the Dragondola

 

Enjoying the fresh mountain air

 

Enjoying the fresh mountain air

 

Of course there was a shop dedicated to THC

Chronic!

 

Actually, I am quite amazed at the ability for Japanese to sleep anywhere, anytime. True, alcohol could have something to do with it as could a difficult night of sleep in the rain in a tent, but every at every stage there where people totally crashed in their chairs, on a tarp, on the grass, wherever.

Japanese can sleep anywhere, anytime

 

Japanese can sleep anywhere, anytime

 

Japanese can sleep anywhere, anytime

 

The Day Dreaming and Silent Breeze stage had a clearly chill groove to it, and was very relaxed.

Mountain top

 

Mountain top

 

Mountain top

 

I returned and ducked down below the gondola to hit a REAL bathroom, and as I came out, so came the rain. Lucky again, sheltered in an otherwise wide open festival. I watched the rain fall down around me and enjoyed the boots of the kid hanging out with me (well, actually with his parents).

Waiting for the rain to end

 

You'd never get me out of my boots

 

Actually, as I said before, the fashion was very interesting, very much just wearing what was necessary to battle the elements. I saw a lot of shorts and leggings on guys and girls, and the variety of rain boots astounded me.

Boots everywhere

 

Boots everywhere

 

Cool boots

 

I wandered around the various stages and saw each of the areas, including a Dog Park, a drumming area, Orange Court, Field of Heaven, the NGO Village, and the White Stage. I encountered some surprising bands like a bluegrass band from the UK, and a New Orleans group that sounded like any one of 1000 house or show bands, complete with a cover of, “Shout.”

Dog Park

Dog park

 

Stone Circle drumming

Drumming stage

 

Orange Court

Orange Court

 

Acoustic stage

Acoustic stage

 

Field of Heaven

Field of Heaven

 

NGO Village

NGO VIllage

 

Kidsland

KIdsland

 

White Stage

White Stage

 

The ski area has a nice walk through the woods that revealed an acoustic stage and lots of interesting light art. I actually walked the boardwalk twice, once in the day light and once as the sky darkened so I could get the full effect of the mirror balls.

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

Boardwalk art

 

I caught a little of Fishbone as I ate some food but the rain started coming down. I decided that it would be better to get a restful evening since Sunday was a big day, so I headed back to the ryokan in the rain so I could get dry and relax.

 
Sunday

Kanamori-san was going to drive up from Nagoya on Saturday, but he arranged some people to share the ride and share the cost, so his 6 hour drive started at about 10:30 pm on Saturday night. Poor guy, I had been sending him tons of advice from the festival, “Rain boots, camp stool, rain gear, rain boots, muddy” and so on. He probably was ready to kill me. He found rain boots, and we both determined that no rain would happen since he had them.

We had a last minute back and forth as Kanamori-san was bringing people with him, and those folks might be looking for a place to stay. I had room for two more on Saturday night, but Sunday was full with me, Kanamori-san, Tomo’s friend, and the friend’s friend. The logistics was seeming to work out, and I told Kanamori-san to call when he got to the ryokan and everyone could crash for a few hours of sleep. Like clockwork, at 5:00 am, the phone rain and Kanamori-san was there, drinking a celebratory beer with … 3 other people.

Late night or early morning beer?

 

Uh oh. Definitely only room for a total of 4 people and now we had 5. No problem though, as one had another place to stay.

We slept a little bit more, 4 very cozy in a 6 tatami room. The Kanamori crew got past the logistics pretty easily and then we went to have とろろめし again for breakfast. At that point, Kanamori-san said, “I’m already happy,” which made me happy as well. After all, when you feel somewhat responsible for someone spending a bunch of money and traveling 6 hours by car, you hope they don’t say, “Well, this really sucks.”

Kanamori-san enjoying a beer during Vampire Weekend

 

Me, looking happy as always

 

We wandered from stage to stage, and met up with Tomo for a little bit as well as he had some down time. Tomo sought out Thom Yorke for an autograph, found him, but was DENIED! He was able to see Flea and have a chat with Jake Shears though.

We met up with Haru-san, one of the travel companions, and her crew at the Green Stage. It was nice of the crew to welcome us into the fold. I hung with the over 30 crowd while the young ones fought their way towards the front for Atoms for Peace. We were all given flashing rings to celebrate.

Flashy rings

 

The day was remaining relatively rain-free, and the curse of the rain boots seemed to be doing its job, and also quite a job on Kanamori-san’s feet as huge blisters were developing. Then, during Belle and Sebastian, the drizzle started. By the time we made it to Scissor Sistors, it was a full fledged downpour. At that point though, I was caught up in the music and the festival, and danced, danced, danced. What a great way to end the festival.

Here comes the rain again

 

Belle and Sebastian

 

We made it back to the ryokan to meet Yaya and her friend, and then the various members of the crew showed up as well. Ichikawa-san ended up sleeping in the car. Sorry dude. But he’s young. He continued to sleep on the way home too.

Ichikawa-san

 

It was Grand Central Station at 1:30 am in the ryokan and a bit confusing, but things settled down and we went next door to an onsen, stood in line for about 15 minutes waiting to use the shower, and then had a very nice soak in the hot spring water. So nice.

 
Monday

Monday morning we woke up as planned, loaded up, and headed back to Nagoya. The roads were clear and the weather was fine, and we made the journey in about 6 hours. The time flew by for me.

On the road

 

Saito-san

 

Kanamori-san

 

On the road

 

The festival was fantastic, and I want to go again. I hope I’m around for it next year.

 
Bands

 
Friday

Superfly (Green Stage) – Japanese band to kick off the festival. They were the NHK theme song for World Cup this year, so I was familiar with the sound. The lead singer could really sing, and she did a cover of, “Natural Woman.” The pronunciation was a little questionable at times, but the voice was amazing.

Jamaica-Live (Red Marquee) – French band, singing in French and English. The were good. It was early and I forget most everything about them.

The Cribs (Green Stage) – Thanks for the guest list. And now I’ve seen Johnny Marr perform. We were way back in the back and they had a hard time reaching the audience back there.

Miike Snow (Red Marquee) – Excellent. I’ve heard mixed reviews about them live but they were very fine. Are they orthodox?

Broken Bells (Red Marquee) – I remember nothing.

The XX (Red Marquee) – Very art school. I think they may be too cool for school, or maybe really interesting to talk to. There’s such a fine line between brilliant and stupid.

MUSE (Green Stage) – Getting bigger and bigger every show. Heading towards arena rock self importance. Still a good show.

 
Saturday

Dirty Projectors (Red Marquee) – I kept calling them DIrty Professors, maybe because I’m still scarred by my EE professor getting a little too close for comfort. Anyway, had the misfortune of having the same drunk Brit from Muse stand next to me eating and getting in a food fight with his mate. Classy. The band was fine.

Kula Shakar (Green Stage) – Just heard them passing through the Green Stage area.

Third Eye Blind (White Stage) – By mistake. Wrong place at the wrong time.

Kitty Daisy & Lewis (Field of Heaven) – After hearing their bluegrassy sound I didn’t expect them to be Brits. But they were. They brought on a Jamaican trumpet player as well. Anytime you bring on a trumpet player I’ll perk up. Very entertaining.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Field of Heaven) – I had NO plans to see this band. I didn’t even know who they were. But Mr. Shorty wasn’t so short, could sing, could dance, played trombone, and played trumpet. How in the HECK did he switch from Trombone to trumpet? I’m guessing he plays from two different positions so he’s got his trumpet embouchure and his trombone embouchure. Felt like a Vegas house band, but the crowd was really in to it.

Fishbone (Red Marquee) – Caught a little bit of their vitriol as I was trying to have some dinner and escape the rain

 
Sunday

Matt and Kim (White Stage) – Like watching a kids TV show with expletives. Really energetic, really goofy, really fun, but bordered on gimmicky.

Ocean Colour Scene (Green Stage) – Guitarist plays with Paul Weller now. Rocked out. The crowd enjoyed them.

Akihiro Namba (White Stage) – Another band I had not planned to see. Japanese, kind of punk. Apparently were really big about 10 years ago. Kanamori-san wanted to see them. They started to play “Stay Gold” as I was fiddling with my phone or something. Everyone rushed the stage and I ended up taking refuge in front of Kanamori-san. High energy, fun show.

Rockin' out

 

Ozomatli (Field of Heaven) – Everything I miss about multiculti Los Angeles. Hispanic, White, African-American, Asian all represented in this band, with lyrics in English and Spanish. It felt so LA, and even the songs are about LA. The crowd enjoyed them as did I.

Vampire Weekend (Green Stage) – I was really excited to see them, but watched them from far away. As the show went on, their energy seemed to dwindle. Actually, I was disappointed in their live performance. Still love their album though.

Boom Boom Satellites (Green Stage) – This was another Kanamori pick. I was blown away – electronica meets rock. A Japanese duo who seemed to hit it big in Europe first. After watching them, I didn’t even bother to see Hot Chip or LCD Soundsystem.

Atoms for Peace (Green Stage) – Although Thom refused an autograph to Tomo, I still allowed myself to watch. AFP seemed to be generating the biggest buzz. They were great as I expected. I am not as familiar with the music as I am Radiohead, so I didn’t connect as much. Thom was looking really bad, but sounding really good.

Belle and Sebastian (White Stage) – Belle and Sebastian are always good. Maybe it is the trumpet that brings me back. I really enjoyed their show even as the rain started falling. They even did a sing-a-long for a song that hasn’t been released. It will be soon.

Scissor Sisters (Green Stage) – Last gig, pouring rain, and I danced my pants off. Jake sounded great and was loving showing off his new body. I really did dance a lot to this show.
 

And now for some pictures that don’t really go anywhere else.

Along the way

 

Along the river

Along the river

 

Along the river

 

Along the river

 

Along the river

 

Along the river

 

General scene around the Green Stage

Hanging out

 

Some Engrish. Not sure I want to drink from the Womb Bar.

The Womb Bar

 

Words don’t mean the same in Japan

Is that Einstein?

 

And to leave with the youthful enthusiasm of a young kid drumming his Dad’s head.

A young musician

 

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Is there really such a high demand?

I decided this week to visit the “Night Zoo” at Higashiyama Koen. Usually I dislike zoos because I find it really sad to see animals just pacing back and forth and doing wacky things like butting their heads against a fence on every pass. But, sometimes I have to have a goal or else I’ll just waste my time and all of a sudden it will be late Sunday night and I’ll be depressed for the start of the work week. So my goal was to hit the zoo. I asked a friend if he wanted to join me at the last minute, but he was busy so it was solo for me.

Higashiyama Night Zoo

 

For some strange reason, I decided, even though the subway stops RIGHT at the zoo, that it would be a good idea to ride my bicycle to the zoo. According to the Map application on my iPhone it is only 7.2 km from my apartment to the zoo. No problem. So I saddled up the ママチャリ and away I went. Although I am sure this was not the case, it seems it was uphill with a headwind all the way there.

I always like to carry my camera whenever I ride my bicycle because you never know what you might see above ground. This time was no different. Tonight, on the way home, I passed a balloon shop.

A balloon store

 

That’s right, a balloon shop. Now I know where to go when I need balloons. Talk about a specialty shop. It is actually MORE than a balloon shop. The do printing, balloon art, and planning. I’m not sure what balloon planning is, but they do it.

Balloon art training

 

As for the zoo, it was as I expected. Some animals looked happy, some looked sad. Clearly the newer exhibits pay more attention to the needs of the animal. It seems that wherever there is a pool for the animal to play in, they seem happier.

The lonely rhinoceros

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Driving me crazy

After over two years living in Japan and getting an International Driver’s License every time I went back to the States, I decided to get my Japanese driver’s license. The company will pay for it, so why not? The main impetus though is my driver’s license in the US is expiring next month and I was expecting to get a renewal by mail. I haven’t received it yet, and my house sitter is preoccupied with his newborn child. I want to make sure that when I go to the US I’m not caught in a situation where I have no valid license. My only valid license may be a Japanese license. The other reason is that I’m going on a road trip soon and I want to be unquestionably legal.

Have I driven in Japan since I got here? Nope, not this time. I have driven frequently in Australia and before in Japan, so it won’t be the first time that I am driving “on the wrong side of the road.” And every vehicle I get in now is right hand drive.

Everybody who lives in Japan and has a blog has probably blogged about getting their license so there is nothing unique about what I am writing. But what the heck, this is MY blog so I am allowed to write whatever I want.

Most folks in the office already have their license, and our Office Administrator knows the process inside and out so it should be really easy. Plus my colleagues have practical experience so they could impart their wisdom to me. It seems deceptively simple: written test, practice driving, and a practical examination. Maybe half a day, tops, right? Uh, NO, this IS Japan. Let’s just say converting your foreign license to a Japanese license is not so easy. It isn’t hard, but patience is a must.

Where to start?

 

The same the world over

First of all, there’s the paperwork preparation. What paperwork was required?

  • Get an official translation of my California driver’s license at the Japanese Automobile Federation (3000 yen plus time)
  • Copies of my US license, front and back
  • Copies of my alien registration card, front and back
  • Old passport picture and visa page
  • New passport picture and visa page
  • Two recent pictures

OK, not so hard so far.

The License Center in Hirabari

On my initial visit to the Aichi-ken version of the DMV, I knew I would have to take a written examination before I continued the process. We had a very, very, very dry version of the Japanese rules of the road from the JAF. It is a great insight into Japanese culture, and very much a lesson in not wanting to be the nail that sticks out above the others. A nice excerpt from the document is:

A tremendous volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic moves on the road. The failure of a single driver or pedestrian to consider others, by moving as he or she pleases, can upset the traffic pattern or cause accidents, even though the individual may not be injured or inconvenienced.

Traffic rules have been established by a systematic set of commitments that must be observed by everyone. By following these rules, we can be assured that traffic moves smoothly and safely. In other words, it is the fundamental responsibility of each citizen as a member of society to observe traffic rules.

Wow.

 
Day 1
 
To summarize my first day, here’s what I had to do at the Aichi-ken version of the DMV:

Finding your way around Hirabari

  • Step 1 / Window 12 – Have my paper work reviewed to see if it is order and also determined how long I have been driving on my old driver’s license. Also get initial form
  • Step 2 / Window 11 – Carry paper work and pay 2400 yen
  • Step 3 / Window 13 – Stand in-line to get some stamp and show my AR card, precurser to vision test
  • Step 4 / Machine 1 – Do a quick eye test to determine which direction the C is pointed.
  • Step 5 / Table 1 – Color test – can you recognize red green yellow
  • Step 6 / Room 6 – 10:30 am foreigner written examination
  • Step 7 / Room 6 – Get results and assignment of time slot for practical driving exam
  • Step 8 / Window 17 – Change time slot for practical driving examination

These were the initial steps for the DMV portion of the morning. There were still more steps to do before the day ended.

Where to go

But first, at Step 1, the official groused to my translator that US passports are the worst to read because they cannot understand when people enter and leave the US because the US doesn’t stamp passports. I think they were trying to understand how long I was in the US for the duration of my last license. I think it helps determine if I need a beginners magnet or not.

Yes, a beginner’s magnet. If you are a beginner driver you have to display a yellow and green magnet warning others you are a beginner (yellow, green – the colors of Spring). If you are an older driver you must display a magnet indicating you are a senior driver (yellow, orange, the colors of Fall). I was hoping to avoid the beginner magnet. Luckily my official got bored and figured I had been in the US long enough.

Caution to fellow drivers

After I made it past the paperwork check window, I had to go to the payment window and pay 2400 yen for some reason. They show proof on your paperwork by affixing stamps to the paper. Then I moved to another line to prepare for the vision exam. After a few updates and stamps to the paperwork, I had a quick vision test with my glasses on. No problem. Then I had to stop at a table for a simple color recognition test. For some reason I was compelled to answer in Japanese. After all, I know my colors. Except I got them all wrong. I called red (akai) to be blue (aoi). I think I called yellow (kiiroi) to be black (kuroi). Nice! My OA laughed and the table person said, “In english.” That was easier. Great start to the testing for the day. My excuse is that I had gotten some rather disturbing news prior to the color test so I was a little shaken up (all is well now).

Find the right line

I had the written test that basically was, “If you see a sign that says STOP should you stop? O or X.” Where O = maru = true and X = batsu = false. I had ten such questions. I aced it. After I passed the written examination I was assigned the time for my driving test. I was assigned the next morning! Oh no! My OA couldn’t make it so we had to go to another window to reschedule the driving test for the 27th.

As I said, that’s not all. Next I had to:

  • Step 9 – Sign up for practice driving sessions on the test course (17000 yen, I signed up for two 1 hour sessions)
  • Step 10 – Sketch both the driving courses, A and B, because you have to memorize the course for the practical examination
  • Step 11 – Walk the driving course to understand the layout

Since I had not driven in Japan for 6 years, I thought perhaps a practice session or two may be practical. What is especially strange for the driving test is you have to drive a particular course, and you must have the course memorized, but you don’t know the course you will have to drive until just before your test.

Course A

Course B

They won’t give you a handout of the course either, they give you paper with a non-repro light blue (before the days of color scanners / printers) and then you have to sketch the course from one of the zillion examples they have in the driving practice office. I signed up for two courses on Saturday and sketched the courses. Like an F1 driver, we had a chance to walk the course as well between 11:45 and 12:30. So after a walk around Course A and Course B, it was time to be done for the day.

 
Day 2

  • Practice session 1
  • Practice session 2

I had arranged a Japanese colleague to meet me at the driving school and be my translator for driving practice. We had planned to meet at 2:00 pm, giving me plenty of time before my 3:00 pm Session 1. I got a text stating he’d be about 10 minutes late. No biggie, after all, we were getting there about 1 hour early. Then I got a phone call at 2:15 pm saying, “Where are you?” OMG. I was sitting at home screwing around with my iPhone. “Um, I messed up. I’m on my way.” Not the way to start a practice session. I was extremely lucky and got to the subway station just in time. After I was on the train, there wasn’t anything more I could do, and it looked like I would make it. Which I did, somehow.

The driving school

The first instructor I had really didn’t say much. We just drove course A over and over. In Japan, you really, really, really, want to be as far over on the left as possible on a left turn so that you squeeze out any bike or motorcycle from t-boning you. Just run them into the curb! That was my main critique.

The second instructor was like a drill sergeant on Course B. “And check one-two-three-four turn,” “mirror, bike-check, slowly slowly, no brake no accel,” “signal.” He made me nervous! I think by the end though he was pretty confident I would pass because he was just chatting with my interpreter by the end, while I did laps.

I only turned the windshield wipers on once, and that’s not bad after a 6 year hiatus in a Japanese car in Japan (right hand drive). I felt I was ready for the practical test but I knew I would be nervous.

 
Day 3

  • Step 1 / Window 11 – Pay fee for practical test (car rental, etc)
  • Step 2 / Window 17 – Proof of practical test fee / check in, course assignment
  • Step 3 – Walk the course again just to make sure
  • Step 4 – Wait for line up for test
  • Step 5 – (outside) Line up for test and receive lecture
  • Step 6 – Wait for others to go
  • Step 7 – 10 minute driving practical test on course A
  • Step 8 / Window 21 – Wait for results of practical exam
  • Step 9 / Room 2 – Verify latest paper work for those who passed the exam
  • Step 10 – Picture
  • Step 11 / Window 11 – Back to Window 11 to pay license fee
  • Step 12 / Room 2 – Receive license and another lecture
  • Rejoice!

I got to visit Line 11 again right away. Until the test line up, I basically bounced around to get all I needed stamped, paid, initiated, and so on. Eventually we got lined up for the test – some were doing the manual transmission test while I was choosing automatic. All my cars in the US have been manual, and I prefer them. But I thought I’d reduce the complications. When I drove manuals in Australia, I sometimes made some awful sounds going from 2nd to 3rd and I didn’t feel like failing.

There were about 10 foreigners in my group, trying to convert their licenses to a Japanese license. My interpreter / OA was with me and she’s been through this before. The first guy didn’t do bad. The second guy totally revved the engine. The third guy forgot to turn on his turn signal before exiting the parking stall. And so on. My OA said, “Fail.” “Probably fail.” “Instant failure.” The poor woman in front of me forgot to put on her seatbelt.

Vehicles on course taking the exam

Finally it was my turn. I was telling myself just to relax. I never had to take a driving test in the US as I got a “waiver” on my permit in driver’s education that said I was such a good driver I didn’t need practical test. Just one of many unwarranted academic advantages I got by being clever instead of worthy. OK, I probably wasn’t “unworthy” but I knew how to game the system.

Vehicles on course taking the exam

In the middle of the exam, I started getting a little nervous but still I was driving. I knew I wasn’t over to the left enough, but I thought I hit all my steps and bike checks. I didn’t overrun any stop lines (instant failure) or forget turn signals. I made it through, returned, and the instructor just told me to move to the left (I knew it) and to do my bike check earlier. I left feeling pretty good.

And then we waited. I finished about 10:20 am, and the scores would not be announced until 12:45 pm. Yes, that’s right. Announced. We had to go upstairs, wait in a waiting room, and if your name was called you passed. Like Mr. Chastain handing out tests from highest score to lowest score. What a bummer when you had to wait for your exam. Well, I passed. Phew. As did 4 others in the group. That’s it. One Peruvian woman was so emotional that she started crying while on the phone telling someone she passed. “How many times?” she asked me. “Just once.” It was impressive to her.

I finally processed out (picture, pay, pickup, lecture) and I now I am a licensed driver in Japan. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. And no magnetic beginner’s badge of shame.

Watching the woman cry made me realize there are two types of expats – those who have a sweet package deal and those that are just barely making a living. Of course, that is a generalization. For me, it was easy, the company was paying for everything, including my practice sessions. So the approximately $250 I spent was not so much to me. And honestly, I would pay for it myself. For others, it is a big deal, and they can’t afford practice sessions, or multiple tests until they pass. I need to stop and think before I complain too much here.

A few of my Japanese colleagues knew I was pursuing my license and expressed shock that I was able to get it. I don’t know if I should be offended or proud? That is a typical sentiment though, EVERYTHING is harder in Japan so anytime a foreigner has success it is a big deal. Well, big deal or not, I’ve gotten a Japanese license. I’m relieved that I didn’t fail instead of happy that I passed, but the end result is the same.