To Pass Or Not To Pass... that is the question

Day two started very similar to day one with Robo picking us up for class at 7:30 and the kids with a long day ahead of them before we came back. We had all awoken around 4AM but were able to get back to sleep for a couple of more hours.  The important part of today's class was the 3 hour driver's training portion that if we passed our test would result in us being able to drive and that would be HUGE!  The other equally important thing on today's agenda was meeting the housing people at the house to do a walk through.

The first thing we learned in today's class was that Japan was 4% of the US in land size but about 40% of the population. They compared it to about 40% of the US all living in California.  As you  might guess land is at a premium here.  They do have have an landfills due to lack of space so recycling is the law and anything that is not able to be recycled is incinerated. It definitely makes you cognizant of how you dispose of waste knowing that you will be breathing the air the refuse is being incinerated into.  It was also interesting to note that our waste water runs into the Tama River, where is a cleaned downstream and then used for drinking water in Tokyo.

We learned about Japanese cultural taboos  by a nice Japanese national who came in to teach us.  She said in Japan the clothing is more modest; such as no midriffs, no open backs, no tank tops (wider straps), covered cleavage.... Poor American teenage girls, do they have anything in their wardrobe they can wear in Japan. ;)  In America tattoo's have become somewhat of a fashion statement, such is not the case in Japan.  The Japanese view tattoo's as a sign of a trouble maker and there are many places such a hot springs that will have signs stating that you are not allowed if you have any tattoo's.  You can of course cover the tattoo if you are able to, otherwise you will have to find another place to go.

The Japanese also consider it bad manners to eat and/or drink and walk down the street so if you stop by for your favorite drink from Starbucks you should stay there and drink it, not take it with you.  Poor Maddie, once she heard no drinking and walking she proclaimed that he life in America had all been a lie. :)  Due to the heat however, you can take a bottle of water with you, as long as it has a closed lid and you stop and take a drink and then walk again after you put it away.  You are also expected to bring along your own trash bag to take trash back home with you as there are very few if any trash cans around town.  The people found trash cans to be unsightly so they removed them altogether for the most part.  There also are no paper towels in the restrooms so you should do as the Japanese and carry a hakanchi or handkerchief with you.   

If you go out to eat, every person at the table is expected to order something, you cannot just go while your friend eats.  In Japan there is no tipping but again everyone does order and there are no substitutions.  If there is something you don't want such as broccoli then you can ask them to remove but not to substitute something else for it.  When going to the grocery store in America we will touch the fruit and vegetables selecting the ones we find most appealing however, this a no no.  In Japan you do not touch the food at the grocery store unless you are going to buy it.  Once you decide to buy something in Japan you are making a commitment to to buy that product and unless it is broken you should not return it.

When in public in Japan you should stand on the left side of the escalator and those who wish to walk do so on the right hand side.  They also advised us to always have Yen as you may find places that take credit cards however they may not always be able to run the American cards so don't be without Yen.  She said that you should always speak quietly and avoid making loud noises in public. While riding the train or out at the park, never stand on a place where people sit since shoes are viewed as dirty.  You also do not want to touch your shoes onto someone's bag while riding on the train either as that is viewed as disrespectful, again shoes are dirty.

Her last parting advice was to teach us that while domo means thanks (but if you know Mr. Roboto by Styx circa 1983 you can already say domo arigato or Thank you very much!) it can also be used as a casual hello.  We also learned to say please or onegai shimasu (oh knee guy she moss).

It was now time for lunch so we ran over grabbed a quick bite to eat.  We ate quickly so we could stop by and order cable TV, internet and get a home phone.  It was a pretty quick process since our stuff doesn't get here until the end of August and we are only using Gabby's little TV until then but it finally felt like we were making progress, finally we would have a land line so we could communicate, internet so we could be in touch with the World again, soon a home where we could finally unpack our bags, and hopefully by the end of class a license so we can also have transportation again!

The YCC which includes shops and a food court

The driving portion of the class was 3 hours followed by a 30 minute timed test.  If you have a license to drive in Japan you are considered a professional driver and as such if you are in an accident you are regardless of if you are at fault or not you will still in part be held responsible.  A Japanese national pays between $2,000 and $3,000 and six months of training before they can receive their license.  The first and most obvious difference in Japan is that you drive on the left hand side of the road, all of the signals are on the opposite side and inevitably you will reach for the turn signal and turn on the windshield wipers.  In Japan pedestrians always have the right of way so it is important to be on the lookout for them.  The roads in Japan are more narrow then we are used to so that is one reason you will see smaller cars, so they can maneuver the roads.  There are over 150 different kinds of road signs and the signs are put together like a sentence which can be a little overwhelming to look at.  They advised us to always be sure to park in the correct spot as parking fines can be very expensive.  If you car is towed and stored you will have to pay the fine plus $100 every hour they have your vehicle so park carefully.

Drinking and driving is not only frowned upon in Japan but carries with it very stiff penalties.  If you are in the vehicle with a driver who has been drinking (even if you have not) you will be held to the same standard and receive the same punishment as the driver.  The Japanese take personal responsibility very seriously and it is expected at all times.  In the US you have the right to remain silent but in Japan silence can be held against you, they value truth and cooperation.  Our instructor told us a story that happened to him about 8 years ago.  He said he had a fast car and decided to see if he could outrun the traffic cameras so he sped past it and 2 weeks later received a ticket in the mail.  The instructor thought he would be able to talk his way out of the ticket so when he walked into the courthouse he was disarmed right away when they apologized for him having to go down there, for taking up his time. The police asked him if he had a Skyline car and he said, "Yes, but lots of people have a Skyline".  They asked him if he had a white Skyline, again he said, "Yes, but lots of people have a white Skyline".  They asked him if he was driving and he said he wasn't sure if he was driving that night or not.  They court paused for a moment and said, "Oh, I see.  Is this  you Sir"?  The court had a photo of him from that camera he thought he could outrace.  In the end what would have been an $800 ticket turned out to be an $1,800 ticket for not being honest from the very beginning. 

There are a variety of stickers that the Japanese use on their cars one for; a beginning driver, senior citizen, driver with a handicap and a driver with a hearing disorder.  We were advised to take extra care around these drivers since these stickers are a warning to you.  Our instructor recounted a story for us where a person was legally parked in front of their house, inside watching TV and an elderly man was walking next to his car, tripped over the tire and the owner of the car was fined.  It was the drivers fault cause if he would not have been born and had a car then the car would not have been there for the elderly man to trip over!

Now it was time to take our test! This moment was crucial as it really is a necessity to drive so I was feeling pretty nervous.  The test was a little tricky with conjunctive adverbs and phrases that you needed to read carefully.  In the end, Marc and I both passed the test and are now licensed to drive in Japan!!! Believe it or not all of my nervous energy led to a 100%! Watch out Japan the Van Wert's are on the road.  Maddie is set to take the class next week but since she is not over the age of 18 will only be allowed to drive on base.  

YAY!! Licensed and ready to go!!