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SgtBeavis (Offline)
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Posts: 93
Join Date: Apr 2007
Driving in Japan (show your car) - 04-24-2007, 01:06 AM

Here is one of the good reasons to live in Japan. THE CARS! Forget waiting until 2009 for the Nissan Skyline to get to the US. Skylines are as common as Mustangs in Japan. And the Crown Majesta, art on wheels.

So if you live or lived in Japan, tell everyone your stories about driving in Japan and show us your car.

For me, I was 20 when I first set foot on Japan soil. I am originally from Louisiana and came from a poor family so I never had a car. Within a week of arriving in Japan I became the owner of a 1979 Toyota Celica hatchback. You see, the Army has a rule that you must prove that you have properly disposed of your car before you can leave Japan for another assignment. So one of the guys in the baracks GAVE ME HIS CAR so he could go back to the US.

That Celica was the ugliest turd on four wheels and someone put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. I took the Army drivers ed course and got my drivers license the next day. I then promptly went off base and ran off the road into a patch of farmland because I was driving on the right side of the road.

I managed to get my car out of the mud and SLOWLY drive back on base. It took a few weeks, but I finally got the hang of driving on the left side of the road and started taking regular trips to Yakota AFB (they had the ONLY POPEYES Chicken in Japan) and Sagami Depot. Driving to Sagami Depot was a hoot. The fastest way to get there was a road that was mostly unpaved. There was little traffic so I usually drove rather fast down that strip. It was like off road racing.

Yea, I beat the crap out of that car and then sold it to a junk yard for 500 bucks. Back then, junk yards actually gave you money for your cars. Now they CHARGE YOU for the chance to dispose of your car.

My next car was a 1980 something Ford Laser. Hey, I got a Ford. However, it looks suspiciously like a Mazda 323, which look like it was separated from birth from a Mercury Tracer. Either way, it was a far superior car to the Celica. I have a picture of it below. I actually paid 800 bucks for it. When I left Japan, I got 800 bucks for it. Not a bad deal ehh?

One of my longest trips was to Tokyo Disneyland. I and my future wife got to Disneyland with very few problems. However, getting home was a totally different story. It took us about 6 hours to drive the 40 some miles to Camp Zama. However the lady and I got to know each other A LOT better that day.

Back here in Dallas, I hear people complain about the traffic. Every once in a while someone will ride with me an comment on how patient I am in DFW traffic. I just tell them that they have absolutely NO IDEA what traffic is.

So if you're looking to move to Japan, here are a few things you should note:

Unless you are US Military, you have to take a 40 hour driving school to get your license. I believe that school now cost 7000 bucks. It was $4000 back in the early 1990s.

To buy a car in Japan, you must PROVE that you have a place to park it. The exception to that rule is the Kei Car. You can read more about Kei Cars here: Kei car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you have an auto accident in Japan, there is no black or white fault assigned. Blame is assigned on a percentage basis. There are, however, some exceptions. For one, if you hit a pedestrian, or someone in a smaller vehicle, YOU are at fault. If you are in a car, a smaller vehicle is a motorcycle, bicycle, or the pedestrian. You are at fault, even if they broke a traffic rule.

Oh, here is my ugly Ford

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