Accidents. | If you hit a person with your car, do not get out of your car. Wait for them to get up and move out of your way. If they do not move quickly, wave for them to move, and honk your horn if necessary. Under no circumstances should you help them, especially if they are school children or little old ladies on bikes. |
Exception. | If someone scratches your car, get out, scream, shout, wave your arms and make a big scene. |
Boredom behind the wheel. | Driving can be very boring. To keep awake, please be sure to do things like: |
Note. | If you have a cell phone in your left hand, a cigarette in your mouth and an 'onigiri' in your right hand, please use your knees to turn the wheel. This is especially important for big rigs making sharp turns at high speeds on narrow roads. |
Lights turning blue (green). | Watch the signal. When you see the light turn amber on the cross street, you can go as fast as you can. See footnote. |
Lights turning red. | It is the custom for cars to continue going after the light has turned red. If the cars in the turning lane do not have enough time to turn, they should try and go on the red, too. You have at least 3 - 4 seconds on a red light to go straight. See footnote. |
Parking. | Japan is a small country. Therefore, if you want to own a car, you must have a parking space at home. However, aside from your house, you may park anywhere you please, on sidewalks, on crowded streets, in intersections, in parks, etc. |
Example: | You are driving on a busy and narrow street when you decide you need a pack of cigarettes. There is a Seven Eleven ahead. It is a very narrow two lane street with traffic doing over 20 KPH over the speed limit. What do you do? Stop immediately and get out of your car. No need to lock the doors or turn off the engine, Japan is a safe country. Do not worry about the other cars, they will wait for you. |
Pulling out from a minor road onto a larger road. | Wait until you see a single car coming at a normal to fast speed with no traffic behind it. Pull out in front of the car and proceed at a slower than posted speed. |
School buses. | Pass them as quickly as possible. |
Speed. | The posted speed limits are for safety campaign purposes only. Feel free to do whatever you like. Everyone else does. |
Example: | If you are on a very narrow two lane road, it is a good idea to vary your speed for interest. For example, when you are in a no-passing zone, do 20 KPH below the speed limit and when you are in a passing zone (but not the passing lane) do 20 KPH above the posted recommendation. |
Turning. | If you wish to make a left hand turn, please be sure to get in the far right lane, come to a complete stop, and then proceed with your left hand turn. |
Turn signals. | Do not use your turn signals until after you have started to turn. In no case use them at a light where cars behind you may be waiting, assuming you are going straight. |
Footnote:
This may seem like a problem, but don't worry. Everyone will stop for you. And if they don't then you will stop for them. Or maybe you just swerve around each other at 80 KPH on the narrow intersection. See, no problem.
Is this a joke or is this real, you ask. Well, I am sure the local police have not codified these 'laws', but they do represent behavior I have seen, some on a daily basis. Yes, I have seen two such accidents and know a foreign lady English teacher who was hit by a car, knocked down; and the male driver had the chutzpah to just wave for her to get up and move out of his way!
It should be noted that anthropologically and culturally Japan has evolved from a clannish society. In such societies, people do not have an obligation to others not of their clan. To a large part this explains such driving behavior here. The culture says: "If you are not of my family, school or place of employment, I do not have an obligation to you for anything, including - and especially - common courtesy." In the event of an accident, no one should try to help the victim, because then the 'victim' will have 'giri' to the helper, that is, an obligation to repay the favor.
And, yes, I do have a degree in Sociology, and am at least moderately qualified to make the above comments and observations.
I am not suggesting YOU drive this way, just be informed that most drivers in Tochigi-ken should not only have their license to drive revoked, but their license to live as well! (Because they represent a life-threatening hazard to their fellow man.)
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