First Thing, Take off the Left Front Hubcap

Posted on June 7, 2007

Driving Driving in Japan, First Thing, Take off the Left Front Hubcap:

In 2001 the city of Richmond, California was invited by her sister city of Shimada, Japan to send a delegation to participate in a very special festival. It was the first time in over three hundred years foreigners were invited to help pull a float and as a member of the commission, I was very grateful for the opportunity. After the festival, I drove a rental car around parts of Japan where tourists do not normally venture. I kept a journal, for myself, and for others who might be interested. If you are thinking of driving a rental car in Japan for the first time, I will share some things I learned while driving around the country. You don’t need a car to see the tourist sights and spend time in the big cities. Public transportation is efficient and fun. But if you decide to get away from the crowds and see the less traveled places, a car is helpful. It is better to reserve the car in the U.S. before you leave. I paid $50/day with insurance and in Japan people told me the rates are as much as $300/day! Rent a small car because you will find the streets very narrow. Almost every car I saw in Japan had a damaged left front hubcap. So what chance does someone not used to driving on the left side of narrow streets have? The first trick I learned in Japan was to remove that hubcap and put it back on just before returning the car. If you can’t find your rental car in a parking lot full of cars that all look alike, look for the one with the missing hubcap. Many streets in Japan are much narrower than American streets so the cars are much smaller. This is fine for in town driving but means you must be extra careful on the highways. You know all the publicity about many SUVs being unsafe at high speeds? Well, they were designed for narrow streets not high-speed highways. Because of this, driving long distances in Japan is rare. Everywhere I went I was a celebrity. At the banquets I was introduced as the man who drove from Tokyo. Walking down the street I once met the mayor and was introduced as the man who drove from Tokyo. I was told how brave I was. No one had ever done that before. Tokyo was 130 miles away.

Japan is not always Expensive:

Prices in Japan are funny. Some things are expensive and some things are surprisingly low cost. A general rule of thumb is products used in daily life may be cheaper or about the same as like goods sold in America. Some basic foods are cheap while the fancier foods and vegetables can be surprisingly high. Beer and cigarettes are cheaper in Japan, but parking and gasoline are more expensive. Hi-tech gadgets are more expensive than in the United States but are available around a year sooner.

Learn a Little Japanese:

Many stores have English names that can be misleading. English is understood a lot less than one would expect. Many road signs are in English and many products have English names. Some are named in a quaint way. Sports drinks like Gatorade are called “Sweat Water” and a drink like V-8 juice is called “Salad Water.” Once I stopped at a 7-11 to ask directions to a hotel because I still get fooled into thinking that the staff of a store with an American name will understand English. Thus “Sumimasen, Eigo ga wakarimasu ka” “Excuse me, do you understand English?” Almost always evokes a blank stare. At first I thought my accent was so bad I wasn’t understood, but I found out that many people are embarrassed not to know English, so their response is to just stare blankly. Often you can find one person in a group that will answer. The trick is to first talk to young girls, then young boys, and finally middle aged people. You can pretty much forget trying to find older people who speaking English. And though it is very difficult to speak proper Japanese, tourist level communication is not difficult. Because many words are assumed by the context of the sentence you may not speak perfectly, but you will be understood. With the use of some basic words and a lot of body language, you can get the job done easier than in many other countries. Pronunciation is similar to Spanish so you don’t have trouble with strange sounds as you would with a language like German.

A Lesson in How the Japanese Think:

I had a very honest talk with my host the other night and learned something about Japan that has always puzzled me. He spent his childhood years in China during the Second World War and said how impressed he was with the toughness of the Russian troops. Even wounded they kept on fighting. He said Japanese cry at the slightest injury. This is the land where politeness and subtle delicacy abound, but during the war the Japanese soldier had the reputation of being a fierce fighter. My host said that was because they were ordered by the emperor to never surrender and it was unthinkable to disobey. They are very respectful of any authority, let alone high authority. Japan is probably the most law-abiding country in the world. Thus they would fight to the death not out of bravery, but fear of breaking the law. This explains how they can be so fierce and delicate simultaneously. This is mostly a serene island, not a violent country. I was invited to Japan to attend a special festival. One of the interesting things about the festival parade was observing how the floats were steered. They were large moving stages - some with ongoing performances. The wheels are fixed straight ahead with no way to steer. Steering and movement is done by about 50 people using a system of ropes and pry bars to pull and steer. Dragging on one side or the other causes the float to pull to the left or right, even turn corners. Teamwork is the method of control and feels natural for Japan. An American float would have an engine and a steering assembly allowing one person to control speed and direction, making teamwork unnecessary. This shows problem solving from two points of view. What a beautiful example of the basic difference between the two countries!

The Japanese and Nature:

The Japanese are comfortable with nature. They control but do not intrude. In the Japanese national parks, the trails follow the natural contours of the land. Even though man builds them, they have the feeling of having always being that way. In American parks, the trails are also constructed out of local logs, rocks etc. that have obviously been shaped and cut to make stairs and railings. Though they are beautiful, you are aware of man’s intrusions. The Japanese parks are similar to Japanese society. On many levels, rules and customs are rigidly adhered to, but private thoughts are carefully protected. Just as the complex system of rules controls daily life, there is no intrusion into the internal spirit. The word “hai” means, “yes” but not always in the western sense. When an American says “yes” they mean they will do what was asked but Japanese may mean yes they would do it, they understand what you said, or yes they would do what you asked. Only they know what they mean. It is a way of protecting one’s privacy. Fuji is the most unusual mountain I have ever seen. Not spectacular like the American Rockies, but with an awesome beauty that can’t be easily explained. In some way it is probably a key to understanding Japanese life. The drive thru the mountains was beautiful, as are most drives thru mountains. But the feel and beauty of Mt Fuji (or as it is called in Japan, Fuji-san) when first seen from the West is not describable. Truly impressive - I know it is a cliché but the first sight really does take your breath away, and continues to every time I think of it. I am not a writer, so what I am learning about Japan is hard to explain, but I hope to continue writing because there is a way of life here I want to understand and keeping this diary helps. As I get more confident with the language, I hope more of everyday life here becomes more understandable to me. I was pleasantly surprised that even with very limited understanding of the language, I communicated well enough to learn a lot. Americans are generally friendly but not polite. Japanese are very polite but not always friendly. Once that doorway of understanding opened, I understood much about Japanese behavior toward foreigners. For instance, I was driving thru the mountains when I came across a quaint little village with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop. I was amazed at the quality and sophistication of the bikes on display. This was a very serious operation that rivaled any U.S. dealership. We had bikes in common. I stopped to talk shop and exchanged e-mail addresses. The conversation was reserved. Not hostile, but not genuine friendly. I was surprised because we had a common interest. Also it was in their best interest to be cordial as I could be a good source for finding rare parts in the United States. This is not a country that is used to daily dealing with outsiders. The further from the coast you get, the less friendly the Japanese are to foreigners, but I was told to expect that. I have the feeling that this is not intentional, rather they don’t know how to deal with people different than themselves. Their basically reserved nature is probably misleading. Maybe I am overcomplicating things. Maybe they are just so rigid that they do not know how to deal with anything strange and different. Maybe they just feel uneasy around strangers. Exposure to foreigners is more common along the coast and large cities. The further inland you go, the less social people are to strangers. Except that even in the country the people with menial jobs (gas station attendants, clerks, etc.) try harder to be friendly than people with the higher status occupations.

Toilets and Bathrooms:

Japanese toilets and bathrooms are much more advanced than in the West. Don’t be put off by stories of Japanese toilets being basically a hole in the ground that you must squat over. Most public places and hotels have at least one western style toilet and many of those are hi-tech. Even in places like Kentucky Fried Chicken, the seats are heated and the toilet paper dispenser has a lovely knitted cover (like the English tea-pot cozy). I noticed that the young and old use the classic toilet more than the baby boomers that like middle age comfort. As the population ages there are more and more western toilets. Toilets are not in the bathroom. There is a big difference between a bathroom and a toilet. The two are always separate. The toilet is generally in a very small place with a small sink built into the top of the toilet tank. When you flush, the water automatically comes on to wash your hands. The toilet seat is often a high tech affair with controls to set the heat of the seat and a bidet-like device that allows you to regulate the direction, flow and temperature of the water spray. Since the buttons are labeled in Japanese and there are a lot of them, I let well enough alone and did no experimenting. The bathroom is a glorious affair with a hot tub and a shower filling the whole room. Fuel is very expensive in Japan, so in private homes the hot tub is usually only filled once in the morning and covered when not in use to keep the water warm all day. Everyone first takes a shower and, when they are clean, immerse themselves in the tub. Do not drain the tub when done; some one else will use it. The tubs are like large American tubs, but the showers are sophisticated with many adjustments for height, flow, and temperature.

The Tourist as Outsider:

I am an inventor by trade. I like my work and am usually good at it. This gives me a certain peace of mind. Since I care more about my inventions than socializing, often I am so involved in my work I don’t care what people think of me. But there is a downside that I am just beginning to realize. Since I am comfortable with myself, I have little interest in impressing people with my dress and manners. For better or worse, this life-long attitude has made me somewhat of an outsider, but it has made it easier for me to travel in Japan. I am comfortable in my dealings in Japan where the concern for rules is so complex that it is impossible for foreigners to proceed properly. This may make most feel awkward when they err, but I am used to it and usually shrug it off. Don’t worry, as you are forgiven because you are just “gaijinJapanese word meaning "outsider" commonly used to describe foreigners. Considered somewhat impolite. ”, a foreigner and therefore do not know better. The French feel superior to foreigners and look down on them. The Japanese feel superior to foreigners but view them more as entertainment. Your mistakes will most likely amuse rather than offend.

On the Road Again:

Today’s drive was mostly uneventful. I decided to leave the mountains and head for the coast. Distances are misleading and I was not covering as much ground as I thought I would. This is a combination of narrow, slow-moving roads, and getting lost every time I leave the main street in a town because I can barely read the Japanese street signs. But I don’t care, as the best adventures are unplanned. The drawback is that it makes scheduling impossible. I originally planned to cross the country and drive along the Sea of Japan, but to do that I would miss much countryside. Travel on expressways here is not always the way to go. Besides being expensive (tolls the distance from San Francisco to L.A. would be at least $150), you see little of the daily life of Japan. The best way to travel seems to be to take the expressways to the area you want and then take the side roads. The main advantage is light traffic as few private cars are seen. Most traffic is trucks and tour busses. The rest stops are much larger than in the U.S., which consist of a variety of restaurants (from fast foods to upscale), gift shops for tour groups and groceries, live music and entertainment. They are fun. Streets are deceptively narrow. What you think is some back alley may be the main street. The homes are mostly beautiful, inside and out. In Japan, it is rare to be invited into a private home and if you get the chance, take it. The food is exceptionally good. Some food is cheaper than in the U.S. and some much higher. One forgets that most food from California is grown to look good and transport well—taste is secondary. Often fruit is picked green and expected to ripen on the shelf. The Japanese take the time to pamper their produce and the result shows. Of course you pay for quality. An ordinary cantaloupe costs about $20 but is delicious. California fruit is like California women, beautiful and tasteless. Japanese fruit is like Japanese women, delightful and expensive. Everything here is labor intensive, not just the food. The goal of western business is to make profits for the stockholders. Efficiency is the guiding spirit of American business. In Japan, apparently the goal of business is to keep people employed. Employment replaces efficiency. This means there are many jobs that in America would be considered redundant and menial, but not so by the Japanese. Many intersections have not only traffic lights, but also a traffic control officer. You can see this over and over in everyday life. For example, when you go into a gas station, often there are three attendants for each island. One person bows, welcomes you and directs you to a pump. Another person fills the tank and collects the money and a third person bows, bids you farewell and steps out into the street to stop traffic so you can safely drive out. It is also obvious that these employees take pride in their jobs. When not attending to customers they stand proudly at attention. This is far different from American self-service gas stations, and contributes to a society of full employment. Last night, around sundown, I stopped in Toyota City, the first large industrial town of the trip. Since travel was slower than I planned, I decided to forgo the drive along the Sea of Japan coast and instead follow the Old Tokiado Road so prominent in James Clavell’s novel “Shogun”. Since much of Japan seems ageless, I bet much of the road is as it was in Edo times, and maybe even some of the original buildings still exist. Since I am more interested in daily life I skipped Osaka and many of the castles and tourist-oriented shrines. I plan to visit the Shogun’s castle, which happily is near Shimada-Tokiado. Hence I headed on the Tomei Expressway to catch Route 1 (the Old Tokiado Road) south of Nagoya.

Varieties of Hotels:

Since most people travel in groups; there are no American style motels. Besides the upscale hotels costing over $100 that most tourists stay at, there are a few classes of less expensive lodgings. Business hotels cost $30-60 and are very nice, but with smaller rooms with no room service. Many have both western and Japanese style rooms. Also there are many hotels called “love hotels” that rent rooms by the hour and only to couples. One of the hints I read about in the tour books said these were a good source of lower cost accommodations late at night. After midnight many of these hotels will rent rooms cheap to one or more people. The idea is good but in practice I found very few times where I would want to be still looking for a place that late at night. It is much easier on ones peace of mind to find a place much earlier in the evening if you can’t read Japanese and have a bare understanding of the language. There are also the traditional spas called Ryokans that tend to be expensive but worth at least one night, and Minshukus which are like bed and breakfast inns. They are priced between business and tourist hotels. Many hotels do not want foreigners, period. Last night I got lost while driving in a desolate part of Japan. Being in a downpour on a narrow winding mountain road in the dark, plus having to remember to stay on the left, convinced me to stop at the next safe place and sleep in the car if necessary, which I was not looking forward to. Out of the dark I came on a fancy resort-hotel set in the woods. Since it had begun to rain after I started driving, my raincoat was still in my suitcase in the trunk. Rather than get soaked trying to get it, I just ran across the parking lot into the hotel. Because of my appearance, dressed in just a casual shirt and pants dripping with water, in an obviously upscale resort, I figured there would be a hassle, but I hoped I could beg my way in. Nothing worked, but I was directed up the road to a second large hotel. There were large tour busses in the parking lot and many Japanese businessmen in dark suits milling about the lobby. I was told “no room.” After some pleading, it became obvious there was no way a foreigner was going to stay there that night. I will say they were kind enough to call around and find a place that would accept me, and then had me follow a clerk down the road to a minshuku, a Japanese style bed & breakfast. But this one wasn’t. Its decor was a very upscale and very English country estate. I was the only guest since it was between seasons, and I had the total attention of the staff. Dinner was served to me in the dining room overlooking a perfect properly lit garden as seen thru perfectly executed French doors. Half an hour before, I was wet and miserable. Now I was having dinner in front of the fireplace, lord of a very posh manor with attendants at my beck and call. With chamber music in the background, it’s a perfect evening in the English countryside. The bedroom was western style with an ordinary bed and bathroom. I would have preferred a Japanese room, but it was cold and wet outside and at least I was warm and comfortable. The hosts were very friendly but reserved. When I left the next day, they were gracious and helpful. Breakfast was sausage and eggs with a small salad and a roll and jam with tea (they wanted to know if I wanted milk in the tea), yogurt for dessert. The food was very good but very un-Japanese. All boring, I wanted to be in Japan, not 18th century England. There are both western and Japanese style rooms. The rooms generally have a refrigerator and microwave. Some even have a vending machine in the room or at least in the hall. The vending machines have a wide selection of food and drinks including beer. Prices are not bad. Beer and soda are under a dollar. Some have in-room bathrooms. Otherwise it’s down the hall. No matter what price, all the rooms are very clean. I was very lucky to find a hotel at a fair (for Japan) price, $35. The room is also Japanese style; a futon on the floor with no private bathroom. In many hotels after you open the door there is a keyhole next to the light switch. You must put the room key in to turn on the electricity. When you leave the room, removing the key automatically turns off the lights. Room service often is an in-room refrigerated vending machine and a microwave. A television and a bureau complete the furnishings. My first night in a big city I found a man in a store who very kindly drove me around to find a hotel. After the third stop he finally found a business hotel that allowed foreigners. It was on a narrow side street and I would never have found it on my own. I got a room but it was western style, which I didn’t want. I didn’t feel like trying to explain because I didn’t want to have to look for another hotel. I would have preferred a Japanese room but at least the supper was Japanese. Supper is in a timeless setting. The dining room had long communal tables where everyone ate the same meal. They serve very good food, and a lot of it, more than I could finish, and very un-American. A whole smoked fish cut in half because it was too large to fit on the plate in one piece, a big bowl of seafood and vegetable stew, with a salad and appetizer of some vegetables and meat wrapped in bacon, plus the usual pickled vegetables. On a central table were a large caldron of miso soupA traditional Japanese soup made by disolving fermented soybean paste (miso) in soup stock. There are many optional ingredients such as seaweed, tofu, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes. , tea, and a vat of steamed rice. Dessert was delicious fresh fruit. It was a large and hearty workingman’s meal. The cost was $8.50. To complete the scene many of my fellow diners followed the common custom of wearing a yukata (a kimono like bathrobe) to dinner, adding to the scene. I felt like I was in a samuri film. But there was no feeling of either hostility or friendliness. I liked the meal. Today I am riding the bullet train. Drove to Shizuoka City and took the train to Shin-Fuji. Got off and took the next train back. Just wanted to take a short ride to see what it is like. Easily one of the most fun trains to ride in the world. Compared to American railroads these passenger trains are huge, maybe thirty or forty cars. Only freight trains are this long in the U.S. They are long and sleek and travel at speeds of 150 mph. Inside, they are roomy and comfortable with bar and dining cars. The seats are like roomy 1st class airline seats with lots of legroom. And this was not even a reserved section. It is amazing to pass another train going the opposite direction. Both are easily traveling over 300 mph with only a foot or two of separation. Also, the express trains don’t slow down going through a station. It is awesome to stand on the platform see and feel such a huge mass hurtling by at awesome speeds of 150mph. The bridges in Japan are the most fascinating in the world. All beautiful and no two are alike. They vary from modern pre-stressed concrete to ancient wooden structures. After the bullet train, I went to Shogun’s Castle since I have such a fondness for the book. The castle is the most rural of the few castles or shrines I have visited. Seems fitting that the most powerful man in Japanese history would prefer to live in the most unassuming of castles. After he unified Japan he turned the government over to his third son and retired to his childhood home and there he lived out the rest of his life and died there. He does not have an interesting face. Doesn’t look like the face of a man who changed a country. Since the goal of this trip was to see how daily life is lived. I largely avoided the tourist sights. It had been days since I had heard anyone speaking English without prompting or accent. At the Shogun’s castle, I overheard a group of Americans and was eager to speak to them in my native tongue. What a disappointment. They were rude and snotty. Oh well. This morning I went for a last ride in the country before going to the airport. I saw small, nondescript villages, rural but not exotic like villages in the mountains and inland. Still, they have a quaint farm style of life, but there are more signs of modern times. There are many small tractors and newer trucks, but still the old women in those coolie hats and ancient style clothes toiling in the fields. But there is not the feeling of being in another time like other parts of Japan. Then all of a sudden I came upon a very ancient ShintoThe traditional animistic belief system of Japan. It was the official state religion of Japan until the postwar period. shrine at a crossroads. The place appears to have minimum upkeep but there are a few old men about tidying up the place. It’s at least 400 to 500 years old judging by the style, but no English or even Romaji signs, so I am at a loss to know anything about it. There is an old, small, overgrown graveyard, tombstones weathered and moss covered. It is still in use because among graves with tombstones obviously hundreds of years old are new stones with fresh offerings.

On the way Home:

I am at Narita Airport outside on the observation deck. It is a warm, muggy and hazy day but you can see far enough to see that the terrain is far different from the Shimada area. Flat plains far different than most of Japan which seems to be more mountainous than I thought it would be. This must be the rice bowl of Japan though I saw much rice being grown on terraced hillsides. A very expensive method of farming considering rice fields must be flooded during much of the growing cycle. This means that dikes must be maintained on each terrace and water pumped up the hillside. Planning on getting a lot of writing done on the plane so now is a good chance to people watch. There are a lot of Americans and Europeans. Everyone seems so coarse and large. It is strange to hear English spoken and stranger still to not have to precede every conversation with the question “Sumimasen, Eigo ga wakarimasu ka,” “Excuse me, do you understand English?” I am on my way home.