Being that the world seems to finally be coming back to its senses (is it?) on this whole Coronamania. Japan appears to be taking baby-steps towards opening up its borders to allow tourists and potential new expats back in. Students have already begun their arrival, so we’re all hoping that things will take a turn back towards the normal. Given the dollar’s strength these days, the exchange rate has never been more in favor of dollar holders, and tourists as well as new long-stay expats could very well end up getting a lot more bang for their buck. Having been living in Japan for the past three years, I’ve come to find that aside from the whole no weed thing I have never felt more free in most of my life. Sure, there are numerous “rules” that you’re allegedly supposed to be following. But here’s the strange truth. The rules are simple, behave and have some integrity to follow the rules when nobody is looking. Remember that you’re still an outsider and you need to recognize that although you’re probably the only person actually following said rules, you still need to know them and definitely need to follow them, at least until you’ve become friendly with your local police and all your neighbors. But even then, I strongly suggest you keep right on following the rules. It goes like this. You have the law, the local rule, and then you have the unwritten rule that you’re supposed to simply know already. However, you’re going to notice some strange things at strange times, particularly on the road. For starters, you’re going to be driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it in no time at all. You’re going to come here starting out your first year driving on the International Driver’s License that you picked up from AAA in the USA before you came. Start studying the rules of the road right away. I’m not going to get into a whole driver’s education course here but I will tell you that there are a few things you need to know before you go.

Of all the signs you’re going to see, the most important one that you should know is the stop sign and you’ll see the same thing painted in pretty large on the pavement. Unlike not only the USA but in many other countries as well, the stop sign is not octagonal in Japan. It’s an upside-down triangle much similar to our “yield” sign. Above on the right is the closest thing to a yield sign there is, so remember that.

But back to the rules. Something you’re going to find out here is that nobody really follows the rules, specifically old people. I’m not saying this to be ageist, it’s a fact and anyone living here will tell you this as truth. It’s odd, but if there’s a stop sign. There’s a strong possibility that they won’t stop at the stop sign and if there isn’t a stop sign and you happen to be sitting at one, the will stop for you to go. They really are just trying to be polite, so try not to get too frustrated. Just wave and motion for them to keep going and they’ll likely wave back and go. Just remember that you need to be careful in neighborhoods because they’re not following the rules, especially if there’s no cop to be seen.

Bare this in mind when driving, take note of the stickers that you see on cars. It will help you to remain mindful on the road.

New drivers are compelled to have the above left sticker on the front and back of their car for a period of one year after they’ve earned their driver’s license. Personally, I’ve found the testing process for earning your driver’s license to be interesting. There was an actual driver’s course where you are testing with people who are testing for their taxi, bus, motorcycle, or trucking licenses at the same time. It’s relatively common for people to fail their test on the first 2 or 3 attempts. But they do allow people to practice on the course on off days and on testing days, applicants are permitted to physically walk through the driving course at the beginning of the testing day. Elderly drivers usually have one of the two above right stickers on their car. Give them a wide berth. There are also stickers for hard of hearing, handicapped, and drivers in training that you should be aware of. I’d also cut them some slack and remember to be cautious around care you see with the following stickers below.

These are only a few things to keep in mind. But these aren’t the only rules new expats, students, and tourists need to be mindful of. These are merely some road rules. I’ll be posting some other rules in more posts down the line. But if you’re going to be coming here and want to get out to see more of the country itself, it’s a good idea to get accustomed to driving here.