You know you've been in Japan too long when...
...a teacher remarks to the students that 'You should have no problem finishing your rice today, because there's seaweed! So eat up!' and you not only find absolutely nothing strange with this comment, you agree with it.
...you keep your AC on 28, and it feels cool to you because you spend the entire day in an office with an average temperature of 30 with only your handheld fan to keep you company.
...you really really want to eat cold noodles for dinner. Zaru Soba YUM.
Tuesday, July 14
Wednesday, July 8
How I passed my Japanese driving test on the first try...
Yesterday I drove to the not-so-near town of Yurihama (about 1.5 hours by car) for the second time to continue my license-getting process.
The Crank.
I have until now been driving under the auspices of an international driving permit, which was acquired through my neighborhood AAA and valid for one year. OH LOOK, I've been in Japan for over 11 months. In reality, I should have taken care of all this license mess weeks, nay months, ago. But in the end I was doing it the way I do everything, close to the deadline with moments to spare.
Changing an American drivers license (or a South African one, or a few other countries) to a Japanese license is for many a lengthy and painful process, but easier than getting a Japanese license from scratch. First, you have to get JAF (the Japanese equivalent of AAA) to translate your license from English to Japanese. Then, you have to make an appointment at the prefectural (state) driver's license center. Then, you go in (1.5 hours each way), and give them your paperwork (including the translation, your American license, etc) and have a short interview (in my case, they spent about 15 minutes asking me about my driving history in Japanese).
Then you wait for 1-2 weeks while they check through your paperwork. Then they call you and set up an appointment for you to come in and do your test. Your first test.
My appointment was yesterday. I waffled between confidence and panic. Would my preternatural ability to pass stupid tests come through, or fail me? I read through some materials provided by our prefectural advisor and hoped for the best. On the way to the driving center (1.5 hours drive), I practiced the skills that I knew would be tested.
Turn while braking and don't accelerate through the turn.
Check every mirror and your blind spots before completing a turn.
Drive very close to the left side of the road.
Stop fully and completely behind the stop line.
Once I got to the testing center (1 hour early), I again read through my materials in between reading google news and facebook on my phone. Once it was time for my appointment, I went through the paces. First, fill out an application (and shock my application advisor with my ability to write Japanese). Then, eye test. Then, written test. Then, watching a video about the practical driving test. Finally, the moment of truth, the driving test.
I watched the video really carefully, mimicking and practicing with thin air what the people in the video were doing. But I was still extremely nervous. My application advisor and a test administrator came out with me to the old taxi that would be my testing vehicle. I was still very nervous. I was then told to check out the car and familiarize myself with it, then we would have a 'practice', then the real test would begin. I sat down and adjusted the seat and took stock of where all the controls were. The test would begin when I got into the car, and finish when I exited the car and closed the door.
I got back out of the car, and my advisor got in the back seat while the test administrator was in the passenger seat. I followed the steps prescribed in the materials and the video. Look around the car to make sure there are no obstacles. Open the door, sit down, close the door, and lock it. I went for my seatbelt but remembered that comes later. Check the seat position, and the mirrors, adjust accordingly. Seatbelt. Check to see if the parking break is engaged. Press down on the brake. Check the gear (park, good.). Turn on the engine. Put the car in drive. Check in all directions to make sure it's clear. Drive forward.
OH WAIT. The parking brake is still engaged. At this point I'm sure I've failed. But I mutter a quick 'Sumimasen' (I'm sorry) and continue, this time with the brake disengaged.
Now is our 'training time'. The test admin tells me to make a circle. I do so, and worry the whole time I am doing it wrong. I check the mirrors constantly since the course is so small I'm basically turning constantly. My signal won't stay engaged because I'm turning so much. I hold it down and hope for the best. We make the round and he tells me to pull out onto the 'road' part of the course, and that my test will begin now. I'm ridiculously nervous and pull into the wrong side of the road. He corrects me, I apologize and fix myself. Then he says 'Your test begins now.' No harm no foul perhaps? But I still think I've already failed.
From here on it's a blur. I'm turning a lot. The only thing I am vividly aware of is my head checking my mirrors and blind spots at least once every 10 seconds. I fail to get to 50 km/h on the straightaway as prescribed in the pre-test prep, but I do manage 40... When I pull into the narrow 's-curve' and 'crank' portions of the test, I'm almost happy because they seem way easier than trying to turn at the test admin's every whim. I keep up the best I can but I'm STILL sure I am screwing up royally. I feel peace with this and hope that my post-test critique will give me information I can use to pass next time.
The S-curve.
We make the rounds for what feels like an eternity and no time at all, and return to the starting point. I complete the final steps. Brake. Engage parking brake. Turn off engine. Unbuckle seatbelt. Check out the window to make sure no one will be hit when I open the door. Open the door, step out, close the door.
Test administrator gets out of the car and says 'ok!'
I don't understand that this means I've passed until my advisor gets out and says 'ok! Passed! You pass!'. huh? I passed? Are you serious?
On the walk back to the center, I get asked where I went to driving school. I get asked who helped me pass the test. It's all very amusing to me and I say some stuff about 'friends' helping me out. I had no formal training! I get no critique whatsoever...despite the errors I am sure I made.
Oh well! No use in complaining. I've won! I beat the test! I wait, get my picture snapped, get my license, and head on my merry way home. Success!
And I can still barely believe it.
The Crank.
I have until now been driving under the auspices of an international driving permit, which was acquired through my neighborhood AAA and valid for one year. OH LOOK, I've been in Japan for over 11 months. In reality, I should have taken care of all this license mess weeks, nay months, ago. But in the end I was doing it the way I do everything, close to the deadline with moments to spare.
Changing an American drivers license (or a South African one, or a few other countries) to a Japanese license is for many a lengthy and painful process, but easier than getting a Japanese license from scratch. First, you have to get JAF (the Japanese equivalent of AAA) to translate your license from English to Japanese. Then, you have to make an appointment at the prefectural (state) driver's license center. Then, you go in (1.5 hours each way), and give them your paperwork (including the translation, your American license, etc) and have a short interview (in my case, they spent about 15 minutes asking me about my driving history in Japanese).
Then you wait for 1-2 weeks while they check through your paperwork. Then they call you and set up an appointment for you to come in and do your test. Your first test.
My appointment was yesterday. I waffled between confidence and panic. Would my preternatural ability to pass stupid tests come through, or fail me? I read through some materials provided by our prefectural advisor and hoped for the best. On the way to the driving center (1.5 hours drive), I practiced the skills that I knew would be tested.
Turn while braking and don't accelerate through the turn.
Check every mirror and your blind spots before completing a turn.
Drive very close to the left side of the road.
Stop fully and completely behind the stop line.
Once I got to the testing center (1 hour early), I again read through my materials in between reading google news and facebook on my phone. Once it was time for my appointment, I went through the paces. First, fill out an application (and shock my application advisor with my ability to write Japanese). Then, eye test. Then, written test. Then, watching a video about the practical driving test. Finally, the moment of truth, the driving test.
I watched the video really carefully, mimicking and practicing with thin air what the people in the video were doing. But I was still extremely nervous. My application advisor and a test administrator came out with me to the old taxi that would be my testing vehicle. I was still very nervous. I was then told to check out the car and familiarize myself with it, then we would have a 'practice', then the real test would begin. I sat down and adjusted the seat and took stock of where all the controls were. The test would begin when I got into the car, and finish when I exited the car and closed the door.
I got back out of the car, and my advisor got in the back seat while the test administrator was in the passenger seat. I followed the steps prescribed in the materials and the video. Look around the car to make sure there are no obstacles. Open the door, sit down, close the door, and lock it. I went for my seatbelt but remembered that comes later. Check the seat position, and the mirrors, adjust accordingly. Seatbelt. Check to see if the parking break is engaged. Press down on the brake. Check the gear (park, good.). Turn on the engine. Put the car in drive. Check in all directions to make sure it's clear. Drive forward.
OH WAIT. The parking brake is still engaged. At this point I'm sure I've failed. But I mutter a quick 'Sumimasen' (I'm sorry) and continue, this time with the brake disengaged.
Now is our 'training time'. The test admin tells me to make a circle. I do so, and worry the whole time I am doing it wrong. I check the mirrors constantly since the course is so small I'm basically turning constantly. My signal won't stay engaged because I'm turning so much. I hold it down and hope for the best. We make the round and he tells me to pull out onto the 'road' part of the course, and that my test will begin now. I'm ridiculously nervous and pull into the wrong side of the road. He corrects me, I apologize and fix myself. Then he says 'Your test begins now.' No harm no foul perhaps? But I still think I've already failed.
From here on it's a blur. I'm turning a lot. The only thing I am vividly aware of is my head checking my mirrors and blind spots at least once every 10 seconds. I fail to get to 50 km/h on the straightaway as prescribed in the pre-test prep, but I do manage 40... When I pull into the narrow 's-curve' and 'crank' portions of the test, I'm almost happy because they seem way easier than trying to turn at the test admin's every whim. I keep up the best I can but I'm STILL sure I am screwing up royally. I feel peace with this and hope that my post-test critique will give me information I can use to pass next time.
The S-curve.
We make the rounds for what feels like an eternity and no time at all, and return to the starting point. I complete the final steps. Brake. Engage parking brake. Turn off engine. Unbuckle seatbelt. Check out the window to make sure no one will be hit when I open the door. Open the door, step out, close the door.
Test administrator gets out of the car and says 'ok!'
I don't understand that this means I've passed until my advisor gets out and says 'ok! Passed! You pass!'. huh? I passed? Are you serious?
On the walk back to the center, I get asked where I went to driving school. I get asked who helped me pass the test. It's all very amusing to me and I say some stuff about 'friends' helping me out. I had no formal training! I get no critique whatsoever...despite the errors I am sure I made.
Oh well! No use in complaining. I've won! I beat the test! I wait, get my picture snapped, get my license, and head on my merry way home. Success!
And I can still barely believe it.
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