Drivers Ed Part IV - Three's the Charm

Three's the charm!!! After three attempts Russell finally passed his drivers test to earn him a coveted Japanese drivers license.  And in the pouring rain no less!

I asked if he did anything different this time.  He said no.  But the inspector definitely noted how many times he had taken the test before.  He said, if he wanted to find something he probably could have.

I'm so proud of him.  When he called to tell me the good news he sounded like a 16 year old, which is the age most Americans become licensed drivers.  He said he was actually nervous.  We thought the ordeal was finally over.  But no.  After you pass the test they make you wait for hours to receive the finished license.

Russell's test was at 12:30, but he didn't actually take possession of the license until 5pm.  He said by the time he stewarded the paperwork through all the windows it had about 20 stamps on it.  Geez, this is more difficult than bringing a fruit basket into the country.

But now we're free, free!  Armed with a drivers license and a dog kennel, we can rent a car and explore the country side.  I can't wait.

We decided to celebrate.

I'd always wanted to try the New York Grill.  You know, the place in the movie "Lost in Translation" where Bill Murray sits in the bar after the Suntory photo shoot, clips still holding his jacket taut.  Yeah, that's the one.  When we called I thought there's no way we're going to get a reservation.  It's 6:30 Friday night and Russell wanted reservations for 8pm.  I guess they're not that busy in August.  We got in.

Russell asked them if we could bring our own bottle of wine with us since we were celebrating a special occasion.  They enthusiastically inquired about the occasion.  I could hear the receptionist laughing when Russell told her. "Um, I just got my Japanese drivers license."

Thank goodness we brought our own wine.  Although the wine choices are exalted, the list is tragically over-priced.  The food was excellent.  I ordered the "Central Park" five-course pre-fixe menu.  Russell ordered four items a la carte.  His caesar salad was a meal in itself.

Yet after our sumptuous meal, sure enough, the waiter brought flicking candles glowing over a celebratory dessert.  Russell's dessert was better than mine.  House made cherry ice cream.  I had to help him eat it.

Finally!

 

The happy driver.

The proud wife.

Then we went to the bar where in the movie "We're Sausalito" played.  There was a band, just like in the movie.  The bar was packed and they charged us a cover charge, even though we had just eaten in their  restaurant.  The singer was a woman but she wasn't a red head.  Actually, she was blonde.  We stayed for one drink, not Suntory, and the view.

Congratulations Russell.

The amazing view from the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt.

Bar scene.

Bill sat at the end.

Driver's Ed Part Three

Russell took his second driving test yesterday, Thursday, and failed, again!  Seriously?!!!  Russell is the best driver I know.  Let me rephrase.  Russell is the best observant, conservative, safe, defensive driver I know.  If he can't pass the test, I, the most aggressive, risk taking, I love speed and apexing driver, could not.

This time they failed him because, and get this,

a) he was driving too slow

and

b) he left too much space between the curb and the vehicle when he was making his left hand turn.  A bike
    or a scooter could have gotten into the space and he might have hit them.

Really?

I bet if he had been going faster it would have been too fast.

Leaving too much space?!  He was inside the lane - I guess they made the lane too big.  An elephant, and maybe some clowns, could have come up beside him. Yeah, they're right.  We definitely can't have that.

I told him, he should just ask them how many times they want him to take the test until he is adequately demeaned, so he can manage his expectations.

Apparently this time during the 15 minute orientation session, all in Japanese, there was a guy in the group  who was a professional translator.  Russell asked if he could ride with that guy during his test so he could translate the instructor's directions.  The instructor said no, that wouldn't be fair to all the other drivers testing.  Really?  Yeah, you're right, it wouldn't be fair to all the Japanese drivers who know Japanese.

Ah the smell of discrimination.  Acrid and bitter.  But all's fair in love and politics.  It's not like we give driver tests in America in foreign languages.  Ooops.  My bad.  We do in California - Spanish.

To be continued....

Driver's Ed Part Two

Nobody spoke English at the facility where Russell went to take his driving test. At window #31 they showed Russell a white slip of paper and a pink slip of paper and told him to go to window #38, for his "field test and have a seat."  Russell repeated back carefully, "you want me to go to window number 38 for my field test?"  The Japanese man repeated patiently, "No, sit down.  Go to window #38 if field test."  Befuddled Russell patiently repeated back, "you want me to go to window #38 for my field test and sit down?"  The Japanese man, not so patiently this time, reiterated, "No, sit down, wait.  Go to window #38 if field test."  Russell mulled this over and over.  "Field test?  Field test?"  Oh!  He means "failed test".  I have to go to window #38 if I fail the test."  Hai! (hai means yes in Japanese), Hai!, the Japanese man enthusiastically agreed.    How nice - the assumptive close.  Before you even take the driving test they tell you where to go to schedule your next attempt after you fail.  When I heard this I told him he should have saved some time while he was waiting to be called and gone ahead and scheduled an appointment.  Russell sat down and waited for his number to be called.

How many expats does it take to turn on the air conditioning?  Apparently eight as they assembled in the enclosed bus shelter waiting for their turn to fail the driving test. The instructor lectured the entire group for about 15 minutes, entirely in Japanese.  Russell turned to the Indian kid sitting next to him and commented, "Well that was really helpful.  Do you have any idea what he just said?"  The kid smiled and replied, "basically he said drive on the left side of the road".  How informative.

Russell waited for his turn to drive.  He was number seven.  He was bemused they had put all the expats together.  Maybe we all look alike?  He noted that the closed course had both passenger cars and flat bed trucks on it at the same time.  Apparently different license classes were tested on the course simultaneously.  

The deal is, when your number is called, you actually ride in the back seat while another person is taking their driving test.  This way you can get familiar with the course before you actually commence your own attempt.  The instructor observes you closely and gives you instructions on where to turn etc.  All very good, except one key thing -  he only does it in Japanese.  I don't know about you but I don't know what "right or left" is in Japanese, much less slow down, stop and the dreaded, parallel park.

Russell watched carefully from the back seat.  The driver made a right hand turn into what would have been oncoming traffic.  No wonder they don't let you take the driving test on a real road.  The instructor slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a shuddering halt, as he explained in excited Japanese what the driver had done wrong. Immediate fail.  He deserved that.

Then it was Russell's turn.  He got out of the car and walked around the vehicle, diligently checking to make sure the tires where adequately inflated, checking for headlights, license plates, door handles, etc.  Then he got in the drivers seat, put on his seat belt first (very important this be done immediately - you never know what might happen while you're acquainting yourself with the controls) and adjusted the mirrors.  The first 100 meters, about 300 feet, don't count.  It's so you can get used to the car.  Ok, not really that helpful since it's straight and only 300 feet.  It's takes longer than that to adjust to new shoes.

Things were going swimmingly.  Russell navigated through the tight turns and zig zags.  He didn't touch any of the poles (immediate fail) or hit any of the curbs (immediate fail).  He'd seen other drivers  make these errors and was glad he'd decided to choose the manual transmission car which meant a smaller, more maneuverable vehicle.  Russell was checking his blind spots with theatrical deliberation.  But then disaster.   He came to an intersection with no stop sign.  He slowed.  A flatbed truck was approaching from the left but was well down the road, allowing plenty of time for Russell to make the right hand turn without endangering lives. Or so he thought.  He began his turn.  Suddenly the vehicle jerked to a halt.  The instructor gesticulated wildly.  He's having a heart attack Russell shuddered.  Nope!

Apparently the instructor felt Russell should have stopped and waited for the truck to pass.  Russell counted, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, waiting for the truck to go by, five Mississippi,  until finally nine Mississippi.  I'm sorry an entire parade, complete with elephants, could pass through in that time!!!  Geez.  That was arbitrary.

He continued.  He was having a really difficult time understanding what the instructor wanted of him.  How is this fair? They approached another intersection.  Russell was in the left lane.  Just as they came to the intersection the instructor finally managed to make his instruction clear.  "Right!".  Russell had no choice but to make the turn, from the wrong lane.  Immediate Fail.

They came to the end of the course and the instructor pulled out the white slip of paper.  White means fail.  He turned it over and drew a helpful diagram of what Russell did wrong. He also helpfully pointed out Russell didn't put on his seat belt when he was a passenger in the back seat.  I got the distinct impression more catastrophic errors would have been discovered if Russell hadn't made the errant right hand turn.  Russell didn't need for him to tell him all this. He knew what he did wrong - not understand Japanese.  It would have been helpful to know "right" and "left".

Out of his expat class of eight, only two passed.  That's 25%.  Both of them had failed the test previously.  You have a better chance of catching a fly ball at Dodger stadium. Ok, well maybe not, but you know what I mean.

Russell was surprisingly devastated.  He really thought he was going to be the one guy to pass on the first try.  He sulked for the rest of the day.  Well, at least until he was thoroughly medicated with wine.

The good news is, he doesn't have to wait another two weeks before trying again.  He gets to take the test again this Thursday.  Hoorah!

to be continued.....

Driver's Ed Part 1

Actually this post should be entitled,  The Quest, Adventures in Bureaucracy.  Getting a drivers license in Japan is like applying for citizenship in Switzerland - a lot of red tape and no smiling. There are forms to legitimize other forms and of course it can't all be done at the same time.   It's rumored they fail Americans on principle alone. Based on statistics it seems the rumors are true.  In Tokyo only 35% of Americans pass the drivers test the first time. One expat told me it took them six attempts.  Six!  You can actually hire a service here to help you get one.


http://www.japandriverslicense.com/?gclid=CODQ1qKLnKoCFYtypAod9kB6ww

Just going to the U.S. Embassy site will make you think twice about driving in Japan.

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-drive.html

But why get one at all if the public transportation system is so good in Japan you don't need a car?  My thoughts exactly.  There's really no reason to own a car in Tokyo.  Owning a car here is like owning a vacation home.  It sounds great.  You imagine all the wonderful times you'll spend in it.  The road trips, the picnics by the sea, trips to Kyoto.  But how often do you really use it?  In the long run you end up spending a lot of money but not a lot of time and ultimately sell it for less than you bought it for when it seemed so exotic.  It's as bad as owning a boat, which we've already tried.  You know what B.O.A.T. stands for don't you?  Break Out Another Thousand.

Only the rich own cars here, which is probably why you see more Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis and my personal favorite, Aston Martins, along with the a deluge of Toyotas and Nissans.  They won't even sell you a car if you don't have a parking space, which goes for $500+ a month,  and you have to get it smog tested not once, but twice a year. Seriously. Plus insurance, plus finding a parking space is harder than finding Bin Laden, plus, plus, plus.  You get the picture.

Even though Russell grew up in New Jersey, he acts like a true Californian.  Californians can't live without their cars, global warming be damned, why do you think Prius was invented?  He thinks we should own a car for the freedom.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to take Ranger and drive to the country for a few hours so he can run?  Of course it would but the cost of freedom ain't cheap.  But renting a car here is.  You can rent a car by the hour here.  For roughly $75 you can get an economy car for six hours - which translates to a trip to Ikea or Costco and lunch, or in our particular case, a way to take Ranger the  Wonder dog to the Western style kennel for about a third of the price it would cost for a dog delivery service.  All this is a long way of explaining why he's getting a drivers license.

It's a two parter:

Part one consists of:

1) Filling out paper work downloaded from the website, which is not in English, which is so helpful.
2) Going to the DMV with every legal document you have proving who you are (alien registration card, passport, drivers license).  The difference between the Japanese DMV and the American equivalent is people are actually working at the Japanese version.  In America there are generally three to six government workers standing around bullshitting and drinking coffee while hundreds wait in line for assistance.  It's the American way.
3.) Going to the Japanese Automotive Federation (JAF), which seemingly is the Japanese version of The Automobile Club or AAA, to get your foreign drivers license translated officially.  Russell's assistant translated it but apparently that's not official enough.  Like I said they require forms to legitimize other forms.  Conceivably you could go here first if you filled out the DMV paperwork properly, a big if, and knew this was required in the first place.
4)Go back to the Japanese DMV before their less than convenient closing hours, they're open from 8-3 (closed for lunch between 11-1), to ensure the paperwork has been filled out and legitimized properly.
5)Take the eye exam which is the same as the U.S.
6)Take the written test which consists of ten logical questions.  I was very anxious about this part.  In America there is a twenty-five page booklet with rules and regulations for driving on U.S. roads that must be memorized before you take the written test.  I went to numerous windows to ask for an English version.  They don't have one.  I was frantic.  The DMV man assured us not to worry.  I shouldn't have.  The test was ten questions and you have to get seven correct.  The questions are true or false.  A three year old Japanese kid could pass it, even an American can pass it.

Some sample questions:

     If you're driving and you suddenly realize you're speeding the correct thing to do is immediately step
     on the brakes hard.   True or false?

      or

      Only the passengers need to wear seat belts; not the driver.  True or false?

7)Make an appointment to take the driving test
8)Pray

Ok, so maybe I was a little over anxious about the written test.  I should really be saving all my anxiety for the drivers test.  I told Russell he should wear a suit, present his business card and over-exaggerate every blind spot check, mirror check, blinker, etc.  He's not sweating it.  But I am.

To be continued.....