Driving the Streets of Japan till I get lost...

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Hi!

Well, I haven't gotten lost so far, but I've only driven to the internet and I followed Yuriko in her car!
We are renting a car for the month! It is a super cute, white, two-door, 4 wheel-drive, manual Daihatsu, Mira. Today was my first time driving in Japan and I love it! (Colin's company wouldn't let me drive any of the cars they lent us...) Even though I've only used it to go to a place that I go all the time, it is great knowing that I have the freedom to go anywhere!
Driving on the left side of the street is fine, changing gears with my left hand is a little strange but the hardest thing to get used to is having the controls for the turn signal on the opposite side. I keep turning on the wipers instead of the turn signal!!!! Oh well, it makes me laugh!
Luckily, it has gotten warmer here (just above zero) so the roads are very clear. When Colin first started driving they were horrible!!!! They wait few days after it snows before they plow, so no matter what there is always a layer of solid ice on the road, which gets deep groves from the car tires. Sometimes the car tires will hit the side of a groove and it feels like we might swerve into the other lane. Also, roads that get a lot of truck and bus traffic are bad because the tires chew up the ice. Colin describes these roads as slippery logging roads. The small side roads don't get plowed and are still covered in solid, thick uneven ice.

The roads are very narrow and people still ride bikes! Also, a new law was passed so they can't talk on cells while driving, so the people who obey the law stop on the side of the road (but because of the snow there are no shoulders) to talk and we have to swerve around them, even on highways!

We bought a great book of maps to help us get around, the fact that we can't read any of it doesn't matter because they don't have street names in Japan!!!!! Even Japanese people have a hard time finding new locations. Everything is organized in districts, so an address will start with the largest district and end with the smallest...I don't know how they find a place from there. Most people have GPS in their car, which must help. And the rest use their cell and call to figure it out.

Also, my mom is coming to visit for 2 weeks in Feb!!!!! So we will be able to go on a road trip and I can see the ocean again! A local dentist who organizes English adult classes wants Colin, my mom and myself to do a presentation to one of his classes, which will end in a welcome party for my mom!

We went to the Hadakamairi festival (or as I refer to it: the naked man festival) on Sunday. Where men in grass skirts and sandals walk for 45 minutes carrying offerings to deliver to a shrine. It is on Jan 15th every year and families also come to burn a charm that they had on their household shrine last year. The festival was very impressive. The men walked in single file and each step was synchronized.
To be a part of it you have to sign up for a minimum of three years. My current boss did it and said on his second year he had icicles hanging from his chest hair! ouch! We went for dinner at an Indian restaurant after, yum.

Life here is good, we are still learning new things everyday.
We found a climbing gym, which was fun but cold! We had to wear toques and gloves when we were belaying.
I went to a yoga class this morning, I didn't recognize any poses for the first hour. When the instructor would explain something new, she would ask the class if they knew the word in English, which they never did. I provided some good laughs! It also gave me more motivation to learn Japanese.
We figured out the oven function on our microwave and made an amazing lasagna and apple crisp!

Hope you are all fantastic! Looking forward to being on the island in March, hope it stops raining before I arrive!

Hugs, Maddy.

PS Sorry, no pics this time. I wrote this on Tuesday and Colin was supposed to add the pics but forgot. I was going to add them today but I forgot the camera at home.
PPS we are going on a road trip to the ocean tomorrow! It will be the first time Colin has seen the car, since I've been taking it to work and don't get home until 9:30.

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Comments

[Jane Gowman]

Hi
Maddy, It sounds like you are having so much fun. It is interesting to read all your blogs and see how different life is over there. Anyway i know you are busy Love Jane