transportation

We've been in Japan exactly 2 weeks today and I'm happy to report we're getting more and more adjusted to life here. One of the major areas of adjustment has been transportation. The public transportation system here is impressive to say the least. I've included a picture of the train map we are slowly learning to understand. The biggest challenge at train stations is that usually the only thing in English is the station name and the final destination of the train, so it's difficult to determine if the arriving train will stop where you actually want to get off. This makes the English map to the right VERYYYY important!

The train system is also known for being very timely. If a train is even 3 minutes late it will make the evening news. At rush hour when the train is packed there are actually white gloved men who physically push people into the train to make sure the doors shut and it leaves on time! I haven't had an opportunity to take a picture of this yet, but on our first train ride Shane almost got pushed!!

Now, as far as driving is concerned I'm not really sure where to begin...well, they drive on the left side of the street rather than the right, that is definately the most noticeable difference. It really isn't as bad as it seems though, most steering wheels are on the opposite side too (see the picture of our not so new new car!) which somehow balances everything out and makes it a little easier. Definately takes some getting used to, but as long as you remind yourself left, left, left every time you turn it's not too bad.

The car is a '96 honda CRV with 64000km (roughly 30000miles). We're hoping it is dependable and lasts our time here, but if it doesn't we can always junk it and buy 3 or 4 more cars for the price of one back in the states!

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I found out more about this crazy street sign!! They say in Japan that if you park your car for free, you're parking illegally. Some of the larger stores may have free parking if you buy something from the store, but for the most part you pay to park. The sign to the right actually tells you were parking is available! It's a little difficult to see, but all of the black squares are parking areas-if the characters are red the lot is full, yellowish-green the lot is open! The characters in white are landmarks such as city hall and the post office. The rental agent explained that it's better for them to put landmarks because street names are even confusing for her and she's lived in Japan for almost 20 years!