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monkey_z · Joined: 22 Jun 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Aichi

Yo Glenski! It's because the people up there are half frozen. Laughing

The worst things I have seen are kids jumping around in a car, and people holding babies in their lap. Crying or Very sad

Nagoyaguy · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 425 Location: Aichi, Japan

Yes, they suck.

The funniest thing is the 'campaigns' for safe driving. Where I live, the police are out every day with a "zero" in it. So on the 10th, 20th, and occasionally 30th of every month, you see them at every major intersection with batons in hand. Waiting for those dastardly doers of evil who dont wear seat belts. Other days, it is tea and crumpets in the Koban.

The funny thing is, everyone knows the schedule of these 'surprise' inspections. Also, you can run a red light with a bottle of whiskey in your hand and you wont be stopped, as long as you are wearing your seat belt.

The attitude towards child safety really bugs me too. When I am driving with my son, he ALWAYS buckles up. I also make his friends do the same when they are in my car, and they are shocked. I guess most parents let the kids roam free in the car to save the stress of making them wear a seat belt. The worst are the mothers and grannies who hold infants on their lap. What are they doing, using the kids as an improvised air bag? Unbelievable. Its a good thing that people here drive slowly, or there would be kids thrown all over the place from crashing cars.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Glenski, that's because your legs are longer.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Someone told me that it is against the law to drive and use a cell phone. I can't believe it, everyone does that? Anyone know for sure?

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Hey Gordon,

My point exactly, it is against the law and nobody cares.

Tailgating, no yielding, cell phone weilding, kid floating around the dash drivers!

But just try to exchange your valid driver's license from home for a Japanese one without taking the training course for 6000 yen on saturday and see what happens.

If you want to see government sanctioned raciscm, go to Konosu.

I was moaning to a friend and he told me it's the same thing in the States; take the training=pass the test.

Btw, asking students today for advice in dealing with problem students, one kid told me I should teach at another school. I told him: another country.

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

I'm not a driver (at least not here anyway)... probably just aswell becasue I find the pedestrians annoying enough.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

cafebleu · Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Posts: 404

There is no mystery about the irresponsibility of and contempt for others that in general tend to distinguish the driving of too many Japanese people. I put it down to the `in group` and `out group` distinction they have drummed into their heads from the time they are infants.

In this society somebody always has to be below you or an outsider to you. This is not a statement with no substance - from their early family life to day care to kindergarten and onwards, the Japanese are taught to draw clear distinctions between those in their uchi (in) group and those in their soto (out) group. Only those who can think about social norms in Japan can rid themselves of this automatic tendency that is firmly implanted in them from childhood up. And those Japanese are precious few.

This explains the contempt for people they don`t know. Japanese language is polite but in general people are not here. That is not to say that the rudeness here is manifested the same way as rudeness in western societies - it is different. But it is so clear when the Japanese are driving - I don`t know you, so I don`t give a f..... about you.

This is one of the characteristics of Japanese society that shows a very unattractive contempt for others, despite all the propaganda about a harmonious society etc. As Alex Kerr said, societies tend to over emphasise and elevate characteristics they don`t display and Japan`s lack of harmony is shown in its insistence that this is what Japanese society is all about.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

that's an interesting take on it. I hadn't thought of that. So, national law is too impersonal for them despite them all being members of the Japanese uchi.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Take a Japanese tailgating driver and put them behind the wheel in say...
Los Angeles, would they still behave the same way? I doubt it. They would be too scared. It is OK here because they know that no one will flip them off or worse.

For example, the guy in the modified Crown that comes right up on my bumper and honks impatiently when I am driving too slowly because I am lost or don't know which way too go in a quite residential neighborhood.