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[may be going]

i have a question regarding parking. as an australian, i never had to take the driving test, or sit the exam. it was a simple bit of paperwork. driving in japan and oz is very similar and almost all the rules are the same.

however, i have one question that i can't seem to figure out.

i have a spot where i park my car regularly when i go surfing. my girlfriend always says i can't park there and it's illegal. however, there aren't any 'no parking' signs, or signs of any kind. nothing. there is a big user pays car park right where i park, and my girlfriend says i must use that.

but it's a little back street, i'm not blocking any traffic, i'm in no way inconveniencing anyone, and, as mentioned, there are no signs of any kind to indicate that parking there is not allowed, or is illegal.

i've been parking there for months now and never had a ticket or anything, so i continue to park there. but when my japanese surfer friends see where i park, they all give me the ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, da-me so-reeeeeeeee. i ask why, not in a bad way, but none can actually tell me why. my japanese is pretty good so it's not an issue of communication as to why they can't explain. they just give me the chotto, suck air through the teeth, bewildered laugh etc etc

so does anyone know the specific laws for parking in japan? i know the blue and red sign indicates no parking, and other signs may have messages etc. but if there's nothing of any kind, surely it's ok to park there? i'm very curious.

thanks in advance.....

[David W]

15,000 yen fine from memory. I'd use the parking area if I were you.

[cat mother]

Most municipalities have their own "parking only in designated areas" laws, so there's no need for extra "no-parking" signs. That's probably why you didn't see them.

[may be going]

david, i'm not asking how much the fine is, i'm asking about the legality of the parking.

cat mother, you could be right. however, if that is the case, then i wonder why there are specific 'no parking' signs in the area (not where i'm parking though).

moreover, in the handbook that learners must study to take the test, does it say anything about municipalities' "parking only in designated areas?" if it does, then case closed. if it doesn't, then how is any tom, dick or hiroshi supposed to know? and if they don't know, how could they be possibly fined?

again, i'm not being narky or sarcastic, but i am really curious as to the specific parking rules.....

as i said, i've been parking there for a few months now and not had a problem. so i wonder why my japanese friends seem to think it's illegal......

[may be going]

found this link about parking (hokkaido specific)

http://www.hkd.mlit.go.jp/topics/toukei/chousa/h20keikaku/e/e25_31.pdf

this one for motorcycle/scooter riders

http://www.thejapanfaq.com/bikerfaq-signs.html

and this one, which has basics

http://www.npa.go.jp/english/kouki1/BasicTrafficRulesinJapan.pdf

all of them say that signs indicate when parking is not allowed. and the 3rd one says you must use a parking area/bay when you are within 3 metres of its entrance.

i am more than 3 metres from the entrance, and there no signs......so zero info that would indicate i am parking illegally.

[cat mother]

[may be going]

my thoughts too, believe me. but as i said in my original post, i wonder if there is some small-print, or relatively unknown, law that some of you might have come across when sitting for the test. my searches haven't uncovered it

i have searched and asked but can't come up with an answer. which leaves me more bemused by my japanese friends' claims that it's illegal.

obviously, i don't want a fine, and i'm not trying to be the smug foreigner avoiding the parking fees. i just can't see any reason why it would be illegal.

that's the reason i'm asking you all.....

[cat mother]

OK, just asked the husband and he pulled out his ancient driver's manual, which says on page 73 - "there is no legal street parking in Japan". Then it goes on to explain the difference between "parking" and "stopping". It also mentions that in some cases there are exceptions to this law and where designated street parking is allowed.

[bobbysix]

The bottom line is that street parking is illegal in Japan. If you are caught, expect a fine of 15,000 yen. Maybe you are just lucky that you have not been caught yet.

[Pitarou]

[Apsara]

In Japan illegal parking is not only a fine, apparently you can also end up with demerits off your license. My husband only just got his gold license back after not having one for 10 years because of a parking violation when he was in his 20s. Not sure if that's the case for all parking violations, but worth checking up on.

[may be going]

whilst i don't doubt the validity of the 'all street parking is illegal' idea, i too find this bewildering. mostly because at beaches all over miyazaki, people park on the streets, or in whatever nook and cranny they can squeeze their car into.

i think the way it's policed may be arbitrary. either way, i might cut my losses and accept defeat.......

i still find it odd that none of my japanese friends could actually find a legitimate reason though. maybe they thought that if they said 'all street parking is illegal' i would have knocked them on the head with the sentence above. we've all parked on the street at different beaches when we've been surfing together at different places......

[Pitarou]

[rxk22]

[may be going]

i agree. i guess it depends on how much you are inconveniencing traffic/people. some places at the beach where people park when they're surfing, there's nowhere else. so i guess it's tolerated.

some restaurants here have about 4 car spaces yet cater for 40 people. there are some small back lanes that people park in when they eat there.

maybe the law is strictly enforced in uber-urban areas, but not so much here. all the same, i won't be chancing my arm again. but i do wonder why they would make a blanket rule that states 'all street-side parking is illegal'. guess it requires little thought.....