Driving in Japan

[GaijinPunch]

If you're going to stay in Toyko, don't bother. It's a headache, and is really a "weekends only" type of thing. Japanese drivers (despite what some people think) are very safe-agressive drivers. They use blinkers, rarely change lanes, but move pretty quick and know what they're doing. Korea they are all maniacs. Ignore lane-dividers and drive on the sidewalks (I'm not joking). In Hawaii where I live now, they are just flat out awful drivers. Nobody uses or pays attention to blinkers, don't pay attention in general, and often plow over pedestrians. "Island" is a great way to describe these people. Since 1996, there have been 230 pedestrians killed, and something like 1500 injured. Alcohol only attributed to 1/4 of the accidents.

[Mike Cash]

Japanese drivers (despite what some people think) are very safe-agressive drivers. They use blinkers, rarely change lanes, but move pretty quick and know what they're doing.

Excuse me, but that's the biggest load of bollocks I have ever heard. And I like to think I am in a position to know.

[GaijinPunch]

Excuse me, but that's the biggest load of bollocks I have ever heard. And I like to think I am in a position to know.

And what part of that is bulllocks? What would you say? Dangerous agressive? Don't mind other peoples signals and whatnot? I can introduce you to a whole island of people that are statistically (and in actuality) much worse. Korea I've only visited a few times but it only takes once to see that Japan is a dreamland compared. Thailand is another crazy part of Asia that comes to mind. I never drove a car in Japan, but I rode in cabs... a lot. Almost daily the last 2-3 years. Wouldn't that put me in a "position to know"?

That's not to mention that I cycled for most of the time. From Ikejiri to Akasaka in morning and evening rush of all times.

I guess it's all relative though. If you've only been exposed to Metropolitan Tokyo and just about any other US city other than maybe the few big ones, you would obviously think otherwise.

[Mike Cash]

And what part of that is bulllocks?

The entire portion that I quoted. That's why I selected that part to quote.

What would you say? Dangerous agressive? Don't mind other peoples signals and whatnot?

All that and more.

I never drove a car in Japan, but I rode in cabs... a lot. Almost daily the last 2-3 years. Wouldn't that put me in a "position to know"?

My driving in Japan has been feeding, clothing, and sheltering a family of four for at least 5 times that long. I play in Japanese traffic from 12-14 hours a day. I do it from a high perch in a tractor-trailer, with ample opportunity to observe traffic all around me. Like I said...I like to think I am in a position to express an informed opinion on it.

I guess it's all relative though. If you've only been exposed to Metropolitan Tokyo and just about any other US city other than maybe the few big ones, you would obviously think otherwise.

On a daily basis my driving ranges from the rural to the urban. Gunma to Tokyo/Yokohama and points around the Kanto area, averaging about 250km per day and covering all hours of the day for both rural and urban.

In the past it took me from Aomori in the north to Okayama in the west. Likewise with a generous blend of rural and urban. Same goes for the US; I've driven professionally in somewhere around 35 of the 48 contiguous states (I forget the exact number), rural and urban, north, south, east, and west. But that's not relevant to the point at hand.

[khammo01]

I would strongly recommend to not hire a car here unless you have experienced life in Japan before. The streets are excessively narrow, full of non-vehicle traffic (and things), parked cars, obstructed line of sight, cars parked in the middle of intersections, across pedestrian crosswalks, etc.

The only thing that keeps the whole system from falling apart is strong adherence to driving protocol and driver-driver communication. If you aren't aware of this protocol, that sounds like an 'accident waiting to happen.'

Excuse me, but that's the biggest load of bollocks I have ever heard. And I like to think I am in a position to know.

I have to agree with the original reply to the Post. I drive several times a week. In Japan, people ALWAYS signal, are generally very attentive, and there is hardly ever any doubt about what another vehicle will do. Whether or not this predicted behavior is what you would do, or what you would like them to do, is another matter.
Partly for this reason, perhaps, a bystander may think it looks like chaos.



I personally find it extremely frustrating to drive in Japan, but I rarely feel like an accident is about to happen.

I hardly ever am surprised and in all these years of driving in Japan, I've never had to slam on my brakes.

Part of this is knowing which drivers are going to be defensive and which are going to be aggressive. This is also highly predictable.

Now, I would agree with you on the parking habits of Japanese. This area is absolutely pathetic.

Also, if you live in Kansai, people probably are a lot more aggressive in their driving habits.

[Revenant]

I wouldn't recommend driving in Japan. The rental cars themselves are expensive, and the subway in the big cities is reasonable and covers most of the city pretty well.

I live in what Japanese would call the countryside (600 000 people), and the narrow lanes, with some cars speeding past you coming from the opposite direction, as well as blind corners, and confusing roads (a lot of them don't follow any sort of north-south, east west pattern), all made me just nervous when I first started driving here.

They also have these streets that are one-way, and all the locals know where to wait, and when they can go. A non-local will just forge ahead, and it can be a headache getting around others on a narrow street as such.

[Mycernius]

I live in what Japanese would call the countryside (600 000 people), and the narrow lanes, with some cars speeding past you coming from the opposite direction, as well as blind corners, and confusing roads (a lot of them don't follow any sort of north-south, east west pattern), all made me just nervous when I first started driving here.

Narrow lanes don't really bother me, as we have quite a few in the UK. Plus most of our cities don't follw the north-south, east-west patterns.

[Mike Cash]

I live in what Japanese would call the countryside (600 000 people), and the narrow lanes, with some cars speeding past you coming from the opposite direction, as well as blind corners, and confusing roads (a lot of them don't follow any sort of north-south, east west pattern), all made me just nervous when I first started driving here.

I was also nervous as hell the first time I tried driving here, what with it being my first time on the other side of the car and the other side of the road and all. I thought I'd have to give up the idea of ever driving here. Now, though, I support a family of four (and a cigar merchant in Illinois) by driving in Japan. Go figure.

[Mikawa Ossan]

Mike Cash, as a professional truck driver, obviously knows what he's talking about. He has probably driven more already than I ever will in my entire lifetime. But I must take issue. Of course the bad drivers stand out and over the course of years one will encounter many bad drivers, but wouldn't you agree that for every maniac driver there are at least 10 (I'll be conservative) perfectly sane drivers in Japan? I think that if you drive every day as Mike Cash does, you may often find your life threatened by other drivers, but if you are here for a short vacation, your own driving would be much more of a concern, as it's unfamiliar territory.

[Mike Cash]

The only thing that keeps the whole system from falling apart is strong adherence to driving protocol and driver-driver communication.

Are you suggesting that Japanese drivers tend to be sticklers for driving protocol and driver-driver communication? If so, that's hilarious.

I have to agree with the original reply to the Post. I drive several times a week. In Japan, people ALWAYS signal, are generally very attentive,

More hilarity.

and there is hardly ever any doubt about what another vehicle will do. Whether or not this predicted behavior is what you would do, or what you would like them to do, is another matter.

Good point. Always assume that the other person will do the stupidest, rudest, most dangerous thing possible and you'll avoid most accidents. (And that advice goes for driving anywhere, not just Japan).

I personally find it extremely frustrating to drive in Japan, but I rarely feel like an accident is about to happen.

What's that old expression?...."If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't know what the hell is going on" or something like that.

I hardly ever am surprised and in all these years of driving in Japan, I've never had to slam on my brakes.

Maybe you don't get out and drive enough.

Part of this is knowing which drivers are going to be defensive and which are going to be aggressive. This is also highly predictable.

Now, I would agree with you on the parking habits of Japanese. This area is absolutely pathetic.

Also, if you live in Kansai, people probably are a lot more aggressive in their driving habits.

Those last three paragraphs are full of good points. Particularly the last one. Kansai drivers make Tokyo drivers look solicitous by comparison.