Our First Hurdle
Every good journey has a few roadblocks along the way and today we experienced our first one since arriving here in Japan. There are quite a few differences between the USA and Japan - one important one is the privilege related to car ownership and operation. In the States, any bonehead can get a license and drive, assuming that he or she has access to the DMV and a car. (note: I say that lightly because I didn't have much trouble passing the Virginia driving test as a teen, but when I moved to California in 1998, I failed the test twice before passing).
In Japan, it's a lot different and as an American, I actually have it a bit easier than the locals. When one has earned a Japanese driver's license, one is considered a Japanese Professional Driver. The test is challenging and taken seriously by the Japanese. So is driving. In an accident over here, both drivers are considered "at fault" because they should both be Professional Drivers capable of avoiding each other on the road. I got my Japanese driver's license last week, but still do not feel like a professional on the left side of the road yet. But I did start looking for a car...
Nicki and I found what we thought was the perfect car for our family last week through a Japanese coworker of mine. The car was a Honda Odyssey, a bit smaller than the American version, but still large enough to carry about 8 passengers. In Japan, there are rules about car ownership, though. In able to get a license plate and to get the car registered, you have to certify that you have a parking spot large enough to fit the vehicle that you plan to own. We signed the lease on our house today (more on that below), and I finally got the dimensions for the parking space at our new place. As it turns out, the length of the space is 4.6 meters, but the length of the Honda we wanted to buy is 4.75 meters. So we're out of luck. I've already put a down payment on the car, but I'm in the process of trying to renegotiate the deal so that we can get a car that fits, since it's a bit out of my hands at this point. The real bummer is that I was hoping to pick up the Honda tomorrow, and now we'll probably have to wait another week or so to get our first car here.
In More Optimistic News...
We now have the keys to our brand new home that we're renting for at least our first year here. I signed the lease this morning, so the deal is final. That actually made me feel really safe, because all the deals are done in cash here, and I needed the equivalent of 4 months rent to get the process rolling. So for the past couple of days, I've been carrying around about a million yen, which is roughly $9000 or so... much, much, much more than I'm used to having at all, especially in cash. There goes a big portion of the salary advance that I got to come over here, but much of it will be reimbursed shortly, so we'll be able to eat real meals again soon.
During the walkthrough of the new place, it dawned on me (yet again) how lucky we are to have found the place. It's only about 5 kilometers from base, there are great grocery stores, malls, and other shops nearby, the train station is a 5 minute walk away, and there are 2 children's parks within toddler walking distance. Last, but definitely not least, is the terrific view out of the Western-style bedrooms... the entire view of Tokyo Bay and a palm tree lined boardwalk along the shore. Everybody we have talked to here says that we got really lucky finding the place on such short notice, and I'm starting to agree.
Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures
For those of you that haven't noticed, I've started adding pictures to the blog. I can't go much further for now, because I recently bought a new camera and all of the more recent pictures from Tokyo and whatnot are on that one. It took me a while to figure out how to sneak the photos I do have through the administrative restrictions on this hotel computer, so it'd probably take me even longer to figure out how to install the new camera software. But the good news is that our future pictures should be pretty awesome. My new camera is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT that I got used (only 3 months old) from my coworker, Jeff... aka Sushi Jeff from www.sushicam.com. The camera is an 8 Megapixel SLR and it came with a super-wide angle lens, which was useful for taking shots of tall buildings in Tokyo and will definitely help when I take pictures of Mt. Fuji for the first time. By the way, if you haven't ever been to Sushi Jeff's site, take a look because he's been here for 5 years already and has a great collection of stories and pictures to share.
In Japan, it's a lot different and as an American, I actually have it a bit easier than the locals. When one has earned a Japanese driver's license, one is considered a Japanese Professional Driver. The test is challenging and taken seriously by the Japanese. So is driving. In an accident over here, both drivers are considered "at fault" because they should both be Professional Drivers capable of avoiding each other on the road. I got my Japanese driver's license last week, but still do not feel like a professional on the left side of the road yet. But I did start looking for a car...
Nicki and I found what we thought was the perfect car for our family last week through a Japanese coworker of mine. The car was a Honda Odyssey, a bit smaller than the American version, but still large enough to carry about 8 passengers. In Japan, there are rules about car ownership, though. In able to get a license plate and to get the car registered, you have to certify that you have a parking spot large enough to fit the vehicle that you plan to own. We signed the lease on our house today (more on that below), and I finally got the dimensions for the parking space at our new place. As it turns out, the length of the space is 4.6 meters, but the length of the Honda we wanted to buy is 4.75 meters. So we're out of luck. I've already put a down payment on the car, but I'm in the process of trying to renegotiate the deal so that we can get a car that fits, since it's a bit out of my hands at this point. The real bummer is that I was hoping to pick up the Honda tomorrow, and now we'll probably have to wait another week or so to get our first car here.
In More Optimistic News...
We now have the keys to our brand new home that we're renting for at least our first year here. I signed the lease this morning, so the deal is final. That actually made me feel really safe, because all the deals are done in cash here, and I needed the equivalent of 4 months rent to get the process rolling. So for the past couple of days, I've been carrying around about a million yen, which is roughly $9000 or so... much, much, much more than I'm used to having at all, especially in cash. There goes a big portion of the salary advance that I got to come over here, but much of it will be reimbursed shortly, so we'll be able to eat real meals again soon.
During the walkthrough of the new place, it dawned on me (yet again) how lucky we are to have found the place. It's only about 5 kilometers from base, there are great grocery stores, malls, and other shops nearby, the train station is a 5 minute walk away, and there are 2 children's parks within toddler walking distance. Last, but definitely not least, is the terrific view out of the Western-style bedrooms... the entire view of Tokyo Bay and a palm tree lined boardwalk along the shore. Everybody we have talked to here says that we got really lucky finding the place on such short notice, and I'm starting to agree.
Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures
For those of you that haven't noticed, I've started adding pictures to the blog. I can't go much further for now, because I recently bought a new camera and all of the more recent pictures from Tokyo and whatnot are on that one. It took me a while to figure out how to sneak the photos I do have through the administrative restrictions on this hotel computer, so it'd probably take me even longer to figure out how to install the new camera software. But the good news is that our future pictures should be pretty awesome. My new camera is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT that I got used (only 3 months old) from my coworker, Jeff... aka Sushi Jeff from www.sushicam.com. The camera is an 8 Megapixel SLR and it came with a super-wide angle lens, which was useful for taking shots of tall buildings in Tokyo and will definitely help when I take pictures of Mt. Fuji for the first time. By the way, if you haven't ever been to Sushi Jeff's site, take a look because he's been here for 5 years already and has a great collection of stories and pictures to share.
posted by Unknown | 8:11 PM
2 Comments:
Hey guys...
Love your blog... Sounds like things are going well for you. Believe me, after going to housing ordeal, I understand completely what you guys had gone through (still going through). You'll feel 100% better when you get your household shipment in. I imagine the shock of living in Japan is felt more for you guys because Japan is so much more foreign to you. I lived in Taiwan for the first 12 years of my life and I can relate with some of your experiences, especially with the noodle shop story. Love it! Take care and we'll try to do better on being more current on the blogs. :) Ciao ciao.. Su-chun
Hey Su-chun, we just found out that our household goods have entered the country, but they're going through customs now. We should have them within 2 weeks, though. I think you're right... that will definitely help us feel more at home.
Hey Crystal, thanks for writing in... don't feel too bad about not figuring out how to post comments too easily, it took me a few tests to get it right too. No playmates for Josh yet, but we're keeping him busy with sightseeing. We still don't have a computer at the house yet, so I'll say hi to Nicki for you until she has a chance to get back to you.
Take care,
Mike
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