Cute Cars Redux

This post is just to share photos I've collected of a fun Japanese trend.  It's popular  (more so than in the US) to decorate the inside of your car with stuffed animals, trinkets etc.  It's something that really stood out to me when we first arrived but now I don't notice it so much.  But I still have a few pics!

And FYI, the title is a reference to a post I did long ago about the cute little pastel compact cars they have here.  I think you can see a couple of the cars below are pastel pink.  It really adds to the overall effect.  Very kawaii!!!

tweet tweet (and I wonder how this person sees to drive)

furry

themes, like this Minnie one, are common

I think this cat is from Disney's The Aristocats?

I would not want to be a passenger in this car

Claim to Fame

So most of you probably know that we live in a little town called Ota.  To be honest, there isn't a lot going on here but Ota does have one claim to fame.  It's where the Subaru car company was born.  It's hard to miss this, since there's an enormous Subaru factory right in the middle of town.

According to my research, a local guy named Chikuhei Nakajima founded the Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917.  It became a prominent aircraft manufacturer for Japan during WWII.  From what I read, the factory here in town (or it's predecessor) was heavily bombed during WWII.  As you can imagine, after the war they were no longer allowed to make aircraft.  So they started using  leftover airplane parts to make scooters and.....cars.  The umbrella company is now called Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Subaru is just a division within it.  If you're at all interested in auto-manufacturer history this link and the one above re Nakajima lead to some good reading on Wikipedia.

I took a special trip downtown to take some pictures of the factory but they don't do justice to the enormity of it.  Seriously it's acres and acres of car plant.  And it's quite the bustling area, with lots of trucks---not the best place to be trying to take photos from a moving car.  I tried to pull over in a side parking lot at one point only to be honked at by a semi who wanted me to move so he could pull in too.

There are lots of Subaru dealers around this area and a lot of people drive them, including Chad.  The big semis that carry lots of stacked cars are a common sight here in town too.

the entrance, right before I was nearly mowed down by the semi

driving by, you can barely see a red/white airplane out front.
I can only assume it's in reference to the company's beginning

employee parking?  I assume it's a major employer in the area

Flowers, Arrows and Falling Leaves

No, I've not taken to writing poetry.  Believe it or not, I'm talking about car decals.  We noticed that there were many cars with the same decals so eventually we asked someone what they all meant. 

Come to find out they are required by law and are an indication of the age and/or experience of the driver. 

The arrow you see below indicates that the driver has been driving for less than a year.

"child/baby in car" stickers are also really popular here

And the stylized flower you see in the upper left corner of the van below indicates that the driver is over....70 years old, I think?  How's that for age discrimination?

Funny story....in the photo below you'll also notice some stickers that look like pink and yellow raindrops (turned sideways on this car).  You see those a lot too.  Those used to be the decal for the elderly and it was supposed to be a stylized falling leaf.  But the old folks got upset that they were being called dead leaves so they changed it to the flower.

this dude doesn't seem to mind though, and  he's
covering all his bases

Tiny Traveler in Tokyo

A couple of weeks ago I had to take Cora to get her first round of vaccinations at the clinic in Tokyo (we have to go there to get her the "American" vaccines on the "American" schedule---the Japanese versions are different and not in a good way).  I was a little worried about taking a small baby by myself on the trains and subways for a two hour trip.   So I did what I usually do and scoured the Internet for tips on taking a baby through Tokyo's public transportation.   And whenever I look up something on the Internet I try to do a blog about it so that the next person looking it up gets another hit. :)

So first...the train trip.  It's a one hour express train trip into the city.  I wasn't too worried about this part because the seats are reserved and private enough to feed her.  I also bought two seats this time just for my peace of mind.  Let me stop right here and say that for the purposes of this post you can assume I'm feeding her with a bottle.  I don't want to get into breast-feeding etiquette....if anyone reading this wants to know my thoughts on breast-feeding in public here you can email me.

There is one larger restroom on the train with a changing table---it's not the ideal place to change a baby (a little grimy plus the motion of the train) but it would work if we were desperate. So I knew that if she started yelling I could probably calm her down. Unfortunately while we were waiting on the train (we got there too early) she got upset by the autumn wind whipping through the station (this happens in a lot of stations).  I would recommend dressing a baby really warmly if you're going to be spending some time on a train platform in autumn.

My biggest dilemma was whether to take the sling carrier or the stroller or both. A lot of my online research was on using a stroller in the subways.   I found differing opinions---some reviewers thought Tokyo was easy with a stroller (or a wheelchair for that matter) and some didn't.   I can see how it might be easier than old European cities.   But, to a person who only became accustomed to public transportation in a huge city recently, navigating Tokyo's subways alone with a big stroller would be a huge pain. 

Subway/train stations are labyrinthine with lots of stairs and they may or may not have elevators.  If one does have an elevator, good luck finding it.  Some spots don't even have escalators and technically you're not supposed to take a stroller on an escalator although I've seen people doing it (and would try it myself ).  For example, our little local train station has a lot of stairs and no other options.  So taking a stroller to it while alone would not be a good idea.  If there were two people to carry it up stairs, or if you have an older child who can use a small foldable umbrella stroller, it would be doable.  I've read rumors online of subway maps that indicate which stations are fully handicap accessible but I haven't found a link that works yet. 

So I went with just the sling carrier.  It worked out OK, but was hard on my back.  I managed to keep her asleep the whole trip.  While I was on the subway she would get scrunched if I tried to sit down and would start to wake up.  I was a little nervous about her crying on the subway because we would've been stuck with me not able to do much (except the pacifier, which is a must-have).  Even if we were to get off at a stop for a take-care-of-baby break there isn't really anywhere in the subways to go.  Some station restrooms have a changing table but that's it.  You may not even find that.  The station restroom I always stop at on the way (in Ningyocho) is little more than two holes in the ground and a sink.  There isn't even soap, much less a changing table. 

This trip I made it to the clinic (which has a baby room) without having to tend to her too much.  I did find this link to a great list of baby-friendly places and baby rooms in the city, but none are in subways.  And they aren't all conveniently located.

So for the next round of vaccines we're going to go on a Saturday with Chad in the car.  That's not to say I won't try taking her into the city by myself again.  Just maybe when she's a little older.  And not when we have to keep an appointment so I can take the stroller and have time to find elevators in the subway stations.  I'll let you all know how it goes.  :)

Nightlife

We've spent some time lately hanging out in Roppongi Hills, which I first blogged about here when we made a brief daytime trip.  It's in a pretty lively (and expensive) part of town with a lot of nightlife.  The Hills is basically a giant indoor/outdoor mall with shops, restaurants and even a museum or two.  The architecture of the place is impressive.  We've been going here because of the Outback Steakhouse (we never went to Outback back home, but we love it here because it tastes like America) and a movie theater where Chad has seen a couple of movies.

Last night while he was at the movies, I perused the English section of a bookstore and spent time curled up in Starbucks.  I also took some night photos of the area.



the skyline from Roppongi Hills, with a rainbowed Tokyo Tower

the Mori Tower (the blue lights continually
run up and down the side)

down Roppongi Street towards Shibuya

looking up into the various towers from within the complex

I think this is part of the Keyakizaka Complex
(this trip we ate Caribbean food way down there on
the bottom level you can barely see)

One of the coolest aspects of coming here is that if you drive (which Chad is comfortable doing now) you can leave your car in an "automated garage".  Basically you pull your car into the garage like normal, but there are just a few parking spots.  You pull your car into one, get out and then your car goes onto a conveyor belt into an elevator and is stored way back in the bowels of the garage until you come back and check it out.  We are big dorks fascinated by this.  We even took video but this is my first attempt at video editing so it's kinda rough.  And you may not be able to play it from an iPad or phone.  I'm sure there's a reason why but I don't know anything about computers anymore. ;)

City Slicker

This weekend we moved to our apartment in the city. As I mentioned awhile back, we'll be here for two months so I'm close to the hospital and my doctor. Chad is driving back and forth from Gunma which, so far, is going pretty well.

We didn't get a ton of information about our apartment (it was arranged for us by the company) until just before we came because, well, that's just how they roll.  But I'm pleased to report that they came through for us again....the apartment is in a great location (just south of Ueno Park which I first mentioned here) and is very nice. 

apartment building

apartment

our view

As you can see it's small (one bedroom) but suits us just fine.  The bathroom and bathtub are surprisingly large and Western-style, most of my appliances are in English, it's easy to cool and it comes with two nice Japanese ladies to clean it twice a week.  So far the only con is that it's on a hill.  And as great as the location is, I'm not going to be able to take as much advantage of it as I would under normal circumstances.  Normally I would be down in Ueno Park every day but since I currently have the mobility of a large arthritic duck, I'm not sure I can make it that far (probably less than two miles but the park is huge).

street right in front of apartment

down a very steep hill

nearby elementary school (surrounded by trees)

another neighborhood street

down the other side of the hill to the local grocery

The only other thing of note is that it's been a little hard to figure out where to get food, considering we limit ourselves by eating very little Asian food.  So far we've mastered pizza and burger delivery and we have our eye on a couple of local restaurants where hopefully we won't wind up with a plate full of sea urchin.  And then there's groceries.  Tiny little local city supermarkets/bakeries/butchers are a little hard for a country girl to wrap her mind around.   Although again, I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about figuring it out if I were able to explore more.  On Monday I had a disastrous experience trying to find what I thought was a large international supermarket on the other side of the city.  Long story short, it was tiny and didn't deliver.  But with Chad's help I finally located a small but adequate supermarket about two blocks from us and I'm currently waiting to see if a delivery boy actually brings the groceries I bought this morning to my door this afternoon.  Fingers crossed.  And then I get to try to make dinner in my tiny little city-folk-don't-cook kitchen.

the grocery store....it ain't Wal-mart

And one last thing....we didn't bring our full computer setup with us so blogging is a little more difficult.  So if things get a little rough around the edges for the next coupla months, that's why. ;)

Delayed Reconstruction

This past weekend we also ended up hanging around Tokyo Station as that is one of the limited number of places where you can get on the Shinkansen.  Chad had heard somewhere about a massive renovation of one historic side of the station.  So we walked over to check it out.  Even though it's a construction zone, it was still open for people to walk through.  Many of the dividers to keep people out of certain areas had photos of the station and information about it's history.

Turns out that the station (built in 1914) was bombed during WWII and only partially rebuilt afterwards.  Now it's being completely refurbished to a pre-war state.  This includes, among other things a huge, luxury hotel which we hope to stay in at some point.  Here's a news article about the renovation and history of the station.

It was interesting because you don't see much architecture like this at all in Tokyo.  My photos don't really show it that well, but it's pretty much squatted down in the middle of shiny metal and glass skyscrapers.

Leaving On A Fast Train

Included on our unofficial list of things to do while we're here was to take a trip across the country on the Shinkansen, also known as the famous "bullet train".   So to get to Kyoto this weekend we bought tickets and checked the Shinkansen off the list. 

The first Shinkansen started service in the 60's just before the Tokyo Olympics.  It travels at about 186mph although it has broken world records at 300+ mph in test runs.  We made the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto (almost 300 miles) in about 2 1/2 hours.  In the map below, we went almost the entire length of the yellow line.  One day we want to try taking the long green line to Hokkaido in a sleeper car.

One thing that really surprised us was the pressure that you feel in your ears when you're on the train.  It was similar to airplane pressure, but our ears never popped and swallowing/chewing gum didn't help at all.  We just had to deal with it.  We think it was because our elevation was changing so quickly---it was especially noticeable when we went through tunnels.

Also, we went right past Fuji-san (aka Mt. Fuji) but he continued to hide from us (in the mist and clouds) as he has for the past year.  :(

walked down to the front for photos

we rode the 700 series

We also splurged on "green car" seats.  These are a little nicer and roomier, kind of like going business class.  But there was a little more room than you get in business class on a plane. And it was a little expensive.  Round trip for both of us was several hundred dollars.

inside the Shinkansen green car

Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.

Yesterday we went to take the driver's test for the third time and........we both passed!!!  (Read about our first try here and our second here.)  We went to practice first again but agreed that this would be our last time at the practice course regardless of whether or not we passed.  My teacher carried on about the exact position of my arms when turning (he made me make a perfect X every time) and he wanted me to try to hit an exact speed on every section of the course (first time I'd heard that).  But I still felt like I was doing better. 

About ten people took the test this time but we were the only two who passed.  The guys who process the paperwork after the test were pretty surprised we passed together.  We really think they take into account what country you're from, how long you've been driving and how many times you've taken the test.  We had the same evaluator and actually got pulled at the same time which means I rode in the back while Chad took the test (this happened last time too).  This evaluator really scrutinized our paperwork but then seemed a little bored and disinterested while we were driving.  We think he just decided that as long as we didn't screw up really badly it was time to give a couple of Americans a break.  That or he was a Christmas angel. ;)

We had to go back to get the licenses today which turned out to be almost as hard as the test.  We had to wait forever and listen to some lectures that we think were about the responsibility of having a Japanese driver's license.  The whole process was pretty long and confusing but we got through it by A) looking lost until someone took pity and shuffled us in the right direction and B) mimicking what the other people were doing. But after a couple of hours they handed us our licenses and we got to leave.  Woo-hoo!

I'll be away from the blog for a few days but check back after the holidays for some new adventures. 
Merry Christmas!

Wanted

So we went to try for our driver's licenses for the second time yesterday.  (Read about the first time here.)  We both failed again and don't really know why.  Nobody passed.  We met some nice Sri Lankans on their ninth try and another American on his fifth.  We practiced again first and the little old (ancient, really) lady who taught me this time mostly fussed about my mirror-looking, signaling and lane position while turning.  I don't have the timing just so.  Sigh.

But an interesting feature of the DMV: they have screens up prominently displaying Japan's ten most wanted criminals, all violent offenders.  I didn't think Japan had violent offenders, much less ten of them.  One of them is even a woman.

I had noticed posters with the same people in our little local train station before.  At the time I wasn't sure if they were really wanted posters.  Apparently there are rewards of 3 million yen (approx. $38,000) or 5 million yen (approx. $64,000) for information leading to their capture.  Chad and I decided that if we spotted any of them we'd say "Keep your money---just give us driver's licenses.".

I Got The Japanese Driving Exam Blues

Yesterday Chad and I went (accompanied by a company rep) to take our driver's exam.  As I've mentioned before, we drive now with an international license, but it is only valid for one year.

The Japanese driver's exam for a foreigner with a valid license from their home country consists of a written examination and a skills test in a car with an evaluator.  Plus an eye test.  Sounds similar to the US requirements but unfortunately, in the case of the the actual driving test, it's pretty different.

The Japanese driving test is on a closed course and is meticulously choreographed.  When you take the actual test the evaluator doesn't say anything so you have to have the exact route memorized.  So the first thing we did yesterday was go take a one hour practice run (for a fee, of course) on a practice course identical to the real thing.  One good thing is you can find lots of information on the Internet about the course, including maps and detailed instructions of what they are looking for.  The bad thing is that it is a lot to remember.  And it isn't really what you would call natural driving, which if you've been driving for fifteen years like myself, means you have to unlearn some things.  My practice teacher was a very nice man who was kind (even when popping my hand for cupping it palm-up under the steering wheel) and very helpful.  He spoke a little bit of English and slow Japanese so we understood one another pretty well.  I went through the course three times, including stopping and backtracking a little bit.  I did OK on the super tight S-curve and crank curves--I only scrubbed the curb once.  And after the first time I did OK on the part where you have  to accelerate to exactly 50mph and then pump your brakes exactly three times to slow and turn.  Yes, I'm serious.  When I said "meticulously choreographed", I wasn't kidding.  Oh, and I'm used to it now, but remember that you drive on the left here too. 

My main problem during practice was my position in the lane when preparing to turn.  You have to keep to the left/right (within a foot of the line specifically) when turning left/right and I was not so much.  I cut some turns a little sharp and had that problem with cupping my hand under the steering wheel.  Also, learning to smoothly do all the elaborate mirror-looking and signaling exactly like they want is tough.

the practice course

After the practice and lunch, we went to what is basically the DMV for the real thing.  We had to present a lot of documents to prove that we lived in the US for more than three months and fill out some forms and wait awhile for them to check everything and make sure we were legitimate and non-criminal people.

chillin' at the Japanese DMV

The written test (we took it in English) was ten questions and was supposedly easy but I had trouble on a couple--fortunately you can get three wrong.  We both passed that and then had to wait with about a dozen others to take the driving test.  They pulled us out two at a time---I drove first and the other girl was in the back during the test.  Sadly, I got an attack of the nerves and fumbled my way through some parts and forgot the correct route once which wasn't very pretty.  I also scrubbed the curb when parking at the end.  Of course, this is just my interpretation of my mistakes....they do not tell you what you did wrong, you just have to guess and pay attention to when they are scribbling on their pad.  For the record, I did not expect to pass this time and was just proud that I was allowed to finish the course.   Often if a first-timer is really bad they will stop them mid-way through and send them home.  Some people who take it haven't driven much before at all and I think those are the ones who get stopped.  I'm pretty sure the evaluators can tell the difference between someone who knows how to drive but just not their little rules and someone who is completely uncomfortable behind the wheel period.

the real course

We both ended up failing (Chad bumped a curb in the crank turn) and we go back again next week to try again.  (We have to go by ourselves from now on but we only have to do the actual driving test again.)  We know another expat who tried fourteen times before he got it.  You hear rumors of people trying up to twenty times.  Apparently if you get it in under five tries you're considered one of the lucky ones.  The three people out of the original dozen who passed celebrated like they'd won the lottery.  The girl who rode in the car with me was on her seventh try (she got it this time) and told me later that they had stopped her on her first try--she was impressed that I made it all the way through on my first.  I anticipate multiple tries.....this is by far the suckiest part of this whole living-in-Japan experience.

Also, if you're wondering, when you are getting your very first license in Japan you have to take a 100 question test and do a much harder and stricter course.  And you have to take a forty-hour class first.  So I guess I should consider myself lucky....;\

City Lights

We spent this past weekend in Odaiba.  Odaiba is a man-made island in Tokyo Bay with incredible views of the Tokyo skyline.  We had some pretty big plans for the weekend, and while some of them worked out, others didn't.  We first tried to take the local (cheap & hard) trains into the city but realized midway there that Chad had forgotten his glasses (he was wearing his prescription sunglasses) so we had to turn around (which means hopping off the train and onto the one going the other way) and go back for them.  Easier said than done.  We ended up going around and around in circles on the trains between Ota and Tokyo for awhile.  Eventually we regrouped, switched to the express train (expensive & easy) and made it into the city.  After a quick trip to Ginza to visit the Apple store (yes, again...don't ask), we caught the express train out to Odaiba.

 We got to go over the famous Rainbow Bridge on the train.  Once there it was easy to see why Odaiba is referred to as "futuristic".  There are a lot of space-agey buildings, unique shopping malls, a giant ferris wheel and museums.  By the time we got there on Friday it was pretty dark so we just ate dinner (at Hooters, no less, but I was lured by American-style wings and the entertainment of watching drunk Japanese guys doing the YMCA with the waitresses) and then crashed.

On Saturday I stayed in Odaiba and shopped all the malls saw the sights.  Chad went elsewhere---more on that later.  That night we ate dinner (a Hawaiian burger joint in Aqua City) with a jaw-dropping view....

the Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower and the Yakatabune dinner cruise boats

Daikanransha, which was the tallest
Ferris Wheel in the world in 1999

our hotel, the Grand Pacific Le Daiba

the Rainbow Bridge right
before we crossed

the Tokyo Teleport, a crazy space-age
train station

Aqua City, a giant shopping mall

buildings and monuments

the famous Fuji building

inside the Venus Fort, which is this wild shopping mall
 designed to look like an Italian piazza...complete
with a fake color-changing sky and "moving" clouds

it was like being in Hogwarts

There and Back Again

Yesterday I had a big adventure....I went into Tokyo for the first time by myself.  It was not the smooth operation I had hoped for...I missed one train and wandered around lost under Shinjuku for about ten minutes.  I also screwed up my PASMO card somehow (still not sure how I did it) but fortunately those are easy to get fixed.  There are a couple of different ways to get into the city and I picked the harder of the two which I will never do again whilst alone.  By the time I got to Ginza (my final destination) my nerves were a little frazzled.  See normally when Chad and I go together he navigates while my job is to take photos and window shop.  Or worse yet I read and do the whole thing in a book haze while he pulls me on and off at the right stops.  So this solo trip was very educational for me.  Lesson #1: do not underestimate the complexity of Tokyo's public transportation.

But I made there (and even better, I made it back home again) and this time I had the camera along for the trip.  Ginza, if you recall, is the major shopping district of Tokyo.  I wanted to go check out Matsuya, which is a famous Japanese department store.  It turned out to be a pretty pricey establishment but good to know about if you are looking to splurge.  (Printemps was a little more my speed.)

One day I'll go again (not any time soon though and to somewhere other than Ginza--I want to go to the zoo!) and I think I'll do a better job.    When I've got it down I'll post some more detailed tips and tricks about the trains and subways.

Matsuya Ginza....check out how shiny
that building is!

McQueen in Matsuya

the main drag (check the lady with her parasol)...and you can
see the Apple store we went to on the right

Cartier (how about that gold building?) & Alfred
Dunhill in the other direction