L.I.T. Guide To Okinawa: The Inside Scoop On Driving

I originally wrote this post in 2013 (!!) and it’s been one of my most popular ones among people moving to Okinawa. Years later I decided to create a series called L.I.T. Guide to Okinawa and although it’s taken me a couple of more years to add new blogposts to it… we’ve recently moved back to island and it is high time I add more helpful posts to it. Especially because a lot of people still find my posts on Google/Pinterest. If you’ve stumbled upon this post and recently received orders to Okinawa (👋🏼 Hi! I’m so glad you’re here). I thought this one on driving would be a great addition to the series so I’ve updated it a little bit and I’m unearthing it from deep in the archives! Had to include a photo of my old car with the cherry blossoms in the background

If you’re just visiting Okinawa, most of the things listed in this post will be useful to you because renting a car in Okinawa is a MUST!

1. In Japan they drive on the left side of the road.

That’s pretty weird in itself, only a small number of countries practice left-hand driving and well… Japan is one of them. It’s really not that hard, it takes about a week to get accustomed to it. The hardest thing is figuring out the change signal/wipers, because they are on the opposite side here. For a while there you will be turning on the wipers when you want to signal a lane change… it’s pretty hilarious.

If you’re visiting make sure you have an International drivers license with you and keep an eye on other cars to help you stick to the correct side of the road.

2. The Japanese love small cars.

Much like the Europeans, the Japanese are all about compact cars. They are a plus when dealing with lack of parking spots (you can basically park these anywhere!), for driving on small roads or backroads, but when it comes to trunk space they suck. Nowadays there are more nicer looking cars and SUV’s have made their way to Okinawa in the last few years! But I still prefer a tiny car.

3. They put too much thought into license plates.

They are classified by the size of the cars engine and on top they display a numerical representation of the vehicle class, as well as the name of the prefecture where it’s registered. Then they have one Hiragana symbol and followed by two numerals, a hyphen and two numerals. However, Americans living here have a “Y” (for yankee I believe 😂) displayed on their license plate instead of a hiragana symbol. The plates come in different colors (yellow, white, green), depending on whether it’s a regular sized car, a Kei car, or commercial vehicles.  The plates are placed both in the front and back of the cars. You can even pay to get license plates with glowing letters for night time.

4. Stickers on Cars.

They have four types of stickers they use to basically send a message of “caution”. (1) Wakaba, this sticker is half yellow, half green and it means “beginner”, as in the person driving that car has only been driving for less than a year. (2) Koreisha, this one has two versions and it means “elderly”. Drivers 70 years or older have to display this symbol in their cars.The half orange, half yellow one is called “momiji” after autumn leaves and the new one is a four leaf clover. (3) Shintai Shougai, is a four leaf clover umbrella symbol and it means “handicapped”. Japan doesn’t always use the international symbol of access. (4) Choukaku Shougai, this one is a yellow butterfly and it means that a deaf or hard-of-hearing person is driving.

If you notice all the stickers have a nature theme to them, which is so quintessentially Japanese.

5. Japan does not have child car seat requirements.

Whaaat?! Yup, you read right. Children are not required to sit in car seats, babies of course do but they usually sit in the front passenger seat, which is another unique thing about Japan. It’s a pretty normal sight to be driving around and see older kids jumping around all over the cars. The first time I saw this I couldn’t believe my eyes but now it’s one of those things that has become a “norm”, even though I do not agree with it.

6. “Red Light means stop?” Not in Okinawa!

After the light turns red you have about 5 seconds to run the light and yes, this is allowed. When we took our “Newcomers Brief” only a few days after getting here we were told during the driving part of the class that this was a “cultural norm”, that everybody does it and it’s perfectly ok. Consider me shocked, but what can i say.. it’s awesome!

7. Keep an eye on the crosswalk signs while driving!

This is one of my favorite things about driving on Okinawa! Yes, it’s silly but it’s super helpful. Japanese people are very honest and instead of jaywalking they will wait for crosswalk signs to change before crossing the street, so they have them on most roads. When driving keep an eye on the crosswalk sign below the stoplight and you can estimate when the light will turn red. It’s especially helpful if you’re nearby so that that you can speed up and not get caught in a red light, or slow down when it’s about to turn red.

8. Traffic Lights.

Speaking of traffic lights streets in Japan often have two of them, one on the left and one on the right. This helps whenever you’re farther away, when the street is curved and you can’t see the light on the left, or when there’s a truck in front of you.

9. Left Turn.

You know back in the states when you’re on a red light and you’re turning right you are allowed to go, well in Okinawa if you’re on a red light and you’re going left (remember we drive on the left side) you are not allowed to go until the light is green. It sucks, although you can do it on base.

10. Random Stops.

The Japanese have this habit of stopping in the middle of the road and just putting their hazard lights on to let you know you have to go around them… it can be really annoying!! (This was actually the annoying thing that happened to me while driving one day that brought on the idea for this blog post!)

11. Okinawans do not know how to merge.

Simple as that, so have patience.

12. Kids.

Okinawa is such a safe place that even elementary kids (maybe 6 years and above) walk home from school and sometimes even take the bus. Whenever kids cross the road they raise their hand, this gesture means “Stop! I’m passing through”. Kids are very good at waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green, you just have to stay alert during after school hours.

13. Parking on the side of the road.

Some roads here have a big amount of space between the sidewalk and the white line, which serves as parking space, but other streets do not have that much space and people will just park their cars by the side of the road. There’s a one lane road here (75, 330) where you have to drive change lanes constantly to evade parked cars and cars wanting to turn, I can’t stand it.

14. Hazard lights flashing means thank you

Of course Japanese people, being the kind people they are have a signature “thank you” they use when driving. They flash their hazard lights, usually when someone lets them merge in. It’s probably one of my favorite things I’ve learned here that I took with me while we were stateside.

15. Hazard lights blinking in a parking lot

Hazard lights on in a parking lot mean the car is either waiting for someone to leave a parking spot or is about to park. Just another kind gesture by the Japanese.

16. Japan the land of reverse parking.

In a country that loves order, of course most drivers reverse park and parking lots look incredibly tidy! If you don’t know how to reverse park, it’s time to practice until you perfect it! You can usually spot the Americans cars among the parking lot because they’re the ones that usually park in.

17. Beeping noise. 

You know that annoying noise trucks make when they’re in reverse?! Well in Japan every car makes that same noise when in reverse. In private cars you can only hear it inside, but in trucks the noice is still outside. It is annoying at first, but you’ll never make the mistake and try to go forward while your car is in reverse.

18. Ice Cream Truck? No, Garbage Truck!

Garbage trucks in Japan play melodies to alert people that the truck is approaching and to bring their trash out! This is a super quirky thing we first noticed in Taiwan and the realized Japan has the same thing!

19. Backroads.

Because speed limits are so low here, it’s best to try and find backroads (with less traffic and less lights) to make your drive even just a tiny bit faster; especially if you live north of Kadena. Sorry Kadena/Foster/Lester/Futenma/Kinser peeps! When we first got here in 2012 and lived in Uruma we would see lots of “Y” plates (Americans) coming in/coming out of certain streets and we would basically follow them to learn new backroads! I loved changing up my drive home depending where I was coming from. Sadly, we live in Yomitan now and there are only 2-3 ways to get home and I find it so boring! 😔

20. Expressway.

The only highway in Okinawa is called the Expressway, it’s a toll road with 10 exits that goes from the southern city of Naha to the northern city of Nago. From one exit to the next is 100 yen, meaning from end to end it’s 1,000 yen (or $10). This highway has the highest speed limit in Okinawa, at 80km (50-55mph). It’s a blessing when you’re late but if you take it everyday it can definitely add up.