The Inside Scoop: Driving in Okinawa

Make sure you read the updated version of this post, L.I.T. Guide to Okinawa: The Inside Scoop on Driving.

On my way to work today, something (annoying) happened and i started thinking about all the quirky things that makes driving in Okinawa fun, yet scary. I decided it would be cool to share these facts with you guys! During my break i sat down and wrote down a list, here’s what i came up with:

1. 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.

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.

3. They put too much thought into license plates.

They are classified by the size of the cars engine and they display a numerical representation of the measurement of the car as well as 1 of many hiragana symbol. However, Americans living here have a “Y” (for yankee I believe, lol) displayed on their license plate instead of a hiragana symbol. The plates come in different colors (yellow, white, green), as well as their letters and they all mean different things.  The plates are placed both in the front and back of the cars. You can even get 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 is half yellow, half orange and it means “elderly”. Drivers 70 years or older have to display this symbol in their cars. A few years ago they introduced a new design. (3) Yotsuba, is a four leaf clover umbrella symbol and it means “handicapped”. Japan doesn’t always use the international symbol of access. (4) Deaf Sign, this one is a yellow butterfly and it means that a deaf person is in the car or driving. If you notice all the stickers have a nature theme to them.

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. It’s a pretty normal sight to be driving around and see babies in the passenger seat or 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. Expressway.

The only highway in Okinawa is called the Expressway, it’s a toll road and with 10 exits it almost crosses the entire island. 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.

8. Random Stops.

The japanese have this habit of stopping in the middle of the road and just putting their blinking lights to let you know you have to go around them… It pisses me off!! (This was actually the annoying thing that brought on the idea for this blog post!)

9. 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 literally just park their cars by the side of the road. There’s a one lane road here (75) where you have to drive side by side to evade parked cars, i can’t stand it.

10. They do not know how to merge.

Simple as that, so have patience.

11. 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 (you can only hear it inside though). It is annoying at first, but you’ll never make the mistake and try to go forward while your car is in reverse.

12. Traffic Lights.

Streets in Japan display two traffic lights, 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.

13. Backroads.

Because speed limits are so low here, you 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. When we first got here, if we saw lots of “Y” plates (americans) coming in/coming out of certain streets, we would literally follow them to learn new backroads! We like to think we know the quickest, most efficient backroads in our city!

14. 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.

15. Left Turn.

You know back home 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.