Voice mail and Texting

I recently purchased a new cellphone and service plan and noted some distinct differences from what I’m used to in the states. Voice mail and texting, unlike providers in the states which generally offer frees voice mail and unlimited text messages, here in Japan they are extras. Texting in particular is quite different. The different sales people we spoke with (we explored a fair number of companies) were not even familiar with the term “text message”. Here they refer to it with the technical term of “SMS”, that said, I’m told that almost no one uses it. Most folks, apparently, use their e-mail for their messaging. Our new Japanese provider offers it at ¥3 for each outgoing message but free to receive.

Happily, my phone came with the ability to answer a call and record a message on its own, thus avoiding the extra fee. Unhappily, my brand spanking new, high tech, smartphone did not come with a charger!

HOUSE NUMBERS & STREET SIGNS

Japan is a densely-populated country and ultra-modern… but for a foreigner trying to find their way around can be quite daunting by the LACK OF STREET SIGNS and BUILDING/HOUSE NUMBERS. The larger, main routes have plenty of signage but those small streets branching off to the sides are quite often unmarked. Heck, I’m not even sure all the streets do, in fact, have formal names. While home hunting I learned to use latitude and longitude, taken from Google maps, to guide myself. Then, after getting to zero, I had less than a 50/50 chance that the home I was looking for had an address displayed... thus no way to confirm I was at the correct place. It is beyond me as to how deliveries are made, appointments arrived at, or friends met. Oh, so very confusing!

Having found a house to rent, after signing the rental agreement, when trying to set up gas/electric we discovered that the address provided was not known by them. We further found out that the address applied to a block of homes. In fact, the address does NOT include a house number or street name. 

We had the house owner, a business, contact the gas/electric company. We went to the post office ourselves to clarify the situation. They gave us a form to fill out and told us it would not be a problem. Our address gives the town name and a “block number”. That’s it. No house number and no street number. I don’t believe the street even has a name.

Update: Since signing the lease, we have had many deliveries of purchased household items, and not a single delivery was made without the driver having to call us and ask for additional directions. 

Note, there is no house number - that is not a garage door, it is the closed window shutters

A great example: I had appointment for an MRI in downtown Yokohama. I was given the full address. Arriving in the general area l was unable to find the building. I took out my phone and entered the address in Google maps which took me on a four minutes’ walk but the building was not there.  With the appointment time drawing near I waved down a taxi. The driver entered the address in his GPS but it was not recognized. We drove in circles searching. Eventually I called the NAVMEDCENT office that arranged the appointment and handed the phone over to the taxi driver who after long discussion got us to the correct place.

SOME MORE PHOTOGRAPH

Me Geocaching in downtown Yokohama

Jellyfish at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise park

Hinamatsuri, also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day display

Lining up for a train trip

Battleship Mikasa, built 1890's,  now on permanent display in Yokosuka

An American bridge in Yokohama 

Part of ornate clock at Yokosuka City Office

Landmark Tower in Yokohama - Japans 2nd tallest building

Icon for Curry Restaurant 

CITY OFFICE II

When I arrived here in Japan (noted in previous entry), in particular, Yokohama, I had to go to the Yokohama City Office and register. All residents, citizen or alien, HAVE TO REGISTER whenever they take up residence in a new city.  Also, because of my age, I was required to start paying “Nursing Home Care fees” each month.

We recently signed a rental agreement for a house in Yokosuka, therefore, we had to go back to the Yokohama City Officer and submit the appropriate forms and then we have 14 days to submit another  resident application at the Yokosuka City Office.

Again, the city employees were fast, polite, and efficient. There are forms readily available and people to assist you in filling them out. They also have a machine where you can pay for processing the forms that you submit (you receive a stamp proving you paid). All the paperwork is a pain-in-the-ass but I have to admit that they get you through the process promptly.

Payment stamps

LIQUID DUMP STATIONS

At local mall (note the blue towels used to wipe your table down)

A great idea, I think, is the availability of Liquid Dump Stations, I have no idea what the proper name is. These are located most everyplace that sells drinks such as restaurants, fast food joints, convenience stores, coffee shops, etc. 

What they are is a funnel shaped opening, usually found near the trash receptacles, designed for you to dump your unfinished drink and ice. I imagine the creation of these is related to the strict trash guidelines.

Note, the MickyD trash container has a bin for paper trash, the adjacent plastic trash bin, and on top the funnel for leftover liquid. This set-up is common throughout Japan.

McDonalds Trash

The sign below was found at a Lawsons convenience store's small sitting area designated for enjoying your selected refreshments and snacks. Roughly translated it asks patrons not to dump their leftover liquids in the trash and to please take it up to the cashier for proper disposal.

Don't dump your liquid!

CELLPHONE USE

How many cellphones do you see?

In keeping with the Japanese concept of “mind your own business and don’t infringe on others”, when using a cellphone, and EVERYONE does, the Japanese, with few exceptions, keep the ringer turned off. It’s rare to hear a phone ring anywhere. 

Though they may have their phone out for texting, browsing the internet, or playing games, it is the exception to see, let alone hear, someone in a public space talking on their phone. Trains, train stations, restaurants, stores, you name it. If there are more than a couple of people in the vicinity the Japanese don’t generally talk on their phone within earshot.

CARS & DRIVING

Parking

In Japan, all land is at a premium and you cannot simply assume you will get a parking space with a rented home/apartment.  In fact, even if there is a parking space right in front of the home, it is just about guaranteed that you will have to pay extra to use that space. Every day I am amazed by seeing some of the very small spaces that some cars are “snuggled” into.

Before you are “allowed” to purchase a car you MUST have a, "Shako shomei sho”, a parking certificate that provides proof of having a parking space. You must submit a form that  includes a detailed map of the location, and written permission from the owner of the parking space. The form is submitted to the local police, along with a ¥2,100 (about $21 U.S.) for the certificate and another  for a parking sticker. The police verify that your parking space is less than 2 kilometers from your home and that your vehicle will fit within the designated space, and that you actually have permission to use the space, and if all is well you get your certificate.

Emergency Flasher Codes

The Japanese drivers use their emergency flashers to signal other drivers a “thank you”. The concept is, when you let another driver perform a lane change in front of you, to thank you for allowing them in, will give a few blinks of their emergency flashers. The reality is, generally, folks will just cut in (you don’t have time to “let them in”) front of you, give you a few blinks and continue on their way. In most cases, they could have easily slowed down, fell in behind you and been good to go.

 If what I saw was based on the concept vs. the reality I would think, yeah, pretty cool. But with what I’ve seen, it is used mostly by assholes who cut you off, then say thanks for something you had no options other than to hit the brakes and let them in/over. Go figure.

Headlights

Headlights – An oddity, to me, many, not all, drivers, when coming to a stop light, turn off their headlights as a courtesy(?) to drivers facing them.  It does not make sense to me, to worry about “blinding” an oncoming driver when you are both motionless. It is nonsensical. It would greatly decrease the ability to see any pedestrians, especially those in dark clothing, crossing in front of you.  If anything, I would find it distracting to suddenly see headlights pop on in front of me when the light changes green. Further, I’ve seen MANY vehicles take off from the light and forget to turn their lights back on.

Stopped car (arrow) has turned off headlight and only has running lights on

Turn on Red

There are no turns on a red light here in Japan (unlike the states that allow a right turn on red).

License Plates and Special Markings

Car license plate color signifies: WHITE is private vehicle, YELLOW indicates a private vehicle with an engine size of less than 600 cc and 64 or less horsepower.

Standard plate and engine of less than 600cc plate

In Japan, a new driver must display a yellow and green, magnetic shoshinsha/wakaba mark, on both the front and back of their car for the period of one year, that warns surrounding drivers of your inexperience on the roads.

CAUTION - New Driver

Conversely, older drivers, 70 and older, must display a red, yellow, and green, magnetic Kōreisha mark, that warns surrounding drivers of your old age. Though I've been looking, to date, I've only seen a very few of these, Are the old folks just not driving, or, are they breaking the law and not displaying the required insignia?

Beware the Oldster!

CAUTION - Oldster!

Because there are so many U.S. Military in Japan, the Japanese government decided to use a special designation for those military affiliated individuals. For individuals covered by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), they will have a “Y” on a white plate or “A” on a yellow plate.

"Y" Plate

For more on cars/driving in Japan also see:

2/12/2017 entry for Cars Backing In For Parking.

2/5/2017 entry for JAPANESE COURTESY EXCEPTIONS – Drivers

CASHIERS

Fast food joints to departments stores, cashiers in Japan are very fast, very efficient, and ultra-polite. You do not hand money over directly to cashiers, rather, there is a small tray always available where you place your cash. The cashier will announce how much you owe, then say out loud how much money you put out. Any change necessary and they will hold it out for you to clearly see all coins and bills. They will then present it to you, along with the receipt, holding it in both hands, and extending it towards you to take.

Whenever a line gets long, assuming there are more cashiers available, they will very quickly arrive to brings thing back under control. You seldom have to wait in a line for more than a minute.

A nice little addition, it is not uncommon to find an old-fashioned bell at a sales counter. No cashier? No problem, just ring the bell and magically they will appear.

Ring the bell for for customer service

and MORE MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH

Seen in Verny Park

Hotel Goddess...really?

KFC Home delivery!

...but officer!

Peeping Tom?

Japanese Submarine

Seen at Toyota dealership in mall

The sign, in front of each urinal, reads, "Proceed one more step"

Now you tell me!

BUDDHIST TEMPLES, SHINTO SHRINES, and CEMETERIES

Tatchibana Shrine

Temples and Shrines are found everywhere in Japan. Found along major routes and in tiny out-of-the-way neighborhood nooks. Temples are associated with Buddhist teachings and Shrines are associated with the Shinto belief. Most are quite old compared to American standards.

The best I can figure, is that most Japanese are not “religious” as Americans think of it. It seems to be more a belief in a way of life as opposed to worshiping a specific deity as your savior. 

Tatchibana ShrineTorii Gate

Kamakura Torii Gate

A torii gate is commonly found at the entrances to a Shinto shrine. The torii gate is a transition place between our world and the spiritual world. I’ve seen them in many sizes but generally they are rather large. Constructed of two large posts (material varies, wood, stone, cement, etc.) with two large cross beams, and typically painted a dark reddish hue.

Most of the temples and shrines I’ve visited are free to enter but any of the larger, historic ones charge a fee (gotta keep the grounds maintained to encourage more visitors). They vary in size from a small cabin sized structure on small lot that could be measured in yards, to theme park sized, measured in acres, with numerous structures, both enormous and small. Most, even the smallest, are well maintained, neat and orderly.

During the year, there are different celebrations going on that attract big crowds but most of the time, the smaller shrines, won’t have more than a few visitors at a time. Often as not I find myself alone when I discover one of these, park like, grounds.

Cemeteries - Anywhere there are people you are going to find cemeteries and like other places, you will find huge cemeteries and very tiny sites. Unlike the states, it is very common to come across very, very old sites that appear to be quite ancient.  Many cemeteries are located on steep hillsides. I am guessing that because land is at a premium, it is cheaper to select the harder to build on sites.

Buddhist Cemetery N 35 26.645 E 139 35.888

N 35 26.621 E 139 35.898

JIZO STATUES

 Jizo statues can be found throughout Japan in temples, cemeteries, and even gardens. Jizo is a Buddhist deity that protects children, travelers, and those beings trapped in hell. Jizo, or more respectfully, “O-Jizo-sama”, is widely recognized as the saver of dead children, especially those that were still-born and aborted (those that were not able to accumulate good karma brownie points). Jizo statues are often found with a red cloak and head cover, that was placed there by grieving parents to thank him for saving their child from an illness or to protect their child in the after-life.