Playing the Licence Game!

I call this 'playing the licence game' because getting your licence in Japan as a foreigner has very little to do with actual driving skill, and is more about remembering their rules to perfection, and 'acting' them out.
This is my friend Erinn, and she is an experienced driver, and the holder of a U.S.A licence, but she needed to get her Japanese licence to drive here as a resident. We had been warned by other licence 'hopefuls' that it was a long and tedious process..but going through it yourself gives it a different light! She is one of the lucky ones, she got her licence in 2 tries! Oops...did I give away the ending??
Bear with me as I explain the technicalities and frustrations in gaining freedom on the roads.

Round No.1:
It started two years ago when Erinn found out she was pregnant with her fourth child. After a few months of gathering necessary documents and getting translations of her licence, we set out
on the one and a half hour journey, over hills, over plains (literally!) to the Prefectural Licence Centre. Erinn had high hopes of returning home with her brand new licence that day...although I was a little more skeptical knowing the Japanese system and their need to make everything drag out for no apparent reason.....and unfortunately, I was right.
She was not even allowed to apply for the licence because she didn't have enough days in the States driving (a minimum of 3 months is required). So she was sent home with no progress at all.
In the car on the way home Erinn, being pregnant and emotional at the time, burst into tears and blurted out some things that I cannot repeat here. Then she said something about the officer saying, 'I'll pretend I didn't hear that...'. She relayed the story to me, and I put my hand over my mouth and said, 'Erinn, you said that to the POLICE???!'....Erinn then looked at me in horror and said, 'They were the POLICE???? I thought they were just government workers!'.....ooopss...
So, after that set back, Erinn went back to the States that summer to make up the rest of the days out of Japan.

Round No.2:
One year after the baby was born, it was time to try again.
Once again we set off on the long journey....This time they took the papers and said they would call us when they had officially checked them out. A three hour journey just to hand in papers! Yep, we were frustrated.

Round No.3:
The call finally came! So we set off again to sit the test!
This time things seemed to run a little smoother. We were lucky enough to get a kind officer who explained things really well and let me sit in on most of the proceedings.
First she had to sit a written test. There were 10 questions, with one practice question at the top. We did the practice question, then I was asked to leave the room for the test. I waited outside hoping Erinn would get them all right. When she had finished she said, 'Ok, I am ready for the real test now.'......The Police officer said, 'Um...that WAS the real test!'.....!! I felt a lump in my throat and thought, 'Oh no!'...but the officer soon relieved our fears when he said she got 100 percent! Phew....
Next was the driving test!

The Officer was very kind and said that he would drive us around the course once before the test. This would give us a huge advantage on knowing what it is they are really looking for, and also help us to remember the course better. Other friends who have (and some still ARE) been through the licence nightmare were very jealous when they heard...they were told they had to walk the course without any juicy tips from the Officers.

We battered him with questions as he went around, and he explained everything in great detail for us. (I say 'us' because he let me ride in the car too! Yippee! He said it was because he wanted someone to translate...but that was another thing we had never heard of!)

So, after the joy ride...it was time to put Erinn to the test.

He turned around to me and said, 'This time we should go around quietly'...how tactful of him. I bit my lip as Erinn took off...with the occasional grunt or attempt at sign language to warn her of pending mistakes. Straight after the test, we sat in the car and he proceeded to tell us how she lost points for being too 'smooth' (translation: too good a driver). He basically said, 'You drive like someone who has been driving for a long time and have many bad habits.' She would turn and change lanes in the same swift action, instead of turning then making the change two separate actions. Basically....she failed.

Round No.4:
One week later.

This time was different. No more nice Officer taking the time to tell us everything. Erinn was placed with the rest of the rat race....and told to wait in line.

While we were waiting we met with a woman from Thailand who was there taking the test for the 7th time. This made us nervous. Erinn waited her turn, and the Thai lady went first. We watched from the waiting room, and she looked fine. But...she failed again and went straight home. Next was Erinn.

The days before, she had spent most of her driving time criss-crossing over lanes and turning up narrow streets in preparation for the test. Look, indicate, 3 seconds, look back, look ahead, pull over....Look, indicate, 3 seconds, look back, look ahead, pull over....Look, indicate, 3 seconds, look back, look ahead, pull over....look...Yep...she was driving like an old lady. I was so glad I was not behind her!

Off she went, at snail speed, doing everything as she had been told. She even remembered the course, which was a miracle considering she still gets lost going to her own Dad's place!
I sat waiting inside praying she would get it right!!

When she pulled up at the end, the officer just told her to get out of the car, so she got out of the car and looked left and right, then got back in again, thinking it was still a test. The officer looked at her strangely and said, 'OK...Go wait inside'...I could see Erinn's head nodding in realisation, 'Oh!'...and she came back inside. She still didn't know if she had passed!! So we waited...and waited...until finally the Officer came inside, after testing a few more people an hour later, and said, 'Congratulations, go to the window and hand in these forms..'....time for a squeal..woohoo..yippee!! Then the Officer stopped and looked at her feet. 'Are those the shoes you were wearing?' He asked. 'Sure', said Erinn. 'Oh, If I had known THAT I wouldn't have passed you!'. Then he walked off. Erinn and I sat there stunned holding our breath. She was wearing backless clogs!! Oh well, all is well that ends well!!!
After another one hour wait, she was finally the proud owner of a Japanese Licence!!
Congratulations Erinn! Well done for not giving up!
If you are trying to get your licence in Japan, here is a site that might help you:
http://www.supermelf.com/japan/ajetdrivingbook/index.htm
Good Luck!

Cherry Blossoms

Many of you have heard of the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms in Japan, and may have seen some pictures. I don't really think you can understand the enormity of it until you come here and experience it for yourself. When I first heard the phrase, 'Cherry Blossom Viewing', I imagined people standing around taking a quick look at one or two trees in their gardens. The reality is quite different! Cherry Blossom viewing in Japan is a National event, and has much significance to the people. The weather report has a special section reserved just for the 'Blossom Report', where they tell us when and where they will bloom. The first blossom of the season in Kyushuu is watched closely and reported with great anticipation on the news. Once that happens, the count-down is on as they start to bloom progressively North up the Country.
Once they bloom people take their blue ground sheets and mark their spots under the trees for their viewing picnics. It is common for them to have a BBQ under the trees until late in the evening so they can enjoy 'Yo-Zakura', night viewing, too. There are many places that hold festivals around this time, and most people look forward to it as the first chance to get outside and enjoy nature since the long winter began months before. The trees are usually planted close together filling a garden, or lining a street. In our area there are so many places to go to walk or picnic under them, that I can never see them all in one season, even though I usually go everyday for that week.
The Cherry Blossoms have great significance and sentimentality for the Japanese people. Their blossoms are stunning and only last for one week before falling graciously to the ground, signifying the short nature of life. Not only do they affirm the coming of Spring, but the Japanese School Entrance Ceremonies and the beginning of the working year coincide with the Cherry Blossom's Blooming, so they often represent new beginnings. There is something comforting and hopeful about the Blossoms. In my life they seem to mark the passing of time. When they bloom, I am always surprised that another year has passed, kind of like Christmas might for those back home. It is a time for old friends to get together. I always get calls from my old friends who travel out to meet me and picnic under the trees, and every year they leave with sentiments of meeting again before the next blooming...but the Cherry Blossoms always seem to bloom first.
I have often wondered why the plum was not given as much glory, but I read that in China the plum was considered more worthy of adoration, and Japan chose the Cherry. China introduced the ornamental Cherry tree to Japan in the Heian Period (794-1191), and the Lords were known to have practiced 'Hanami' (Blossom Viewing) even then. The plum blossoms in Japan are still admired, but they are more as John the Baptism was to Jesus, the messenger to the main event. The Cherry trees are purely ornamental, bearing no fruit, whereas the plum bears green fruit that the Japanese use to pickle, despite the fact that the tree is called an ornamental plum.
(Left: Plum Farm) Many songs and poems have been written about the Cherry Tree, or Sakura, and they have given this small country much joy.

Facts retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossoms