Japanese Transport

On a similar note from my previous blog on Japanese accommodation, I would like to continue with Japanese transport. In most country's Japan is seen as the technological centre of the world where everyone has the latest gadgets and the coolest things, and we would expect how they get around would reflect this. We see sleek and stylish sports cars that Japanese manufacturers produce all the time on Australian TV, so when I first arrived in Japan I had the assumption that all Japanese people would have these stylish cars. I was wrong.

 Taken from here.

My overall impression of the standard Japanese car is that it is very box-like, unlike anything I would have ever imagined. However I can see it's purpose. Because Japan is so crowded space is limited and so what people want is small, compact cars.

While the exterior of the car may be something quite peculiar, the inside of the car completely matched with my assumption of theup-to-date Japanese.

It would seem that almost every car is fitted with an internal GPS system. My first host family's car had one, my current host family has one, and every car commercial I see on TV advertises one. In fact, my current host family's car even has an inbuilt TV in it. I can't understand why it would be placed on the dashboard as it would prove to be an incredibly dangerous distraction for the driver. My host mother said that if you have one you're not meant to watch it if you're driving, but it does distract you sometimes.

Not everyone in Japan an afford the luxury of a car. Not only do they take up space, but it is also very costly to own one. Not only must you pay for the actual car itself, but also for registration, road worthy checks, and various other fees for the multitude of documentation need, and you must own a parking space before you can legally buy a car. Therefore, some Japanese choose to simply forego all this hassle and stick with a combination of the extensively used and well designed public transportation system and walking or bike riding.

Bikes are a cheap alternative for personal transportation and nearly every Japanese person will have one. I was amazed to see that there are even large bicycle parking areas, and even more amazed when I went to Tokyo that bikes were stacked upright along the side of the footpath. Bikes are considered 'light vehicles' in Japan and have a variety of rules which must be followed, however they are very loosely enforced and I often see many Japanese people breaking them. While there are some which also apply to when you are driving a car, such as not driving under the influence or talking on your phone, what I am most amazed by is the fact that riders do not have to wear helmets. Back in Australia it is illegal to ride without a helmet and you can be fined a hefty amount. Though it is a very annoying rule fashion-wise it does have it's advantages, and particularly in a country like Japan where there are so many people and it is easy to have an accident when riding, I see it as strange as to why they wouldn't enforce the wearing of helmets.