Becoming a permanent resident.....

hmm, he's a busy chap and quite right on many of his points. Japan really is the most stubborn place I've ever been to. Saying that I had to go to "Driving School" with the emphasis that it was a SCHOOL. This place is for punishing those of us who commit traffic violations., In my case it was speeding but then again I can piss faster than the speed limits in this country. They're so out of date. Anyway, we had to do a test of 50 questions. The problem is that my Kanji reading skills are pretty poor. So they gave me an EngRish version which was harder to understand than the Kanji test!

So I'm in a bit of a predicament here because if I fail the test I'll be banned from driving for 30 days and with my job that just wouldn't do. So I explain my situation to the police guy in charge at the time. Luckily for my he was understanding and took me away to a private room where he read out the questions for me. Totally against the rule yet this guy could sympathy with my situation and take it upon him self to sort out the issue. This is the sort of guy we need in the Japanese goverment instead of the usual no change pricks that we have now. It's just a shame Abe (I actually met him in the supermarket a few weeks back) backed down due to pressure from the old farts. While his policies weren't all good he was up for a change.

Yakumo

 

Even some elder guy are cool here.

I remember when i passed my kanji test for citizenship application, i studied a lot but did not remenber how to write a kanji in one of the question.
The guy who was watching my examination suddenly told me:
"look at the wall ;-)" and he goes back to his shair reading his asahi shinbun.
There was a sheet with all the kanji required to pass the test..ray:.

An other day, i was so drunk, could not stand by my self, there were those yankees likes young guys who helped me to walk and got me to the nearest taxi.


I could write ton of pages where old greeds, policemen, unknown peoples acted really cool with me.regardless the location or the time of the day.

 

The guy seems to have a pretty decent blog. I've enjoyed reading his experience building a house in Japan.

 

Debito has some strong points and it's an informative site. However, he seems to be the self-appointed Rosa Parks of Japan. For you non-Americans, she's the black lady that refused to sit in the "colored" section of the bus way back when.

If I coudln't tell more stories of good over bad, I would not live here. That probably goes the same for any long term gaijin that's actually enjoying life. However, that doesn't mean I or anyone should drop their standards. Should I sit by and not make fun of of Japan's ridiculous child custody and divorce laws? Of course, not. They are fucking stupid, and it must be pointed out repeatedly in hopes that eventually one day they pull their heads out of their asses.

 

custody law is almost the same for J-nationals and gaijins.
In divorce,child always go to the mother in 100% of the cases.(mens are too occupied with their unpaid extra hours at the office.)

 

Where did I state otherwise? You seem to be missing something very fundamental: I do not have a gaijin-complex. I criticize stupid shit in my home country and what little I know of other countries on the same scale.

 

I always bitch about the laws in japan for a good reason. Many of them are out of date by 50 or more years or they make no f**king sense what so ever. I'm a driver and a very good one but the laws here don't give a shit about that. If some prick throws themself infront of my car guess who goes to prison even though I'd be driving safely. Yep, me. Another is if some tit drives in to the side of me with no way of escape on my side. Does the idiot who caused the accident get the blame? He no, it's 50 / 50 bcause I was moving at the time. Where is the logic in that? There isn't any at all and that's the problem with japan. Many a time there is no logic to their thinking.

 

I've still never gotten a straight answer on bicycles on the road or sidewalk: I ride on both and through red lights in front of policeman all the time. A friend got into a pissing match w/ a motorist one time though. The guy in the car was upset he was going to slow. They went to the koban and the pigs told him he was supposed to ride on the sidewalk which I'm quite sure is wrong (but I admit I just don't give a shit so have never looked).

 

+1.

Its like those girls who does not accept to kiss with the tongue because it is "dirty"but who let you cum in her mouth :banghead:..

 

that's because like everything else they can't decide. I heard that bicycles are meant to use the road but this is dangerous for the rider and a pain in the arse for car drivers. Small road, yes bicycles should be allowed but on a main busy road? I think not. Way too dangerous for most bicycle riders.

 

My teacher talked about this to me the other day, actually. He said generally the bikes are suppose to be on the street. However, he mentioned that sometimes a sidewalk can have an indication that bikes can also use it.

 

Cool... it's probably the exact opposite of that then.

 

In most places, bicycles are supposed to go by the road, and if it has a ciclying-path or is indicated by other signals, you can use the sidewalk, but as a vehicle you must use the road.

 

There's too many roads here where it's simply too dangerous. Yamate-doori anyone? There are basically zero bike lanes as well, and fucking NOBODY will yield to you. No motorist, no pedestrian. As such, it's socially acceptable to bob & weave through human & car traffic. I cycle better than most people walk, but not everyone can say that.

 

Most people can't do anying as well as a good gaijin simply because they don't think or hesitate way too much. Being a driver I come across this every day and I sure you do too, GaijinPunch while out on your bike.

 

The main problem I've found, is that most people in Tokyo don't use their peripheral vision. I always have mine on, esepcially on the bike b/c I learned the hardway you really have to assume everyone else is a shit head if you don't want to die. That, and most people are just fucking oblivious and not in a hurry. If you want to take it easy and stroll, fair enough, but I think in a city as densely cramped as this one, people should crank their attentitiveness up a notch.

 

If someone cuts you up and you go into the back of them in the USA, you are liable. I don't think that is just a backward Japanese law.

 

This book has no pictures!