Learning to Drive Again

I picked up my car on Friday evening. It is a 2000 Subaru Blitzen B4. Basically, that equates to a twin-turbo Legacy in the states.

Initially, I had by heart set on a Nissan Skyline, however they were overpriced (which is a funny thing to say around here because they were around $8k) and the turbo versions I found only had two doors.

Although I have always been a fan of coupes, being a mom wins out and practicality dictates that a 10 and 9 year old don't do well when they don't have their own door. Therefore, The B4 was my compromise between sporty fun and mommy necessities. Plus, the max speed on the island is 80 km/h (and that is only on the toll expressway). Most roads are 60km/h or less.



The first thing to note about buying a car on the island is that there are more hoops and fees than I thought possible. The vehicles must pass JCI, which stands for Japanese C-word-I-can't-remember Inspection, carry Japanese insurance as well as American Insurance, be registered in Japan and with the American Forces, etc. All this makes car buying through a local used dealership the way to go. At the dealerships, the salesmen speak English and they take care of all the paperwork. The only thing for the buyer to do is purchase the American insurance and register with the bases, and even then the dealership has the paperwork all done and ready for the buyer to turn in.

I paid around $5500 for this car, which included everything except my American insurance. The JCI is good for two years (the longest available) and a one-year warranty. Not a bad deal.

I was told that the used car dealerships get their cars from auction on the main island, Honshu. I wasn't so sure about this until I picked up my car and noticed the sticker:

I think this will be a great car for us. The kids are comfortable in the back seats and there is plenty of space throughout. There is definitely enough room to put lots of junk in this trunk =)

Luckily, the car drives great. People are not allowed to test drive cars on Okinawa per some law. That is hard for many American buyers, but the guaranteed one-year warranty helps ease that stress a little bit.

The hardest thing to get used to is being the driver on the opposite side of the vehicle (and of course then driving on the opposite side of the road).

Another reason I chose not to get a Skyline is because the turbo versions I found were 5 speed manual transmissions. In the states, I much preferred a manual transmission, but here I have a hard enough time using the turn signals (which are also opposite of where they were in the states), so I figured an automatic was the way to go.

Road signs are also on the other side of the road here. Usually. I have run, or nearly run, several stop signs on base because the street sign is on the "normal" American side, but the stop sign is on the other!

It is also very easy to get distracted by the amazing views! Around any corner, an incredible view of the ocean could be waiting to distract! This picture does little justice.

The kids and I went on a driving adventure today. We had to drive to Camp Foster, which is two bases away, to get our road tax sticker. Instead of taking the same way home, I looked at a map and decided to take a new way which appeared to be quicker. What I did not know was that this new way would take us through a different part of Okinawa City.

This part of Okinawa was not heavily populated with Americans as are the parts I am used to. While driving, I noticed our car was the only one with an American plate (the plates for Americans are slightly different). There were no more store signs written in both English and Japanese. I was confident that I knew where to go, but I had to tell the kids to be quiet so I could concentrate, especially since cars would just park half in the lane in which I was driving!

Another thing that makes driving more difficult is that signs for major road intersections only come up once, as far as I have noticed, and when they do come up,  the turn  is immediately afterwards! This means it is best to be in the correct lane long before you plan to turn.

The kids and I made it home without a hitch. Luckily they were on the lookout for landmarks because I almost turned on the wrong road right outside the base gate!

I'm looking forward to more off-base driving adventures. Later this week, we will be venturing forth to Yellow Box (it's kind a furniture store), another store called Today O!K which sounds like an Ikea type store, and the beach for baby girl's birthday on Friday. One day soon I will be exploring Japanese grocery stores!