Is it a Rollerskate or an Automobile?

My beloved hubby is a saver.

He hates debt. He considers "debt" a curse word.

He loves coupons and thinks the 'free' is the best word ever created.

I first I thought he was kinda, well, how shall I say this... Cheap. There I said it.

("Honey, you aren't going to read my blog this week are you?" I say as I am writing this entry.)

He loves to be frugal and I love him.

So, therefore, I have had to learn to hide receipts.

No, I mean I have had to learn to spend wisely.

He will let me get nicer things for myself or the family, but if it comes to spending money on himself he is totally cool with going cheap.

He just sold his 12 year old van, yes I said 12 years old. If we weren't moving overseas I am not sure he would have gotten rid of that van. He loved it.

He loved it because it was reliable.

He loved it because, even after all those years, it still had pretty low miles. (Funny how a van not moving during multiple deployments will do that.)

Who am I kidding? He loved it because it was Paid For!

Alas, shipping your US car to Japan is prohibited. I wasn't shedding any tears over that part of his orders!

Now, he needs his own car. I adore him and will share can with him, but he works in a different area away from the kids and I are. I cannot take him back and forth everyday. So, off to the used car lot we go. Oh no, don't even think about that. A used car lot would cost too much money for his little 'skateboard'.

"I just need something to get me back and forth to work. It doesn't need to be fancy or cool. It just needs to work," he said.

Like I didn't know he could care less about being 'cool'? He drove a 12 year old minivan for goodness sake! I know I am out of touch, but THAT cannot be anywhere near CooL!

He asked around to see who was leaving Japan. He wanted to find a cheap little commuter for a under $1,000.

I was thinking he had lost his mind. Really, who sells a car for that cheap.

Oh, you know the ending of this story don't you?

Of course you do. He got his 'cheap' car.

He found his 'skateboard'. Look how much taller he is than the car?!? And, he is a tad bit vertically challenged, so it's tough to find many cars that he is truly this tall next to.  The car is small.

His "find" is a 2005 Nissan Note. Never heard of it? It is hugely popular over here in Japan. It is small enough to fit anywhere, but large enough to fit quite a bit of cargo. Mainly his cargo will be Army gear or golf clubs, but occasionally, he may have to fit our four growing kiddos in that little car.

We were at one of the offices doing in-processing one day when a worker mentioned how convenient the train here is for traveling around. We agreed, but also mentioned that Hubby would need a small commuter car.

She said she had bought one a few months back but had never even filled up the tank of gas because she never used it. She was looking to sell it. She didn't know anything, and I do mean anything, about the car. We asked her make, model, mileage and cost. She didn't have an answer for most of our questions, However, She invited us over that evening to look at. We agreed.

We went to look at it right away, knowing she would still be at work. She had a for sale sign on it that said $2500. Icky. We knew he would never spend that kind of money on his car. He would rather ride a bike uphill both ways in the snow before spending money on himself.

We decided to honor the appointment with her because it would have been difficult to cancel. Plus, we wanted to check out the inside of the car just to see the size and mileage.

When we went back that evening she had removed the sign with the sale price. We test drove the car. It has very low miles. Actually it very low Kilometers, but you get my message. It only had like 28,000 miles on it. Not bad. It is a basic car, very basic. Hubby thinks that is great for his needs. It is a "500" plate. That means the tiny engine doesn't put out many emissions, thus costing a lot less to insure through the notoriously high, legally required Japanese national insurance. (Whew, that is a doo-sie of a sentence.)

The car did have a few issues. It had not been really taken care of. It was a bit loud when it accelerated. The tires belong on a skateboard they are so miniature. The interior is... quirky.  Overall though, it was a good car for his purposes and drove okay.  He decided to offer her $800 He assumed they would go back and forth a few times before they settled on a price. Just kidding, she thought $800 was fair. She meet us the next day to do all the paperwork.

We thought maybe we had gotten a bad deal, but after having the car for awhile it has been great. Hubby has the oil changed and checked things out, so far so good. It has seen quite a bit of Japan already.

The Note is small. Really small. One of our friends had to get out of the car recently because it was dragging the ground over a ridge. It is really affected by weight inside the car.  It is THAT low to the ground. But, it's Japan. The roads are skinner than the people. Most of the time it is just hubby alone going back and forth to work. It works.

And, it was cheap which means....happy hubby!

Happy hubby = happy wife = more money to spend on crafts and snacks. Now, can we sing kumbaya or something? We are all so happy!

And just so it is clear to everyone, he will not be bringing this one make to the States in a few years. The interior alone would get him laughed off base in the US.

Drive on,

~Aggie Amy

I Can't Drive 55!

There are so many things that catch my attention as I drive around in Japan.

Well, really they catch my attention when I am in the passenger seat.

When I am in the driver's seat, I often feel like I am playing a game of chicken with the other cars.

His car's bigger, I'll scoot over. Oh no, curb there so he has to scoot over. Have mercy, curbs on both sides and three bikers... never mind I am parking and taking the bus!

I am gaining gray hair and losing years of my life to the stress of a local road nicknamed "suicide hill". It is not my name for the road. It has been called that for years.  It's moniker comes from the fact that you have to put your 'life in danger' to drive on the hill. It is THAT skinny. I'm not kidding. It is like so skinny a pregnant woman couldn't turn sideways. So skinny, you have to pull in your mirrors and rub the curb.

It was while we were going down this hill recently when my youngest chick decided to ask me, "Momma, have you ever been in a crash?"

Her timing was... well, appropriately annoying.

We made it down the hill, but not before praying several times!

Then, we had to have the discussion of when to ask 'crash' questions.

I am safely out of the car and back in the hotel. Now, I get to share with you some more pictures from our adventures.

The trains here are ah-maz-ing, but in order for the trains to travel the cars must pay attention.  Much like in the USA, when a train is coming the alarm sounds and the bars come down. There are some differences here though. First, notice the red arrow on the lefthand side? That is how you know which way the train is coming from. It is not uncommon for the arrow to change and a second train come through as you are waiting on the first train to finish. Confused? Me too. Hold on, it gets worse.

The bars are 'moveable' and soft. This is so if you get caught in the middle when a train comes, which happens a lot around here, then you can slowly drive forward to escape. The bar will raise up slowly just over your car before it comes back down. The bars do not scratch your car when you 'push' them out of the way because they are soft. This also helps them not to break or get damaged when cars 'move' them.   

It is very alarming to start to pull on to the tracks, hear the alarm and have the bars start coming down!!  It takes your breath away because you think you are going to be forced to 'break the bar' like you would in the US. Alas, no problem, just slowly drive forward and it will move over your car. (This has not happened to me directly. The instructors and wives talk about it, but I have not seen it yet.) Thank you Lord!

It is rainy season, and boy does it ever rain! When you are driving around you see a ton of clear umbrellas. What a great idea! Their walkways are narrow, so having a clear umbrella allows people to stay covered without bumping into other. It also helps them watch out for trains!

Many locals have these spacesuits  rain-suits they wear during the season. It goes over all of their clothes. Men, women, walkers, bikers... everyone wears these things! They come in several colors are are for sale cheap all over the place. We would be way too worried about fashion to wear these things in the US. Then again, we don't have weeks of rain on end either. 

Most of the time around the major military bases you will see signs that look like this: 

You can pretty much tell where you are supposed to go. You can also see underneath the Japanese there is English on the signs. God Bless Japan! They are trying to incorporate English into a lot of their world. 

But then, when you least expect the craziness, you see a sign that looks like this:

WHAT? 

Where I am supposed to go? 

Do you want me to fly over the highway? 

Driving here is an education!

And, did you notice the power lines? They are not buried. I did not even realize why the intersections looked ... crowded. I knew there was something different, but after a few lights it hit me that it was all the power lines. I'm not sure when we decided to bury them in the US, but great choice to who ever came up with that one! 

Can you tell where we are supposed to turn by looking at the picture? 

You should hear my poor GPS! She can not figure out how to read Kangi! 

Neither can I, sweet Siri girl!

She will say, "in 0.7 miles turn left at ......... " then NOTHING!

It's like she just turned off. 

At first, I was looking at the device and wondering if I had hit the volume switch. Nope.

She just is smarter than me. She doesn't even attempt to say the next word. 

I tell Matt, " in 0.7 miles turn left at the Mt. Fuji looking one". 

He is starting to understand my crazy made up characters, too! We are in so much trouble when I am navigating this Crew!

The tollroads look similar to the crazy Jersey turnpikes. (Love my Jersey boy!) You can see the three lanes on the left are open. They take Yen. The ones on the right take the ETC, an electronic pass linked to your credit card, which is like our 'Easy Pass" on the east coast.

You drive through and grab a ticket that looks something like this:

No, I do not know what is says.

I DO know that the toll was over $9! We had to pay it both directions.

Plus, $3 for a bridge both ways. Ouch!

After you get on the tollroad you do not expect to see roads like this though!

I didn't expect to see rice fields like this either. But, it was really cool!

I was glad that this guy wasn't after us.

Yes, there are motorcycle cops in Japan. 

No, they do not look like the blonde guy from CHIPS. 

(You can't blame a girl for trying!)

I am not sure Matt could get anywhere near breaking the sound barrier when the highest speed allowed is a whopping 80 ... 80 KM that is! 

Which is not even 50 MPH. 

I, literally, cannot drive 55 MPH! 

Did the songwriter write that when he was visiting Japan?

They can't really speed because the island is just too packed. We were so excited to see the "80" sign! It does feel pretty fast to go 50 MPH after we have been driving 20 MPH- yes I mean 20 MPH- for weeks! 

The speed limits make me miss Texas highways. No, it makes me miss the German Autobahns!

By far, the cutest, most adorable things we have seen driving around are...

 ... the Japanese themselves!!! Look at these preschool uniforms! Our town wears these in a darker blue. They also all wear different types of hats. Sometimes it is straw, sometimes baseball, sometimes different classes wear different colors. It is stinkin' adorable! They line up to go to/ from class together. You can see them walking in birth order, single file, down the street. It makes my heart smile.

Until next time I jump in the car or visit a new store,

Stay Strong & Don't speed,

~ Aggie Amy

The wheel is where???

We did it!

We bite the bullet.

We got a Japanese car!

He wasn't too keen on the process, but he really likes the result. Well, he likes that his wife likes the result <3

We were not authorized to bring American cars to Japan.

There are several reasons, but the biggest one is money.

It cost a lot to send the cars. The Army is not willing to spend that kind of money at this point.

Next, it costs a lot more to modify the American cars to meet Japanese standards.

They drive in the LEFT side of the road, remember?

We had heard there were plenty of cars available here, but that is where it gets interesting...

Look at handsome guy trying to figure out why the wheel is on THAT side!

The Japanese are required to insure their cars every year, similar to Americans, but the older the car the more expensive the insurance! Huh???

The main reason, from what I understand is, that the government wants to keep the economy going so it 'encouranges' Japanese citizens to 'junk' their cars when the car is 10 years old. This lets the person get the 'most out of the vehchile' and guarantees that every decade the nation will get a new car sold and put some cash into the economy.

This pattern makes those 10 year old cars- literally- junk. The Japanese have to PAY to get rid of them.

That is where we Americans step in.

We buy their 'junked' cars for a few grand and drive them for the few years we are stationed in Japan.

Then, WE have to pay to 'junk' them again.

(Does this sound like a racket to you? Maybe. But, we don't really have a choice.)

We knew we could get a car for a couple thousand dollars.

We just weren't sure what kind of car we could get that would fit our family of 6 and still fit on this crazy, insane, skinny roads!

This is the "Side Blind" mirror that is the left door's outside mirror to help with tight spots. 

We found one at a shady used car lot frequently used by sailors.

The procedure doesn't make me feel warm & fuzzy or anything.

Let me tell you why.

When you want to check out a car, you ask for the keys.

You can sit in the car to see how it feels, which was great since 3 of the 4 we liked were from really heavy smokers!

You can even turn the car on, but you cannot drive it around.

No clue what it is asking us to do?!?!?

Apparently, it is against Japanese law to drive without 'owning' the car???

So you are out of luck if you wanted to test drive.

We never really understood this one.

We found one we liked. ( There isn't much to choice from so you just kinda have to jump in.)



We put down a deposit and the dealer gave us paperwork to take all over town.

You have to go pay the car insurance. Then, you have to go to another office and 'register' the car with the prefecture (state) you are in. Last, if you are military, you have to register the vehicle on your military installation.

After all of that is done, you bring back the rest of the cash and the car is yours! (Did I mention you have to pay in cash?)

Oh, wait you can't actually drive it yet. Silly you!

You have to wait for the dealer to "file the paperwork". Wait 24 more hours... Finally, the dealer will bring the car to you. (Another fascinating thing I do not understand at all.)

Having the gear shifter, the blinkers and windshield
wipers 'wrong' is going to be tough to get used to!

I am not sure how my hubby got it all done, but my new 'van' pulled up in front of the hotel today.

Yeah!

I say 'van' because even though it is more of a crossover on the outside, it sits like a van on the inside. It is lower & skinnier than most vans in the States. Thankfully, because it has to fit on these roads!

It is a 2003 Nissan Presage. (Never heard of it? Me neither. It is a common Japanese model.)

Glass breakers are on the passenger
side of most Japanese cars. 

It only has about 35,000 miles on it. Or 71,000 km depending on where you come from.

It cost about Y350,000 or $3,500.

It was actually kind of high for the cars here, but it has
low miles and was owned by a non-smoker.
It has a 'large' engine so that makes it cost more, too.

It does have a few things we were surprised by: a GPS, a hidden CD player, a required 'glass breaker', a back up camera and even a separate left side camera for all the tight parking and backing in Japan.

We have NO IDEA what the navigation is telling us to do, what most of the buttons mean,  or what is playing on the radio. We also laughed at the 'mini disc' player- that fad never really got off the ground did it?

We are still looking for Matt a 'rollerskate' car. His car just needs to get him, and occasionally a kid or two, from housing on another post to work on this post. His will be much smaller, but also much cheaper.

This green and yellow sticker identifies a "novice" driver,
or someone who has been driving for less than 1 year.
In other words, avoid them!

One more thing that we found intriguing is that there are several "labels" that Japanese cars have on the back side to identify the drivers. There are different ones for 'novice' drivers, senior drivers, handicapped drivers and "babies on board". This way the other people on the road 'know how to interact' with that car. Well, I learned something new today. Did you?


We are off to explore Japan! We can't wait to put a few more kilometers on our new van!

Where shall we go first?

They fit, that's all that matters to me!

I think the commissary because these kiddos are all out of snacks. And, that is never good!

If life is a highway, then the Bible is the map,

~Aggie Amy