Keep Left

Driving in Okinawa is a little different than driving in the states. If any of you have ever driven in the UK, then you know what it's like. I have not.
Driving on the left isn't the strange part. I've driven in the USVI enough to be used to it. It's the Japanese cars that are strange to me- the wheel is on the right side of the car. That's what I've had to get used to. Which one is the blinker and which one controls the windshield wipers? Even sitting in the passenger seat is strange. I can't imagine trying to drive a manual with the gear shift on the left (let's be honest, I can't drive a manual car in the states either).
We've been here almost 3 weeks now so I've had time to adapt. I do occasionally go to the wrong side of the car to get in the drivers seat but once I'm in the car, driving isn't too weird anymore.

my tiny rental car

Aside from driving on the left, there are a few other differences I've noticed about driving in Japan. First of all, the road signs. Some are the same but others are completely different. For instance, this is a stop sign:

A few of my favorite signs I've seen so far:

 Crosswalk man

his hat is my favorite part

 Sonic the hedgehog's warthog(?) cousin

not sure what animal this is but if I see one I'm getting out of it's way!

 School children crossing

again with the hats!

 Sea level indicator

these are everywhere!

These guys are the best. We need to start using them in the US:

The signs at night are a whole different story. It's like driving through a light show. Anywhere they are doing road construction, the signs are lit up and flashing yellow, red or green. The arrows marking a curve in the road flash constantly. Even some of the license plate numbers glow at night.

those red arrows flash at night

I'm guessing this is some sort of road side assistance vehicle, another flashing light to look out for when driving:

Another major driving difference is the vehicles. You won't find any pickup trucks or large SUVs here. All the cars look like someone used a shrink-ray on them. A full size sedan looks huge in comparison to most of the cars here. You'll find some of the same cars we have back in the states, like a Honda Fit, Nissan Cube, or Toyota Prius but most of them are slightly different and have different names. Some of my favorites so far are: 

Toyota Voxy

Daihatsu Move

Honda That's

Suzuki Stingray

Toyota Noah

Daihatsu Tanto

Honda Life

Daihatsu Naked

This one is a Daihatsu Hijet. I guess it's part [mini]minivan, part truck? They all look like toys to me.

Another somewhat driving related interesting phenomenon is the drink machines. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE and they look something like this:

When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. I consider them driving related because they are on the side of the road. It makes sense for them to be in the city, near businesses, shops or restaurants. But you will find one randomly on any corner or sidewalk. We drove towards the northern part of the island yesterday and saw a few of these on the side of a one lane road, on the top of the mountain, in the middle of nowhere (I didn't get a photo since I was using my phone to navigate). 

This one was just next to a random pull off on the road. Nothing else around.

you'll never be thirsty on this island as long as you have some change

One more driving related topic is the bumper stickers. They have specific bumper stickers for new drivers, elderly drivers, and handicapped drivers. We kept seeing this bumper sticker everywhere so I finally looked it up to see what it meant:

Shosinsha or Wakaba mark, beginner driver

As a new driver, you have to put this sticker on your car for one year. Additionally, if you feel you are still a beginner driver after the year is up, you may choose to keep the sticker on your car for as long as you want. 

The Koreisha mark, or "aged driver" sign is for drivers over 70 who feel their age could affect their driving. If you're over 75, you're required to have the Koreisha mark displayed on your car. This driver is both "aged" and handicapped:

Koreisha sticker on the left, Handicapped sticker on the right

Now you know all there is to know about driving in Japan. 

Hopefully this post wasn't too boring. 

I'll write about something more interesting next time.