The Tale of a Japanese Driver's License

It started on a Wednesday. We knew that getting our Japanese driver’s licenses would be tricky, but we had no idea just how naïve we were being at the time. I decided to write a long, and possibly boring, blog about the experience, mainly because pain and frustration is always lessened when it is shared. Fortunately, you the reader can, unlike us, skip to the end if my diatribe becomes too tedious.

First, some background on the rules regarding licensing in Japan. Before coming here, we obtain an International License from the AAA. Easy enough. We then learned that we would have one year to apply for our Japanese license. In the past, a person could drive on their International license much longer, but not anymore. We gave ourselves time to get settled before pursing anything. Then it was winter and the roads were not very good, so we didn’t want to make a bunch of trips to Kitami on snowy roads. We decided to wait until spring.

Spring arrived and Aaron discovered that his American license would expire this year on his birthday. Once it expired, his international license would no longer valid. Oops. We then realized that Aaron’s deadline would be June 9th instead of August 16th. So, the drama began. Aaron read the notes from past Juneau teachers and researched on the Internet to determine the correct procedure for us to follow. It seemed a little complicated, but no big deal. We were a little nervous because we kept reading about how hard the driving test is. I couldn’t help but think, “Too bad we’re not Australian.” Aussies don’t have to take the driving test. Here’s the way it all played out:

Wednesday, May 17: Aaron left early in the morning to go to Asahikawa. I must go to work late so I can drop off Ridge and Holt. Once in Asahikawa, Aaron must locate the Japanese Auto Federation office. This was easily done, and in a matter of hours he had a Japanese translation of my license. They told him they needed more time for his. I guess it’s because his American license was a commercial license (for driving the tour buses).

Thursday, May 18th: Aaron’s translation arrived. Happy day – that was fast! On to Step 2.

Friday, May 19th: Aaron and Fusae called the driver’s license office in Kitami. This is the one we must use. Kitami is three hours away. They were not helpful and insisted that Aaron come on Monday so they can examine our paperwork. Faxing is not an option. They said he could take the test on Tuesday.

Monday, May 22nd: 8:30 a.m. Aaron leaves early for Kitami, prepared to stay the night in a hotel. This will save him a trip. We crossed our fingers that when he came home on Tuesday, it would all be done. I mentally prepared myself for having to be alone and take the boys with me to my adult English class. I also had to ask Mr. Kamaya for the loan of another car so I can drive to Kamiokoppe the following day, since Aaron will have the car.
4:30 p.m. – Surprisingly, Aaron comes home! While I was very happy to see him, the news was not good. The staff in Kitami were unkind and very upset by the language barrier. They took our paperwork and let him sit a while. Then, they made him call Colin so he could translate. Colin explained to Aaron that the staff wanted to examine our papers for a while. He could come back next Tuesday. He should also call tomorrow (Tuesday). So, Aaron drove home.

Tuesday, May 23rd: 10:00 a.m. Aaron and Fusae again called Kitami. They said the papers were fine, and he can come next Tuesday for the test. However, they want us to bring an interpreter. Oh great. I popped upstairs to explain to Mr. Kamaya that Aaron and I need to go to Kitami on Tuesday. We rearranged my schedule a little bit so the Kamiokoppe kids, whom I see only on Tuesdays, won’t miss out on their lesson. He was very helpful and we worked things out with no trouble. He seemed a little concerned, though, about Aaron taking the test without any driving lessons.
1:00 p.m.: I returned to the office and I can tell Mr. Kamaya had been thinking more about Aaron and the test. He and Mr. Tasaki (the assistant superintendent) had a 20-minute meeting. Afterwards, they talked to me about how difficult the test is, how it was that the last Juneau teacher failed, and that the last Juneau teacher took five hours of lessons. For the next two hours, we talked, phone calls were made to the Kitami office and to a driving instructor, and we talked more. Our communication was very difficult. I wasn’t interested in Aaron driving to Kitami five times for lessons I wasn’t sure if he needed, despite what everyone said about the test. Finally, I called Colin so he can again translate for us. Apparently, Mr. Tasaki told him that sometimes people are failed because the tester sees they haven’t had any driving lessons. I was in a hard position, because I didn’t want to be disagreeable. I understood everyone was trying to help, but things were just getting more and more complicated. We developed a tentative plan involving Aaron driving to Kitami three times.
4:45 p.m. Mr. Kamaya called the house and asked Aaron to come over.
6:00 p.m. Aaron returned home with the “plan-that-you-can’t-argue-with” (because it would be rude if you did). The lessons have been arranged for and a hotel reservation made for one of the nights. Mr. Kamaya very regretfully informed us that we have to pay for Aaron’s fees ourselves because he isn’t an employee of the village. Bummer.

Wednesday, May 24th: We sent out some desperate emails to folks in the Kitami area to see if anyone can meet Aaron at the office in Kitami to translate. Notice that it has now become only Aaron. There were too many disapproving noises when I suggested going with Aaron on test day just to try the test without lessons. Keep in mind, too, that we always have to consider Ridge and Holt and what we will do with them. So, it seemed best to just have Aaron doing the lessons and testing for now. Fortunately, our American friend who lives only 30 minutes away from the office was available to help Aaron. Hooray! Then I just had to change my schedule once again for next week. Aaron will be in Kitami for lessons on Monday so I must stay home with the boys (no pre-school on Monday). I will also need a loaner car on Tuesday to get to Kamiokoppe. I will also have to leave work early on Thursday to get the boys from pre-school.

Thursday, May 25th: Aaron went to Kitami for a lesson. He stayed the night in a hotel.

Friday, May 26th: Aaron had another lesson at 7:00 a.m. and returned home

Sunday, May 28th: Sports Day! The whole village turns out. I spent Saturday shopping and preparing lunch for us to eat at the Sports Day event.

Monday, May 29th: Aaron returned to Kitami, just for the day, for a one-hour lesson. Fortunately, we were all able to go with him and make it into a fun day.

Tuesday, May 30th: Aaron went to Kitami once again for the test. Thank goodness he passed! It turned out we didn’t need our friend to translate. Aaron’s instructor brought a friend of hers, but there was little for her to translate. Since by this time Aaron had driven the course about 40 times, he knew exactly what to do.

Total cost for this experience: 48, 450 yen ($430)
Translation of our licenses = 6,000 yen total (3,000 each)
Aaron’s lessons = 23, 000 yen (this includes the instructor fee and course rental fee)
Hotel for Thursday night = 4,800 yen
Testing fees = 2,400 yen (just to take the test)
License fee = 1,650 yen (after he passed)
Photographs = 600 yen (because the passport photos we brought were too big to use)
Two tanks of diesel = 10,000 yen

I felt better when Mr. Kurata told me that most Japanese people go to driving school for one month and it costs them 300,000 yen ($2,600).

Now we just have to get MY license taken care of!!

Two Photos, Quick Note

I have a busy week this week, so I'm not sure when I'll have time to sit down and get caught up on the blog. We've had a lot of fun over the past few days. Sunday was Undokai, or Sports Day, and I have lots of good shots of the boys racing! Yesterday we went with Aaron to Kitami for his driving lesson and made some fun stops along the way. One stop was at the Tulip Festival and the other was at Cha Cha World. You can look forward to posts about both days in the next week or so.

The picture of Holt was taken at the elementary school track (where Undokai was held), and the other shot of my guys was taken at the tulip festival.

Miscellaneous Photos

This is a shot I took of the boys one night. I was headed for bed and I thought the way they had begun to gravitate towards each other was very cute. When they’re not tormenting each other, they really get along well and can help each other out a lot!

Here is Ridge dressed as a “fairy hero”. I think he looks like a fairy hero who woke up on the wrong side of his fairy-bed. Ridge the fairy hero

On the flip side, Holt is happy-go-lucky with this little doll. Holt in an orange cape

Aaron insisted I post this, so here it is. People say I’m not in enough photos, so I posed with the asparagus our neighbor gave us. It was freshly harvested from a field in Kamiokoppe and I can’t wait to eat it! I was so excited that I got a little silly. Crazy Michelle

Growing Pumpkins

I love this place!

Can you imagine members of the education department or board of education in an American school taking a few minutes of their time to prepare pumpkin seed for sprouting?

Remember back in October when we picked pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns? They are planted each year by the board of education specifically for Halloween. I just watched Mr. Izuka empty a bag of seeds into a bowl with water so they will sprout. The seeds were harvested from one of the many jack-o-lanterns back in the fall and they’ve been sitting on a window sill all winter. I suppose once they are sprouted, someone from the office here will go out to the field and plant them. People here sure don’t seem to get hung up on sticking to a specific job description!

Sunny Days

Last weekend was a real treat for us. The sun was shining and the weather was a perfect temperature. It felt like the first time in weeks that everyone felt good and no one was sick! So, we loaded up into the car and headed to the park in Nayoro that the boys and I found a few weekends ago. Aaron had been sick and was not able to come that time. Ridge and I were anxious to share our discovery with Aaron. The park consists of a track, several playing fields, some play structures, barbecue/eating areas, and a rather extensive set of nature trails. This is a picture of the boys playing by the small stream which one of the trails follows. Here are some more pictures of the day.

When we arrived, a group of students was either playing or practicing. I couldn’t tell which. They looked like high school students, but it’s difficult to know for sure. The thing that caught my eye the most was the huge line of nearly identical bicycles parked on the side of the road. In the picture, you can see the kids off to the side posing for the requisite group photo. Bikes

After following the trail for a little while, we came to the opposite end, which sported a small pond with stepping stones. Aaron and Ridge spend some time here searching for water bugs, fish, and frogs. Ridge was very excited! Pond view


I was playing around with the camera and came up with this picture. For the first time in his three years of life, Holt dwarfs Ridge. Big Holt, Little Ridge


We couldn’t have a day in the park without a picture of someone under a cherry tree. Ridge under the tree

Since we were in Nayoro, it only made sense to also do our grocery shopping. However, Ridge declared himself too tired, so he and Aaron returned to the car. This is what Holt and I found upon finishing our shopping. Aaron and Ridge


Sunday was also a wonderful day, so we went walking around the village. There is a small ornamental garden near by (heck, everything here is nearby!) which Ridge loves. He calls it the “maze” place, because the small trails are very convoluted.

Here are the boys posing in front of a large piece of petrified wood with kanji carved on it. I have no idea what the significance of this is, but I thought it made a nice picture.

Holt framed by a cherry tree. Holt

Ridge’s photo; like a politician during election season, he always insists on equal time and coverage. Ridge

Here, the boys are posing on a giraffe located in a small playground near the garden.
Holt riding
Ridge riding

Along the river, there is a little pond with mosaics and stepping stones. Here you can see Holt working very hard to get his little legs to stretch enough to allow him to walk across the stone path.
Walking on water
Walking on water #2

English Class Today

Here's a quick anecdote for y'all. Today, my adult conversation class was focused entirely on me pre-teaching my lasagna recipe. In our discussion about what the ladies would need to bring, I heard them say to each other they would need to bring "tuppa". That was all in Japanese, and I wanted to check my understanding of what they were saying. I clarified, in English, that "tuppa" was something to store food in, as they would need to bring a container of some kind to transport their lasagna home in. Reiko confirmed that, yes, that is what "tuppa" meant. I began to laugh to myself. I asked, "When you write 'tuppa', do you use katakana?" The reply was, "yes, yes we do, actually". Katakana, so you know, is almost always reserved for non-Japanese words. Our names, for example, are written in katakana. So, it would totally make sense that "tuppa" is written in katakana. I then told them all about "Tupperware" and we all had a good giggle. I'm nearly positive that their word for "food storage container" is a direct descendant of the name brand, Tupperware. Personally, I thought it was quite amusing.

Oh, I also shared my leftover venison chili with them. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, but Tizuko loved it. I actually gave her what was left so she could take it home, in addition to giving her one of the chili mixes ("2 Alarm Chili") that my mom keeps me supplied with. I made sure she understood what would happen if she put in the packet of cayenne pepper. She was very excited, and somewhat stunned when I explained that the seasoning kit I gave her was for 2 lbs (about 1 kilo here) of meat. Japanese people rarely prepare, much less eat, such a large amount of meat. I'm curious to hear about what happens when she give chili-making a try.

Cherry Blossoms are Blooming

The cherry trees are finally blooming here in Nishiokoppe. They began blooming in Okinawa about two months ago. I guess you could say Hokkaido, being so far north, is a late bloomer. It was well worth the wait, though. They are really lovely. Not only are the trees sprouting colors, but also everyone’s yard is happily displaying a rainbow of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and narcissus. It’s so cheerful! The students and teachers are very busy preparing for the Sports Day Festival, which will take place on Sunday, May 28th. It’s a big event that the entire village looks forward to. I’ll be sure to blog about it afterwards and also to post lots of pictures.

For the Felkers, life keeps on moving. Aaron is finally back to his old self, except for a bit of a cough. We are so grateful that his mumps was not a bad case! Ridge and Holt are enjoying school very much. The other day, I heard Holt use some Japanese. He told Ryuya that his (Holt’s) drink was “oishii des,” which means, “It’s delicious!” His teacher told me that he is able to say please, thank you, good morning, and sorry. Both boys also can recite the little saying the kids all repeat before eating lunch. It’s sort of like, “thanks for the grub, dig in”. It’s very cute. I’ll have to grab a short video file of it to post.

Here are some miscellaneous pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

The main photo was taken late in the evening last night. It is the Buddhist temple directly across from our house. The trees in bloom are cherry trees. That Japanese call the cherry blossom, “sakura”.

Holt's plant umbrella
Look! The snow is gone!!
For contrast, a reminder of March's snow.

Getting ready for lunch at Nishiokoppe Elementary School

Happy Birthday to Me

Last Friday was my birthday. Coincidentally, it was also the same day as the welcome party for the new pre-school teacher. I tried to avoid going, but the ladies are really hard to refuse! We met in the bar of the hotel and ate there. I’m not sure why, but some of those mom’s really enjoy their beer, so maybe they just didn’t want to waste any time. Who knows? We chatted a bit and ate. Ridge’s teacher shared some funny stories about him. She said he only speaks Japanese at school, now! It’s amazing. He’s so good at figuring out what someone is saying by using situational context.

Unlike the last pre-school mother party that I attended, this one was a more mellow affair. I thought it was funny, though, that one lady, Reiko (she’s sort of the “leader of the pack” – a very strong personality) saw fit to inform anyone and everyone who joined our party late that it was my birthday. This would then elicit a new round of “Happy Birthday!” toasts. About two hours into our event, a party of older men came into the bar for what I can only assume was their “second party”. Some of them seemed pretty drunk and it was funny to see the surprised looks on their faces when the walked into the bar and spied our group of about a dozen women. It wasn’t long before a couple of the more drunk ones came over with their wine and brandy to share.

I should stop and explain something. It is completely permissible to bring your own alcohol and food into the bar if you are having a party. Several times, when we have gone to the bar for “second party” people will bring alcohol that was not opened (i.e. wine or Chu-Hi, which is like a wine cooler) and leftovers. For the moms’ party, someone brought snacks for after the main meal. When the men came in, they brought their own wine. The man with the brandy purchased the bottle previously, from the bar, and this is what he is given when he comes into the bar. You can tell this because it has his name written on it with permanent marker. There’s a whole line of such bottles behind the counter in the bar.

Anyway, I was tired and began thinking of going home. The conversation was a bit strained for me because the best English speakers of the mothers were both sick and couldn’t come. So, I tried to let Reiko know I was tired and would be leaving. I don’t think she heard me, because she then asked me why I was standing up with my dictionary. As soon as she figured out I wanted to leave, she announced to the entire bar that it was my birthday and we should sing the birthday song. So, I was sung happy birthday by a group of non-English speaking Japanese mothers and drunk old Japanese men. What more could a person ask for?

Ah, but it gets better! After they finished singing, I could see something was up, but the only English I could hear was, “wait just a moment”. The drunken guys were talking up a storm and I saw someone handing around a gift-giving envelope. When someone is given a money gift, it is put into a special kind of envelope. It seemed that one of the men from the party had been given such a gift, and they were trying to decide if they should re-use the envelope and put something in it for me. The most common gift Japanese people give each other is cash. Funny, eh? Anyway, I started to get pretty nervous, because the last thing I wanted was for people to take up a collection right in front of me. I didn’t need a birthday present that badly! Fortunately, one of my buds from the Yakuba staff (he’s the one who always tries to get me to sing a Carpenters song during karaoke time) saved the day. While the drunken men were foundering, he had dashed out and bought a box of sakura mochi from the (closed) gift shop. I guess he convinced the night duty desk clerk to sell him some despite it being after hours. Sakura Mochi is a sweet treat that is cherry flavored, made of rice, and has the consistency of firm putty. Actually, it’s really good. So, who needs a birthday cake when you have a box of sakura mochi given to you by a group of drunk Japanese men in the bar of the village hotel while partying with your children’s teachers? I can say with certainty that I will never forget this particular birthday!

On a final birthday related note, you might find it interesting to learn that my friend Aya and one of the 3rd grade (9th) middle school students have the same birthday as me! Three people in one building - I think it’s amazing!

Happy Mother's Day

What a great Mother’s Day! Aaron made me French toast for breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. Then, the mail came and we excitedly opened our new camera. Later in the afternoon, I used it to take these shots of the boys. We actually bought the bike for Holt a couple of weeks ago. He’s still a bit short for it, but he tries really hard to ride it. In fact, he tries so hard that he usually forgets to steer! As for Ridge, well, after watching Ryuya learn how to ride his bike sans training wheels he just had to join the club. So, Aaron took ‘em off today and Ridge worked really, really hard to ride. He does well so long as he doesn’t have to turn or get himself going on his own. I’m amazed at his tenacity! I’m sure that having Ryuya buzzing past him on his two wheels was a good motivator.

Here’s some other photos from the day:

Holt during nap
Ridge riding without training wheels
Ryuya flying past
Holt is giving Wakava a little push Wakava lives one house down and is Ryuya's cousin. She's also a little too small yet for her bike. She and Holt are in the same class at school.
The family walking down the street We decided to have another barbeque with our little hibachi, so Aaron and the boys are walking to the Taniguchi house down there at the end of the street. Grandpa Taniguchi makes and sells charcoal. Grandma and Grandpa Otosaka were also out enjoying the day and watching the boys ride their bikes. You can see Grandma Otosaka squatting next to Ryuya's little sister, Sacha.

Another Short Post

Just thought I post another “quickie”. Our house has been full of illness for about a week now. I never thought that this adventure in Japan would cause me to learn the Japanese names for both chicken pox (“mizuboso”) and the mumps (“otafku”)! It seems that somehow, despite being vaccinated as a child, Aaron managed to get the mumps! I still can’t believe it. So, needless to say, he has been out of commission and I’ve been pretty pooped keeping up with the kids, housework, and cooking. That plus the lack of camera have made blogging a somewhat undesirable way to spend my free time – sleeping has been my occupation of choice at the end of my days, lately. I myself have a bit of a cold and have chosen to take today off. The boys are at school; Aaron (finally feeling better) has gone to Nayoro to shop for my birthday present. It’s so wonderful to have the house to myself!

However, take heart, dear readers! A new camera (an itsy bitsy, teeny weenie one – I’m very excited!) is on its way and we are quickly recovering from our illnesses. Spring is finally here and the snow is nearly all gone. All over the village crocuses and daffodils are showing their lovely heads. The woman who lives behind us was planting seeds yesterday morning. It’s really a wonderful time of year! I’ve moved our tomato plants outside and am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to repot my corn, and plant more seeds. I can hardly wait for the new camera so I can send some Spring photos (and kid pictures, too, of course!)

The picture above was taken about two weeks ago, when we dug out the hibachi that was buried under snow all winter. Ridge and Holt just can't seem to leave the fire alone - I think they take after thier father!

Quick Post about Boy's Day

This post will be short, as I’m tired and my fingers won’t work properly. However, I was in the mood to post some photos, so here I go. Oh, and a word on photos: I’m likely to be low on the pictures lately. Our camera is on its last legs and I’m in the process of getting a new one. So, most pictures are likely to not be great, and in a small quantity.

May 5th is now known as “Children’s Day” here in Japan, but it was once known by the less politically correct name, “Boy’s Day”. Families all around fly carp flags which represent the family. The uppermost streamer/flag is not a carp, but just a multicolored windsock - this represents the mother. Below this is the black carp representing the father. Under the father are the boy’s carps, usually blue and red. We hung some in our entry way. Also, to celebrate the occasion, we ordered this cake. It’s a little samuri boy. The Japanese writing on the side is hiragana and kanji. I can actually read it! It says “Day of Children”.

The Komu, in addition to being a popular destination for families over this holiday time, also celebrated its 10th anniversary. There were many special events which I will talk about another time when I’m not so tired. Aaron took a mini-woodworking class offered and made this awesome toy dog! Isn’t it wonderful?





Lastly, here is a cute picture of the boys sleeping.

Village Photos

Here's some shots Mike took of the village. There's a road that goes above the village and it makes for a great view! The three pictures make up about a 180 degree view.