|
I strongly advise anyone who is planning to live overseas to get a motorcysle license before moving. This would greatly reduce hassles. Just look at my case. My international license is useless as far as a scooter is concerned. But in Japan and the US, people can drive scooters without a special license, but this doesn't transfer. So we (co-workers + I) decided this wouldn't be a problem. I'll just have my IL license translated and take a test and transfer. No problem, right? NOPE. The translation cost 3,700 yen ($1=125 yen). Now I have to go to prefecture driving beaureu to take a 10 question written test, which will cost 2,100 yen. In order to take this test I have to bring: 1. Passport + 4 copies of every stamp and piece of paper in in (even ones not pertaining to this stay in Japan. 2. Gaijin card + 4 copies of both sides on 2 different sizes of paper 3. American license + 4 copies of front and back 4. Translation of American license + 4 copies 5. One (or two) recent photo(s) 3 x 2.4cm
And if I pass the written test I have to take a driving test for 1,800 yen. If I fail, I have to wait 3 hours before I can try again. So essentially, I am trying to get a Japanese license. All for a lousy scooter! I can drive a car legally in this country, but I can't drive a motor vehicle that is restricted to under 30 km per hour. So on to cheerier subjects. Let's talk about fashion. As many of may know, the entire high school female population of Japan wears baggy white socks, and not because it is part of the dress code. Well, the girls in Tokyo have decided to go wild and alter the fashion a bit (Tokyo high school girls determine the fashion for the whole country). Now girls can be seen wearing navy blue socks! Apparently, the fashion rules are: Baggy white socks= hike up your skirt so it is short. Tight navy socks (I have seen baggy ones)= wear your skirt long. >There are some variations, but these are the general rules. So here I am in Japan, witnessing history. Wow. Speaking of trends, let me tell you about the Eiken test, an English test for entry to highschool. There is a book that we are using to prepare the students for the actual thing, and I was surprised at some of what I read. The first part of the test is having a kid read a short paragraph. Then they must answer 5 questions, 3 that are about the picture that is below the paragraph, and 2 that are about the student. I was surprised that a book published nationally to help students prepare for very important tests had so many mistakes. Many of the passages are grammatically wrong: ex "At birthday parties you can sing songs, play game, and eat cake." ex Well, I can't remember the exact wording, but the problem was the subject and verb didn't agree. The subject was plural, and the verb was singular. The last two questions are loosely about the passages and picture. So one I saw about birthdays had two questions and the book cited possible answers: Q: What present do you want for your next birthday? A: I want a video game.
Q: Why do want this? A: Because many of my friends have it.
Well, if this isn't the epitomy of Japanese culture, I don't know what is. It's too cold for my fingers to go on, so I must end this now. Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of children brushing their teeth, and Miss Valerie's incredible 22 km walk that she did with her 2-nen sei ("say") students.
Valerie
|