| Japan is the world's leader when it comes to making cars,
but in Japan, it's almost impossible to have a car. Even if you pay all the high
tolls and fight through all the traffic, you still have to find a place to park!
Sometimes it's almost impossible, but when you do find a spot, you're more than happy to
pay whatever they're charging you. The funniest thing about driving in Japan is how
they make parking space... |
| One strange thing you'll see is a building not much wider
than a 2-car garage, but about 10 stories tall. Inside is a giant vertical conveyer
belt with shelf-like parking spots. You just drive you car onto that thing, get out,
and then the machine takes it up and out of the way. So the garage takes up about 3
parking spots on the ground, but you can park probably about 30 cars. Goofy, huh?
But very clever! When you want your car back, you just press a button and
'scroll' through the cars until yours comes by. Then you hop in and go back out to
fight the traffic... |
| Another weird parking contraption I saw in Japan was at my
apartment. There was a little garage on the side of the building into which you'd
put your car. Then you'd get out, press a button, and watch your car move down into
the floor. I can't imagine where the heck it went! From the inside of the
apartment, there was no way to get into the 'hidden garage'. I wish I coulda sat in
somebody's car and gone down to see where they all went. Anyhow, when you wanted
your car back you'd punch in your code, listen to a buncha machinery make noise somewhere
below you, then then your car would pop up through the floor a few moments later.
Only in Japan! |
| PS - sI never saw a "No Parking" sign in Japan. People
just seem to know and follow the rules, so there's no problem. |