When you think of me in Okinawa, you probably think of me here:
When actually, I’m more likely here:
(Why yes, the pink car is trying to turn right into the lane in front of me–Please note whose light is green. You can tell how jammed up this is because even the scooter is not chancing it.)
One thing I will not miss is the driving and traffic here, but there are some things on the road here I want to remember. You would think that driving on the opposite side of the road might be the biggest difference, but it’s not even close.
The first thing you notice is how slow we drive: 15-40 mph, with an average around 20 mph if things are moving. At least the speed limit signs say 50 kmph, so you THINK you are flying. Make no mistake– no one is going to be able to actually TRAVEL 50 kilometers in an hour on island, unless you are driving in the middle of the night. The second thing you notice is probably how many cars run through red lights after the light changes (see photo above).
Some other interesting things on the road:
Everyone knows we are American drivers, because our license plates are marked with “Y” for “Yankee.” Okinawan plates are marked with the symbol for their city or area (according to my sources).
Except for red lights, people mostly follow traffic directions, even when no one is there to enforce it. Case in point: This is a picture of an electronic traffic manager (I don’t know what the name is for these).
We came across this on a long winding road where there had been a small mudslide in the middle, cutting off one lane. When there is an X, you wait as the time counts down, allowing the other direction to use the lane. Then you get the green light and it means it is your turn to drive.
The traffic cones in work areas are adorable: Two examples: Here are dolphin ones and shisa ones.
The roads here are clean. I was driving up the main drag here this week and my lane was really backed up. I switched lanes, watching to see if there was an accident. The backup? A small cat had been run over and everyone was going around it, including a huge semi-truck who swerved completely over into the next lane to avoid it. There is a general lack of debris on the roads, and I forget about it until I see it. I was once approaching a busy intersection when a bag of debris flew out of the back of a truck mid-turn. He screeched to a halt, and the entire intersection in all four directions STOPPED, while the driver and a couple bystanders ran around the intersection collecting everything.
Off base, if a police car, fire truck, or an ambulance pull up behind me with siren and lights blaring, it does not necessarily mean pull over—it means “make way,” and cars continue at normal speed, only attempting to make an opening if they get stopped at a light. I guess if they follow you from lane to lane, shouting over their speaker system when you “make way” then you will know to pull over. (Knock on wood that I will avoid testing that little theory in the next week.)
Drivers are mostly courteous, resigning themselves to the slow pace. I rarely hear a sub-woofer (is that even the right term?) thumping in the lane next to me, and I think I’ve only heard a horn a handful of times (and two of those happened when I was riding with Matt). We flash our hazard lights 2-3 times to say thank you when someone lets us in. We bow awkwardly with a head nod to acknowledge other drivers.
But before I completely sentimentalize our host country, a week ago, I watched as a van a few hundred feet in front of me whipped in and out of traffic, nearly rear-ending a little black car. I seriously thought he might be intoxicated. I breathed a sigh of relief as the van moved into the right hand turn lane. As he did so, he pulled up next to the little black car and flipped off the driver. He then made a u-turn at the light and headed the other direction. Both vehicles had Japanese plates. I was so glad an American wasn’t involved. I know this scene plays out a hundred thousand times a day on American roads, but it’s an extremely unusual event in Okinawan traffic. Road rage doesn’t work very well in 10mph traffic where you can’t speed away after your temper tantrum.
Anyway, there are beautiful (if slow) drives here, especially on the north and south ends of the island where there’s less traffic (I’m usually so tired of being in my car by Friday that I rarely drive them). I’m sure I will miss the slower pace, but for now, I’m glad to be saying “Sayonara” to driving the 58.