Narrowly automated Japan

So, autumn is hitting with full force and that means less daylight and lately wet and dreary weather. All of my bills are on auto-debit from my bank account here, and without online banking, the only way I have to check my balance and if my bills have in fact been paid, is to go to the ATM.

A bit of a tangent about ATMs here. First, none of them are 24 hours, anywhere! Not only are they not 24 hours, they close around 7pm, and if you access them after 5pm, you are charged a fee. You can only use the ATM from your own bank. Unlike at home where a debit card will get you cash from anywhere (for a small fee), your bank card will only work in your bank's ATM. Also, there is no such thing as a checking account here in Japan, so that means no debit cards. Very very little is done on credit here, and as I said above, no online banking. With my bank account I am given a register to keep track of debits and credits and I am also given a bank card. In order to have access to an ATM, I must have the register and bank card with me along with punching in my secret PIN of course.

To activate this magic money machine, I first feed my register into the ATM followed by my bank card. I press my buttons - usually a bit of a crap shoot because everything is in Japanese kanji - and then the machine gives me my money, my bank card, and my register all electronically filled out with any activity on my account.

So yes, I wanted to make sure I didn't owe anyone money, so I hit the bank after school yesterday. I found, pleasantly, that all of my bills have been paid and I still have plenty of money to spare! After this I headed home. As I approached my apartment, I stole a glance at my mail box and remembered that I should be expecting two packages in the mail. I briefly considered just parking the car, leaving it running so I could grab the post slips I anticipated would be there and run off to the post office. I dismissed this idea pretty readily because it would be just my luck that no slips would be in my mail box. I parked, grabbed my bag, checked the mail box (empty) and headed up the stairs. Now, I also have a kind of mail box on my door too. The only things I ever find in here are little fliers and notifications from my water company on my consumption. However, this time there were two mail slips in my odd little box for the packages I was expecting, so down the stairs I went!

I hopped back into the van and started off on my journey to the BIG post office that is open late and holds all packages for the retrieving. As I made my way there, now in the dark and a bit of a drizzle, I really felt like I was in a foreign country. Yes, of course that sounds ridiculous, I am in a foreign country....but hear me out. The roads here are different, of course, and I have already talked about how they lack signage and road names. However, (and this may be thanks to our Irish driving excursion this summer) but the roads never feel very narrow. I usually don't feel like I am going to run cars off the road or run people and bikers over.

But on the way to the BIG post office, I have to take some incredibly narrow roads, while the natives are still driving at relatively high speeds! Also, here in Japan, if there is no parking, it's okay, they make their own! They will park on the side of the road, where no shoulder exists on a road that is already a tad too narrow for two cars to pass one another. In additon to the impromptu parking there are vespas and bicycles fighting for road space as well as the occasional walker. I feel like I am in a video game where I have to get through a maze without touching the walls or else I'll blow up!

I make it sound a little nerve wrecking, but it was actually a ton of fun! Every time something little like this happens it makes me feel independent and a little exotic. Just another cool memory to keep from this adventure!