Busting out of Quarantine

Our first day out of quarantine we had to go to New Student Orientation.  We had only gotten our van two days before so we had spent the two days previous practicing driving on the other side of the road.  That first day off of the base was scary for us because the school was about an hour and 15 minutes from base.  We left left at about 6:35 AM each morning to get to the school by 7:50.  Driving here is scary.  It isn't just that it is on the other side of the road.  That takes some getting used to but with practice and focus, it wouldn't be too hard to overcome.  The problem is that the roads are tiny (at least, the neighborhood roads are).  There are people walking and riding bikes everywhere and you have to dodge those plus poles.  Also, the Japanese just put on their hazards and stop in the middle of the lane and you are expected to just go around them so not only are you dodging bikers and walkers and poles, but you are also trying to dodge cars in the middle of the lane and the cars coming from the other direction.  This all happens in the city as well.  Roads that seem as if they only have room for one car are actually two-lane roads.  On some roads the size limit is only a fifth of an inch wider than our van so imagine trying to go down that road and not hit someone or something.  The city is a little better because there are bigger roads but the sideroads are really small too and there are more people to dodge and more cars stopped with their hazards on.  It's scary.  Even Mike, who is a very good, confident driver, feels anxious behind the wheel.  Those first two weeks we had to drive to school on the back roads and then another hour into the city to look for an apartment a few times as well.  On some days we drove six hours.  I say "we" but actually Mike drove and I tried to help him look out for bikers or remind him which side of the road to drive on.  I practiced on base a few times and then drove off base once.  I didn't drive again until we moved here and even now, I don't drive often.  I feel it is something I need to conquer so I chose a route, Hardy Barracks, and drive there to pick up our packages.  I am mostly comfortable with that route and will add another route now--the church.  I have driven to a friend's house a few times as well but don't feel comfortable driving without Mike in the van with me.  It is so crazy to me that something that is so normal and comfortable to me in the states feels so frightening now.  I hate it.  It isn't like I loved to be a chauffer before but I liked the independence.  I liked being able to hop in the car and go wherever I needed to go.  I wasn't always comfortable driving through downtown Denver or during high traffic times but it wasn't a big deal and I didn't feel frightened by it.  I really dislike that something so easy for me before is so hard for me now. I just feel like I'm on high alert the entire time, watching for people and dodging cars and trying to remember which side of the road to be on, etc. Most of the people that I talk to here who have been here for at least a year or longer still don't feel comfortable driving here.  A few people won't do it at all.  A lot of people ride their bikes or use public transportation to avoid it but if you want to go to Costco for instance, you need to drive.  Also, for a family of seven, driving is cheaper, even with the costly tolls, than taking public transportation.  The other issue with driving is that finding parking is really hard.  I mostly walk everywhere but I do need to feel comfortable enough driving that I can do it without too much concern.  

I wasn't actually planning on writing an entire post on driving in Tokyo but there you go.  These pictures are from those first two weeks when we drove off base to the school and then from our first trip into the city, which was so overstimulating and overwhelming, even if really interesting.  I also included the kids' first day of school photo, and some pictures from our walk at the park next to the school when we went into Chofu (where the school is) for the High School Orientation. Finally, a photo or two of our time with Felicity while the kids were at school.