My Venting Page

Like most people there are plenty of things that get under my skin. While all in all my glass is half full I still get worked up over some things.

Therefore -

This page is my venting page.

This is where I’m going to be Mr. Bitter and Mr. Angry. If you’re not interested in reading about the things that make my blood boil or if you’re here to be the devil’s advocate, then please move on.

I’m getting things off my chest here and I’m not interesting in debating.

But if you feel the same way about the issues at hand, feel free to leave a comment or share your similar feelings.

Thanks

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>Kelly

anger management therapy #1.

Driving in Japan

Being born and raised on the west coast of Canada I’m used to driving on long straight roads with decent speed limits.

Now that I live in Japan, my patience has run thin. With the average speed limit of 40 km/h you never get anywhere in a hurry.

In my city, in the span of 3 kilometers there are 13 traffic lights! Sometimes they are within 100 meters of each other.

If that’s not enough to frustrate me, Japan LOVES to do road work. Even on roads that don’t need work. The government gives out a huge amount of money to fix roads so therefore, in order to use it all, they create work where it’s not needed. You’ll see road work EVERYWHERE in Japan, holding up traffic at the worst times!

How about that fact that the highways all cost a lot of money! To get anywhere in a hurry you must pay at tolls. To go about 40 km will cost you around $10 depending on the size of your vehicle. So, to add pain to this, all the major truck companies take the low roads which are free and slug around in front and behind most cars. They spew out diesel while climbing this mountainous country at 20 km/h for my lungs to enjoy!

Have I mentioned yet people feel completely fine about parking their cars on these roads and holding up traffic while they run errands or text message someone on the phone.

About 2 years ago, mobile phones became illegal to use while driving. It’s a fine of about $60. So the rare group of people that actually follow this rule, obey it by parking in completely dangerous places and being completely ignorant about those around them!

Driving defensively in this country was not taught at the driving schools. And that is amazing because it costs over $2000 to get a drivers license here.

Finally, since I am a cyclist who has been hit by a Japanese driver and sent to emergency with an operation to follow, I have been acutely aware of some typical driving habits here. One in particular is how the Japanese break far before they use there blinker to signal they’re going to turn. In fact, some don’t even use their blinkers at all and feel completely fine about that.

I play ice hockey in a town that is 28 km’s from where I live. It always takes me an hour to get there. So the 40 km/h speed limit when added with road work, big trucks, hundreds of traffic lights and bad drivers – makes getting from point A to point B a really unpleasant experience.

- Ahhhh, that felt good to vent!

~Kelly