i'm a (reluctant) car owner!
thoughts on rural transportation
Hello reader, thanks for being here! I’m Kana and this is Tending Gardens, which you can read about here. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing.
purchasing my first car
Since moving to rural Japan, I knew the day would come where I had to get a car—it’s simply not possible to do anything without a car. Unavoidably that day has come…
These past months, I have been relying on my host family and friends to shuttle me around, but it is really hard to do anything when the distances are far and the buses are far and few in between.
I’ve been very apprehensive about driving (let alone purchasing) a car. I know I should probably be more excited but if there was a way I could live without a car for the rest of my life, I think I’d be okay. I’m a big fan of (good) public transportation.
If I had to pick a private car or a reliable public transportation system, I’d pick the latter because it’s better for the community and the environment. But alas, I have accepted that a car needs to be a part of my existence for a sense of autonomy and freedom.
My car’s name is mame-chan (黒豆 or くろまめ, kuro-mame), which is Japanese for black bean. It’s a traditional dish that’s eaten every new year. It’s said that beans have meanings such as energy and health, so they are eaten with the hope of having good health! I hope mame-chan has a healthy long life and keeps me safe on the mountain roads.
Before purchasing the car I had to get my Japanese driver’s license. It was supposed to be “easy” because I was allowed to switch my Canadian license to a Japanese license. There are several countries that are allowed to may this switch… with paperwork. It was more tedious than I imagined and it included 3 separate trips to the main office and gathering documents such as taxes I filled or a copy of airplane tickets—none of which had anything to do with my skills as a driver. Each visit took about 3 hours of time waiting.
Thanks to fate or the universe (in Japanese ‘goen’ ご縁), I was found a used car was being sold at a car dealer in the next town over. The timing was perfect and I was able to put my deposit down on the day I received my license.
I was so lucky to find a car from a dealer that put so much care into preparing the car. When he handed me the keys to the car, he also handed me a bouquet of flowers and said ‘おめでとう’ (congratulations)!
He had a bag of daikon (radishes) that he received from a farmer and he gave some to me. The exchange felt so sincere and it was comforting knowing that I could build a relationship with the mechanic and know he’d help me if I had issues with the car.
the problem of public transportation in rural Japan
In rural areas of the country, the use of traditional public transport is falling dramatically due to a decreasing and ageing population and a higher dependence on private vehicles. According to the World Economic Forum, in many regions across Japan, train, buses and taxis are operating at a loss.
Public transportation speaks volumes about society. It can give insight into the development of a place or country—touching on the economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental progress. These developments are embedded in a transportation system that I think a lot of people take for granted. Transportation systems may also not be serving marginalized groups such as young, elderly, poor or disabled people in both urban and rural areas.
In Kamikatsu, there is one bus. The bus operates 6 times a day. the earliest pick up is at 8:45am and the last bus runs at 7:40pm. On weekends it's even more infrequent and there's a gap, with no buses running, from 12:45pm until almost 6pm. It’s hard to reply on the bus because of how little it runs. The bus tries it’s best to cover most of Kamikatsu, but it’s still not accessible to many parts of the village.
Transport also plays a key role in responding to the problem of rural social exclusion. The often large distances between services in rural areas mean it is difficult for people without access to private transport to be connected. I worry about the quickly ageing grandpa’s and grandma’s in Kamikatsu—many who will have to make the transition to non-driver. Alternative transport will play a key role in keeping these people integrated and engaged in mainstream society.
If friendly public transport the answer to the loneliness epidemic?
In a (slightly) related article, the author starts out by asking “When was the last time you spoke to a stranger on the bus?” The reality is that people who commute are probably not talking to each other. They are probably avoiding eye contact with their neighbours, preferring to bury themselves in their phone than taking a moment to be present.
I think it’s important for both urban and rural places to re-think transportation’s role in the sustainability of a place. The impacts rural transportation and mobility can have on the social fabric of a community is also an opportunity to build relationships.
welcome spring!
Happy Spring to all those in the North Hemisphere. Since moving to Kamikatsu, I’ve grown to be more attentive to nature—learning that the smell of the wind can tell the weather and there can be both brutal and blossoming side-by-side.
Every bud that is blossoming into a flower is a reminder of the fleeting and beautiful in nature and life. Sakura (cherry blossom) is meant to symbolize just that—the magnificent impermanence of life. Spring, like fall, is a time of in-betweens. We get to be a part of unfolding growth and decay.
Spring is a time for transition and to take a step forward into change.
Wishing you a Happy Spring!
Take care,
Kana
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I don't think I've ever talked to a stranger on the bus.... Have you? On another note, I'm loving these posts and the cute pix!!