Do Okinawans glance down at your license plate?

[TheProsecutor]

When you are driving and make eye contact either with a pedestrian or another driver, do you often notice that inevitable glance down by them to your front bumper to check out your license plate -- as if confirming, "Yappari" -- a thought that you are related to the bases?

I see that all the time. I would like to think that it isn't annoying, but to be honest, to me it is, though in a small way.

However, they look puzzled when they don't see the Y plate.

Does this happen to you a lot? Or enough to at least notice it a few times a week? Perhaps some of you have become so conditioned to it that it no longer registers with you to even catch it.

I always catch it.

[dk]

I never noticed. When I'm driving, I'm rarely the only car on the road, so there's almost always something else for a pedestrian to look at.

[ryukyuboi]

I don't know why anyone would be so interested in a license plate number. And, I have never noticed anyone noticing it either.

[DoctorP]

Only if I am about to hit them...I guess a better and more obvious question, is do you look at their plates?

[ryukyuboi]

I do look at the Japanese plates from time to time when driving. It helps me remember the kanji for a location, and it helps me to remember hiragana. I notice the Y plates, too. I don't think I look at anyone's plates as a pedestrian though.

[dk]

I look at their plates if they drive like crap. If it's a wa plate I'm usually a little forgiving, but if it's an old man driving a yellow plate I just get angry. GREEN MEANS GO! MOVE!

[P_chan]

If I'm with my buddy (who is 6'6") we get stared weather we're driving or walking. I want to make a shirt for him that says "pictures 500 yen" because he's a walking freak show over here.

[Mad Hatter]

I guess I do... if I see a Y plate in front of me in one lane and a kanji plate in the other... I normally pull behind the Y plate. I know that they know how to use the gas pedal to the best of it's ability... That's about it though

[dk]

I normally pull behind the Y plate. I know that they know how to use the gas pedal to the best of it's ability... That's about it though
I do that too.

[Mad Hatter]

It's like following a police car to the crash... good times

[bad_karma]

Happens all the time. You can see the the wires smoking upstairs as the obaa registers the gaijin in the J-plate.

Good times.

Peace,

BK out

[Hollarey]

If I'm with my buddy (who is 6'6") we get stared weather we're driving or walking. I want to make a shirt for him that says "pictures 500 yen" because he's a walking freak show over here.

I know right!! We have a guy that comes see our shows all the time and for some reason we see him every where we go. I dont know his name but we call him Big Red. He is a tall, big guy and he gets starred at often. He just looks really out of place here...lol.

[Hollarey]

I look at the plates often. Especially when a car dashes across the road just to pull over for a soda.

[Muku]

I don't know why anyone would be so interested in a license plate number. And, I have never noticed anyone noticing it either.
I am pretty sure it isnt the number that people are looking at, it's the "Y" the　”わ” or any other hiragana.

I will admit that when I first started living here and everything was new to me it was a bit annoying, seeing people do double takes and rubber neck to see what my plate is.

Now it is no more annoying than people turning their heads and staring when I walk into a supermarket or other places here in Okinawa where foreigners are rarely if ever seen.

If I was to let it bother me I would have gone nuts years ago. It's a non issue for the most part to me now.

However there are times now, not with the rubber necking at the license plate but with the staring and occasionally rude and obscence comments that I let off steam by giving some timely retort. It's fun to see their reactions.:scared: :eek: :D

[thistle]

Yep, I've noticed people glancing quite a bit, though I don't have a Y number.

I do look at other people's licenses quite a lot though, how else would I choose who to drive behind:rolleyes:

[newvalor]

I've never even taken notice to looking at the plates, I'm too busy being the one moving thru the traffic. I'm too busy looking for the scooters or taxi's to just pop out of the road somewhere.

driving here on the island is like waiting for roaches to come out. they just pop out of every nook and cranny and just ruin your day.

[roxy_skyy]

I think mine just gets looked at a lot because my car is loud and some people find it obnoxious. I don't care they're probably thinking "Stupid, loud american" but I don't care. I like me car and it makes me happy. :)

[soldave]

Never noticed it.

[Koopa Troopa]

I catch people looking at the car from time to time but never the plates..

[DocTurtle]

I know I'm always looking at people plates. Normally it's just because they are doing something stupid like weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, or their music is so loud I can hear them coming with my windows up and just about everytime it's a "Y" plate and I just shake my head.
I know one time I was hearing music and I would have sworn it was a "Y" plate and it ended up not being one. I was very suprised.

[coldnoodles]

I have noticed it happens alot!

Jusco I let people cross in front of me and they glance at my Y plate sometimes they will cross and sometimes they won't. The people that won't cross usually give me that stare as they are walking away.

One night my husband was driving, we stopped to help a car that broke down holding up traffic. My husband speaks Japanese here the guy agreed to him looking at his car and moving it, but then the Japanese guy glanced back and saw our plates he said he didn't need any help. The Japanese guy became very rude.

When I go to Hokka Hokka Tei on Hwy 23 here I would get the party trays usually 2-3 of them. Every morning when I would get there, an old lady would be standing outside, she would always glance down come up to my window and start yelling at me, pointing her finger at me, using her hands telling me to shoo or go away. I would go get the party trays while she was yelling at me, people starring giving me all kinds of looks. My husband called me one time asking me what was taking me so long, he heard me being yelled at, and told me to get the HELL out of there ASAP!

And I am always looking at plates and cars, especially when there are accidents. Its interesting how a Y plate can rear end someone and deny the whole incident, cut people off and cause accidents.

[N3philum]

if someone looks at my plate and stops, i just wave em past me. they usually do the 200 bows and the hand/head wave/nod thing. usually with a smile.

[DougP]

I used to look at all the license plates when I first got here and was trying to memorize hiragana.:) It was a fun little game to play, when I wasn't driving of course. I never noticed anyone looking at my license plate before. Well come to think of it lately I've had a few double takes from Americans because I don't drive a car with a Y-Plate on it. Er I mean I'm not driving at all hehe:D But yeah I think a foreigner driving a kana plated vehicle would get more looks than one in a Y-Plated one.

[Koopa Troopa]

I have noticed it happens alot!

Jusco I let people cross in front of me and they glance at my Y plate sometimes they will cross and sometimes they won't. The people that won't cross usually give me that stare as they are walking away.

I can't stop staring at your avatar......... :thumbup:

[themadscientist]

They see nothing when they look down at my car but the cracked bumper and intercooler.

[Asshat]

Hey, they aren't puzzled when they don't see the Y Plate. They're just thinking, wow, his wife supports him. :P

I remember a guy many years ago thought he was cool with his kana plate...many years later, he realized it was the wa. LOL...the only thing Okinawan drivers avoid MORE than the Y plate!

[themadscientist]

the wa plate, god no; clear the sidewalks! :scared:

[eelecurb]

I ride a scooter as much as possible, to avoid traffic congestion and save gasoline $. In my time on the roads, I'd rank most to least dangerous:
1. Taxi drivers
2. Other scooter riders
3. Y plated drivers
4. elderly drivers
5. rental cars
6. new drivers
7. bus drivers
From #4 to #7 are virtually interchangeable.

[happily_married_1206]

That happened to me once, but i was parked in the family mart parking lot in Ginoza, then this crazy japanese chick comes up to me and gives me this sad sob story about how her friend is leaving and how she wants me to get her on to Schwab... i was like are you crazy... no thanks...sorry im going to be late for work... people do that though stand at lawsons and stuff just to give you a sob story so that youll get them on base... its pathetic... i know... :'(

[P_chan]

I ride a scooter as much as possible, to avoid traffic congestion and save gasoline $. In my time on the roads, I'd rank most to least dangerous:
1. Taxi drivers
2. Other scooter riders
3. Y plated drivers
4. elderly drivers
5. rental cars
6. new drivers
7. bus drivers
From #4 to #7 are virtually interchangeable.

I think you should make scooter drivers number one. I almost had one of them bastards take my arm off he got so close. I love it once one tries to pass me and then drive really slow in front of me. I usually end up pushing them to the shoulder and passing them. I know it seems mean and unsafe, but he souldn't have cut me off. But, I do feel sad once I see a scooter in an accident. I see a lot of people who make left turns and don't realize that an idiot on a scooter is trying to get around them on their left side. I see it a lot at the one foster gate (don't know the number). But, I'm not sure who is the bigger idiot. The scooter boy for weaving through cars, or the driver for not paying attention to his side mirrors once he turns.

[Guyjin]

They do glance at my plates!
Alot of them also look in my car also,I've been at a red light and people have stopped in the middle of the cross walk to look at me :-|

[Ammoyankee]

I think you should make scooter drivers number one. I almost had one of them bastards take my arm off he got so close. I love it once one tries to pass me and then drive really slow in front of me. I usually end up pushing them to the shoulder and passing them. I know it seems mean and unsafe, but he souldn't have cut me off. But, I do feel sad once I see a scooter in an accident. I see a lot of people who make left turns and don't realize that an idiot on a scooter is trying to get around them on their left side. I see it a lot at the one foster gate (don't know the number). But, I'm not sure who is the bigger idiot. The scooter boy for weaving through cars, or the driver for not paying attention to his side mirrors once he turns.

Yes, scooters and Diako's need to be somewhere at the top of the list. Even worse than Taxi's!

[P_chan]

I totally forgot about daikos! They are worse then taxis!

[Isaak Brodsky]

Does this happen to you a lot?

I've noticed that when I pull up to mainland Japanese here on holiday and who're waiting at a red light like me, the person in the passenger seat (usually the wife, girlfriend, or mistress) will tap the driver (probably the husband, boyfriend or mister), and they'll both sneakily look over at me as if to inspect me or to satisfy their curiosity that they've actually seen a foreigner.

This sort of behavior almost never fails to turn up, especially during peak tourist season. I kinda feel like a wild circus animal on public display whose ever move is watched by an oddly curious audience.

Sometimes, I find it so exasperating that I just bury my left index finger in my left nostril up to the second joint, ya know, to really give them a show.

[TheProsecutor]

"It wasn't a pick. It was a scratch!" -- J. Seinfield

[eelecurb]

I totally forgot about daikos! They are worse then taxis!
I had them mentally grouped with the taxis, but they do deserve special mention for their horrendous driving. While scooters can be bad, they don't have the potential to do as much damage as a car, and so I put taxis (and their bastard child the daiko unten) at the top. On any given day you could easily mix up the list, but over time that's what I notice. YMMV.

[Guyjin]

I totally forgot about daikos! They are worse then taxis!

The only thing worse than a taxi driver is two taxi drivers

[bad_karma]

I had to tell a daiko driver to "slow the (expletive) down" on the way back from Naha earlier this year...he was going a good 90-100 kph down the bypass...not cool.

Insane, the lot of them.

Peace,

BK out

[eelecurb]

I had to tell a daiko driver to "slow the (expletive) down" on the way back from Naha earlier this year...he was going a good 90-100 kph down the bypass...not cool.

Insane, the lot of them.

Peace,

BK out
They're priced so cheap that I wonder if they aren't scrambling to take enough fares to make a decent living...then again, it could just be pure insanity.

[bad_karma]

I'd say a combination of both.

Peace,

BK out

[Tony Stacks]

I notice it and I also do it myself.

[LandCru72]

TP this is an excellent post ! It kindda went over the groups heads though... :crying: I think bad Karma , Coldnoodles , Guyjin and Tony Stacks are the only one that didnt High Jack this post... This glancing at the Lic. Plates has been going on for years... Those of you that drive an expensive car with J plates will see it the most... I think its mostly a "Country thingy" ,but its annoying to say the least... Indirectly its probably a comment that you have nice wheels , on the other hand its a slap in the face... You Bad Ol Gaijin !!! hahahaha :army: people here are really against military ...Many dont think its fair that the road tax is different from what they pay... Thats another story ,though ! My wife is Okinawan and likes to think that when they look at the Lic. Plate that they're thinking I caught a wealthy girl...Her father's friends ,like most others just say "Joto no" which means High-Class or Superior ... Basically doing good ! Sometimes if you see a car crash its another way to tell whom is whom ! Or someone driving crazy ... But you can see this behavior in other area's though... Like when shopping many will look in your basket to see what your purchasing ...:D One that I like ,is when your in a Family-mart they'll look to see whats in your hand.. I often like to take whats in my hand and make circles ever so slightly until they realize the joke is on them... Try it , if the situation occurs ... Sometimes more than most , its just curious behavior... :cool: maybe we should make stickers that say " If your Okinawan look here ! " LOL :w00t:

[P_chan]

TP this is an excellent post ! It kindda went over the groups heads though... :crying: I think bad Karma , Coldnoodles , Guyjin and Tony Stacks are the only one that didnt High Jack this post... This glancing at the Lic. Plates has been going on for years... Those of you that drive an expensive car with J plates will see it the most... I think its mostly a "Country thingy" ,but its annoying to say the least... Indirectly its probably a comment that you have nice wheels , on the other hand its a slap in the face... You Bad Ol Gaijin !!! hahahaha :army: people here are really against military ...Many dont think its fair that the road tax is different from what they pay... Thats another story ,though ! My wife is Okinawan and likes to think that when they look at the Lic. Plate that they're thinking I caught a wealthy girl...Her father's friends ,like most others just say "Joto no" which means High-Class or Superior ... Basically doing good ! Sometimes if you see a car crash its another way to tell whom is whom ! Or someone driving crazy ... But you can see this behavior in other area's though... Like when shopping many will look in your basket to see what your purchasing ...:D One that I like ,is when your in a Family-mart they'll look to see whats in your hand.. I often like to take whats in my hand and make circles ever so slightly until they realize the joke is on them... Try it , if the situation occurs ... Sometimes more than most , its just curious behavior... :cool: maybe we should make stickers that say " If your Okinawan look here ! " LOL :w00t:

Good post, but honestly, I think you've over analyzed the situation.

[Tanimaga]

Good post, but honestly, I think you've over analyzed the situation.


I'm thinking someone found a cache of Jolt cola.

[LandCru72]

Hahahaha LOL !!! I was born on a ROCK !!!

[okisteve]

I only look down when it's some bizarre wheels, like for that brother who drives an old Caddy.

[Son Kokujin]

Since I am kind of a car buff (Body work and customs) as well as a new driver, I sometimes check out the cars on the road myself, and if I like what I see, I give the driver props-"Kakoii" (Cool)-or I would even say, "Nice car", and they usually get a chuckle...But I get plenty of stares whenever I am driving for at least 5 reasons-
1. They are checking out the "Gaijin" (damn, I don't like that word).
2. They are checking out the Kanji Plate (Wifey's car doesen't have a 'Wa' on her plate, so I think I'm okay).
3. They are checking out the "Beginner's Mark" on wifey's car...everybody notices that...
4. They may be wondering, "Why is the big black man driving a small, pink Daihatsu?"
5. (My favorite) They may be getting a good chuckle as I am singing along to whatever Japanese Anime or Tokusatsu song I have playing in wifey's car at the time...Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Soul, 80's and 90's-no big deal, but let me start singing "Kangaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman"-and passers by will do a double-take!:eek::D

[BleuEneG]

If I'm with my buddy (who is 6'6") we get stared weather we're driving or walking. I want to make a shirt for him that says "pictures 500 yen" because he's a walking freak show over here.

how much does he charge if he's naked?

[Guyjin]

Since I am kind of a car buff (Body work and customs) as well as a new driver, I sometimes check out the cars on the road myself, and if I like what I see, I give the driver props-"Kakoii" (Cool)-or I would even say, "Nice car", and they usually get a chuckle...But I get plenty of stares whenever I am driving for at least 5 reasons-
1. They are checking out the "Gaijin" (damn, I don't like that word).
2. They are checking out the Kanji Plate (Wifey's car doesen't have a 'Wa' on her plate, so I think I'm okay).
3. They are checking out the "Beginner's Mark" on wifey's car...everybody notices that...
4. They may be wondering, "Why is the big black man driving a small, pink Daihatsu?"
5. (My favorite) They may be getting a good chuckle as I am singing along to whatever Japanese Anime or Tokusatsu song I have playing in wifey's car at the time...Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Soul, 80's and 90's-no big deal, but let me start singing "Kangaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman"-and passers by will do a double-take!:eek::D
LOL now way!
PINK Daihatsu, oh well better than driving a HOMY near manko koen:D

[Son Kokujin]

LOL now way!
PINK Daihatsu, oh well better than driving a HOMY near manko koen:D

Hey, my job's near there...I wonder why the Governor doesn't change the frikkin' name already...and the small, pink Diahatsu is my wife's car...my new car won't be here for about 7 weeks...

[Guyjin]

Hey, my job's near there...I wonder why the Governor doesn't change the frikkin' name already...and the small, pink Diahatsu is my wife's car...my new car won't be here for about 7 weeks...
Maybe the governor likes the NAME :thumbup:
maybe the name is representative of the park itself:D
is it a funny name car you are getting?

[Son Kokujin]

Nope...it's a Mitsubishi Galant Fortis.

[Guyjin]

Nope...it's a Mitsubishi Galant Fortis.
is that a new model from mainland?

[Son Kokujin]

I think so...wifey says that it is new, but not by much...judging by the price, if I cannot get this 6-month payment plan going, I may have to forego the Fortis...:(

[Son Kokujin]

Got a pic 4 ya...what do you think?

[okisteve]

Got a pic 4 ya...what do you think?

Looks like a Japanese car!

[Son Kokujin]

Yessir...Mitsubishi! And if I can't get it, a Wagon R Stingray may do nicely...it's affordable.

"That's Japanese".
"How do you know?"
"'Cause I bought it in Japan".

-Michael Keaton, Tom Hanks-"Batman", 1988.

[-Rudel-]

I notice the "E" plates wishing I could bring my car here to Okinawa by TMO.

[Brand_X]

If I'm with my buddy (who is 6'6") we get stared weather we're driving or walking. I want to make a shirt for him that says "pictures 500 yen" because he's a walking freak show over here.


Damn where you two in deodeo last week in Oyama? i seen a guy that looked to be 7' there at the counter buying something. I just remember thinking Holy $h!t thay guy is tall. Im 6'2" but the guy I saw looked gynorums.

[P_chan]

Damn where you two in deodeo last week in Oyama? i seen a guy that looked to be 7' there at the counter buying something. I just remember thinking Holy $h!t thay guy is tall. Im 6'2" but the guy I saw looked gynorums.

No, he left island about six months ago.