知っておくべき、歩行者、自転車、自動車の交通ルール　#48 | 日本語ポッドキャスト

知っておくべき、歩行者、自転車、自動車の交通ルール　#48 | 日本語ポッドキャスト

Hello everyone.
This is Fumi from the Speak Japanese Naturally Podcast. On this channel, I introduce Japanese language and Japanese culture. I also have a channel membership. There are two levels, and if you join the higher one,
you can listen to a special episode once a week. If you’re interested, I’d love for you to join. So, today’s topic is traffic rules. I think some of you who are listening to this podcast live in Japan. And even if you don’t, you might visit Japan for sightseeing and drive a car,
or rent a bicycle. At the very least, you’ll walk on the streets. So today I’ll share some rules that will be helpful in those situations. First, I’ll talk about the basic rules. Let’s start with houkousha—the rules for pedestrians, meaning people who walk. Then the rules for bicycles,
and after that, the rules for cars. And I’ll also talk about what to do if you get into an accident.
Back in August, my son was actually in a small accident.
I’ll explain while sharing what happened then. At the end, I’ll talk about something called “gotouchi-bashiri.” There are regions that are known for dangerous driving.
Some areas are actually famous for that. Some regions even have special names, so I’ll share a bit about that too. I think you’ll find it interesting, so please listen until the end. Alright, let’s start with the basic rules. The very first thing—well, something we learn when we’re little—is the phrase:
“Kuruma wa hidari, hito wa migi.” In other words, cars drive on the left,
and people walk on the right. This is the most important thing, so please keep it in mind. If you come from a country where cars drive on the right side,
you’ll probably feel really confused at first. It can be dangerous, so please be careful. Last Sunday, I uploaded a beginner-friendly video on my main channel,
and I also talked about traffic rules in that video. It’s basically a video that helps you visualize what it’s like
to drive on the left side, so please check it out if you’re interested. So anyway—the key point is: cars keep left. The Japanese word jitensha ends with sha, which means “car.”
So a bicycle is considered a vehicle. Bicycles also follow the basic rule of keeping left. Another very important rule is “hokousha yuusen”—pedestrians have the right of way. So when you’re driving, if a pedestrian is waiting at a crosswalk, you stop. That’s the basic rule. Recently, I feel like more people stop for pedestrians—at least around here. It might be different depending on the region. In 2018, I visited Norway as a tourist.
When I waited at a crosswalk there, cars always stopped for me,
and I was honestly shocked. I thought, “What an amazing country.”
People were so kind—it really surprised me. At that time, in Japan, cars didn’t stop very often. So when a car did stop, I’d think, “Oh, that’s so kind.” Now, though, I feel like the percentage of cars that stop has increased a lot. So again, the basic rules are “cars keep left, people keep right,”
and “pedestrians have the right of way.”
These are the most important rules. Alright, next let’s take a closer look at pedestrians. So, if there’s a sidewalk, pedestrians walk on the sidewalk. Hodou means “walking path”—a path for people to walk on. Earlier I said people walk on the right,
but on narrow roads, there’s often no sidewalk. In that case, please walk on the right side. When you walk on the right, cars will pass on your left,
so you can see the cars coming toward you.
That’s why you walk on the right. If there is a sidewalk, then walk on the sidewalk. And when you cross the road, we learn as kids to
look right, look left, and then look right again before crossing. That’s because from a pedestrian’s perspective, cars come from the right first.
So you look right, then left, and then one more time to the right
to make absolutely sure nothing is coming. Earlier I said that pedestrians have the right of way. So some cars will stop if you’re waiting at a crosswalk—
but some won’t. So even if a car is approaching slowly, please don’t step out.
Only cross after you’ve confirmed that the car has fully stopped. And there’s another thing to be careful about—
though I think adults are usually fine. If a car on your side stops, you say thank you—
you bow a little as you cross. But sometimes people—especially kids—don’t look to the other side.
Elementary school kids sometimes bow and then start running forward
without checking the other direction. But cars can be coming from the other side,
and that’s extremely dangerous.
So even if the car on your side stops,
don’t cross unless the oncoming car has stopped too. Alright, next—bicycles. Today, to make sure I don’t forget anything, I’m talking while looking at my notes. As I mentioned earlier, a bicycle is considered a vehicle,
so the basic rule is to keep left. And the basic rule is to ride on the roadway, not the sidewalk. Let me share a few things you must not do. You sometimes see friends riding side by side on their bicycles, chatting.
That’s something you’re not allowed to do. Even if you can’t talk anymore, you ride in a single line. And helmets—you absolutely have to wear one. So if you rent a bicycle, they’ll include a helmet.
Make sure you put it on. Another thing you must not do is use your smartphone.
Riding while looking at your phone or talking on the phone is prohibited. Even if you’re not holding it in your hand—if you use earphones and talk on the phone—that’s still dangerous and not allowed. I sometimes see cyclists riding while listening to music,
but that’s extremely dangerous. And even when walking, doing something while listening to music is really dangerous. Because if you can’t hear cars approaching or any sounds around you,
that’s truly dangerous. There’s no rule that says pedestrians can’t look at their phones or talk on the phone,
but cyclists are not allowed to do those things. Because bicycle accidents have been increasing,
starting next April, people who do these prohibited things
will receive penalties. “Bassoku ga kasareru”—meaning that a penalty will be imposed on you. Specifically, you’ll have to pay a fine. For example, if you’re supposed to ride on the left side but ride on the right,
the fine is 5,000 yen. Talking on the phone or listening to music with earphones while riding—
these are all considered nagara sumaho, meaning “doing things on your phone while riding.” If you do nagara sumaho, the fine is 12,000 yen.
It’s the highest fine because so many people do it. And as I mentioned, riding side by side instead of in a single line
comes with a 3,000-yen fine. There’s also ichiji futeishi…,
You’re required to make a complete stop. (Not doing that is what we call “ichiji futeishi.”) I think the sign is similar in many countries,
but in Japan, the triangular sign says “tomare”—stop. In the U.S., it probably says “STOP,” right? In Japan, it says “tomare.” Usually the character 止 (to) is in kanji,
and mare is written in hiragana or katakana. Sometimes it’s written directly on the road,
but usually there’s also a posted sign. Occasionally there’s no posted sign, but if “tomare” is written on the road,
bicycles must also stop.
You make a complete stop, check that it’s safe, and then go. If you don’t do that, the fine is 5,000 yen. Also, at night, bicycles must have their lights on. Even long ago, police officers often checked this.
If you rode at night without lights, they would stop you. If your light wasn’t on, they’d stop you and say,
“Please turn on your light.” It’s happened to me too. Starting in April, that will also come with a fine. By the way, these fines apply to people aged 16 and older—
around the second year of high school. So for example, if two friends are riding bicycles together,
and one is 15 and the other is 16… Right—15-year-olds and 16-year-olds would be first-year high school students. In that case, one might get a fine,
and the other might not. But in your case, since most of you are adults,
you will get fined. But it’s not just “be careful because there’s a fine”—
it’s genuinely dangerous.
Especially nagara sumaho—using your phone while riding—is very dangerous,
so I really recommend not doing it. Alright. Earlier, I said bicycles ride on the roadway. But in Japan, the places where bicycles are supposed to ride
are actually really dangerous. There basically aren’t dedicated bike lanes. In countries where the system is better developed,
you’ll often see proper bike lanes. There are areas where only bicycles can go. But in most places in Japan—though there are a few exceptions— for example, near my house, the roads aren’t very wide,
but lots of cars pass through.
And bicycles are required to use the same roads as the cars. Sometimes there’s a blue line or arrow-like marking
indicating where bicycles should ride. But it’s just a painted line on the roadway.
Cars still drive over it normally. There aren’t fences or barriers to protect bicycles—
nothing like that. You can see that blue line in the video I uploaded
on the main channel that I mentioned earlier. So there are many roads that are actually pretty dangerous. On dangerous roads—really dangerous ones—
bicycles are allowed to use the sidewalk at jokou,
meaning they can ride slowly. But if there are a lot of pedestrians, you get off the bicycle
and walk while pushing it.
If you do that, you’re treated as a pedestrian. So on roads where cars are zooming by—really fast and really close—
it’s safer to go onto the sidewalk and walk your bicycle. And that’s exactly what I tell my kids. Right now, bicycles are supposed to ride on the roadway.
I don’t think there’s a fine for that yet. But it’s just too dangerous.
Especially for children—though not only children.
There are places where it’s obviously dangerous,
but bicycles are still required to be on the road. So I tell my kids, “Go onto the sidewalk
and walk while pushing your bicycle.” Alright, that’s about it for bicycles. Next is cars. Cars, as I mentioned earlier, drive on the left.
And you always wear your seatbelt. People in the back seat must wear seatbelts too. And children under six—miman meaning “not yet six,”
so six-year-olds are not included— children under six must ride in a child seat. So for example, if you have three children under six,
you need to have three child seats in your car. That’s the rule. And of course, when you’re driving, you must not look at your smartphone.
You also must not talk on the phone while driving. We call this “batsu”—something you must not do.
You absolutely can’t do it. And “shingou mushi”—ignoring traffic lights—
is something you never do in Japan. When I was researching, I read that in some dangerous regions
with high crime rates, stopping at a red light can be risky.
You might get attacked or robbed. So in those areas, some people don’t stop at red lights. But in Japan, of course, you always stop at a red light. Under the red light, you might see a green arrow—
sometimes pointing right to allow right turns,
sometimes straight, sometimes left. “Usetsu” are to the right, and “Sasetsu” are to the left. Even when the main signal is red,
if the green arrow is lit, you can go in that direction. But other than that, you never run a red light.
Even if no other cars are around,
you absolutely don’t ignore the signal. Another thing you must never do is “inshu unten”—driving under the influence of alcohol.
That means driving after drinking. In Japan, even one sip—just a single goku—
means you cannot drive. Sometimes when I watch foreign dramas,
I see someone drink a whole beer and then drive,
and I’m completely shocked. I’m like, “You just drank beer!” In Japan, even one sip is already out.
You must not drive. And for example, the driver will of course be punished— but even the person sitting next to the driver,
if they knew the driver had been drinking but didn’t tell them to stop,
and just rode along anyway—
that person will receive the same punishment. And the restaurant staff, too—
if they serve alcohol to someone who is going to drive,
they will be punished as well. So at izakaya, they’ll ask, “Is anyone here the driver?”
And if you’re the driver, they won’t serve you alcohol.
They have to confirm that you’re not the driver. This becomes a problem when you live in the countryside. In rural areas, there are many situations
where you can’t get to an izakaya without a car. So what do people do?
They hire a daikou service. Daikou literally means “go in your place.” So you hire someone to drive instead of you. When you start thinking, “Maybe it’s time to go home,”
you call the daikou company. You tell them where you are, and after about 10 or 20 minutes,
they come.
Two people show up in one car. One person drives your car,
and you ride in your own car. The other person drives the daikou company car,
and we head home in our car. And the daikou company car follows behind us. When we get home, we pay, say thank you,
and then the two daikou drivers return together
in the car they came in, or they head out to the next customer. When I was little, drunk driving rules were much looser. So I think people used to drink quite a bit and still drive.
But now the rules are very strict. Especially public workers—teachers, police officers—
people who are supposed to set a good example
for society.
If they drink and drive, it becomes news. In serious cases, they can even lose their job. So drinking and driving carries a very high risk.
And it’s obviously dangerous. If you drink and drive, your judgment becomes slow,
and that can easily lead to an accident. And even if you think your judgment is fine—
like “I only had one sip” or “just one drink”—
if you get caught, you’re socially done.
So you must never drink and drive. Please be careful. Also—oh right—you must make a complete stop before railroad crossings. Fumikiri is a place where trains run,
and people and cars can cross the tracks. When a train is coming, the barriers go down
and it makes a “kan-kan-kan” sound. When no train is coming, the crossing is open as usual. So when you approach a railroad crossing in a car,
you must always make a complete stop. You check that no train is coming with your own eyes—
that’s called mokushi, watching with your eyes—and then you cross. “Stop before a railroad crossing” is something you learn
in driving school. In Japan, almost everyone has to attend driving school
to get their driver’s license. So in driving school, you first take gakka classes—
classroom lessons where you study all these rules. After passing the written test,
you receive a learner’s permit, karimen. With that, you go out onto real roads with an instructor beside you,
practice driving, and eventually get your full license. So if you don’t stop at a railroad crossing during training,
you lose points. That’s why everyone always stops properly at railroad crossings. Also—you know—in Japan, pedestrians have the right of way.
So if someone is waiting at a crosswalk,
drivers are supposed to stop. Drivers are supposed to stop,
but many still don’t. So pedestrians must be extremely careful—
always wait until the car fully stops. Even if the car is crawling along slowly
and looks like it’s going to stop,
it might not.
So only cross after confirming it has completely stopped. And on narrow roads, people often give way to each other. There’s a road I use often that isn’t very wide,
and there are lots of utility poles along it. Denshinbashira—utility poles that hold up electric wires.
They’re called denchuu. Some regions have their utility poles underground,
but in the countryside, they’re not underground—
there are lots of poles standing along the roads. And those poles get in the way. Sometimes, when two cars try to pass each other near a pole,
there’s hardly any space.
So one car stops before the pole, lets the approaching car pass, and then goes afterward.
That kind of yielding happens all the time. People in this area often yield to each other like that. And sometimes there are “local rules,”
even on roads that aren’t particularly narrow. They’re rules shared among the people who live in that neighborhood. I use one road a lot now, so I know the rules there,
but at first I didn’t. I saw the car in front stop at a certain point and thought,
“Why is this car stopping here? It’s in the way,”
so I went around it. But I later realized that the car had stopped
to let cars coming from farther ahead pass through.
That was the yielding point. When I understood that later, I thought,
“Oh no… I messed up.” But after that, I learned there are several yielding points on that road,
so now I’m careful. Alright, that’s about it for driving. Let me introduce an interesting word: paper driver. In Japan, most people get their driver’s license
around age 18. Eighteen is right after high school graduation. Many university students get their license
in the summer of their first year. But even if they get a license,
many students don’t actually own a car right away. I think the car ownership rate among university students in Japan
is not that high. Especially in central Tokyo—
with trains and buses being so convenient—
even many adults don’t own cars.
So students don’t either. In the countryside, though, more students tend to have cars. In rural areas, some parents say,
“If you go to a local university, we’ll buy you a car.”
It happens around here, too. For example, from here, it’s too far to commute
to a university in Tokyo. So students rent an apartment in Tokyo and live there to attend university.
And that costs a lot of money. But if the child goes to a university close to home,
commuting from home saves a lot of money. So instead, parents might say,
“With the money we save, we’ll buy you a car.” There are also parents who don’t want their kids to go far away
and would prefer they stay close to home.
So they say things like that, too. But honestly, I feel like once kids leave for university,
they often don’t come back. Countryside areas don’t have many jobs,
and salaries are lower than in big cities. And once they go to a big city—
for example, a university in Tokyo— If they meet someone in Tokyo and get married,
they’ll probably live in Tokyo or somewhere around Tokyo,
rather than coming back home. So parents feel like, “If they leave for university,
they’re probably never coming back.” And that’s one reason they say things like,
“We’ll buy you a car if you stay local.” Anyway—back to the topic.
I was going to talk about “paper driver.” A paper driver is someone who gets a driver’s license
but doesn’t drive afterward.
There are quite a lot of people like that. I also got my license at 18,
and until around age 28 I hardly drove at all.
I was a paper driver. So driving felt scary, and I thought,
“I can’t drive anymore.” But when I was about to have a baby,
I realized it would be better to be able to drive
in case something happened. And the area where we lived then wasn’t very urban,
so even going to the supermarket or the hospital
was really inconvenient without a car. So we decided to buy a car. Since I needed to be able to drive,
I practiced in a parking lot at first,
with my husband sitting next to me. After that, I started driving to the supermarket and places,
and eventually I could drive with no problem at all. But in big cities—places with subways and lots of buses—
many people don’t own cars. So I think there are probably many paper driver in cities. Next, let me talk about what to do
if you get into an accident. The very first thing you do is check for injuries. Check whether anyone is hurt.
If someone is injured, call an ambulance—
the number is 119. When you dial 119, they ask,
“Is it a fire or a medical emergency?” 119 is the same number you call for a fire. So if it’s not a fire and someone is hurt,
you say, “Kyuukyuu desu, It’s an medical emergency,”
and they come. If no one is injured, then you call 110—
the police. That’s because when you deal with insurance later,
you need the police to come,
so the accident is officially recorded. If you don’t report it to the police,
insurance won’t cover it. So you must report it to the police. The police come, investigate the situation,
and record everything. Another thing you need to do is exchange contact information
with the other party. You need to get their name, phone number,
and which insurance company they use. That’s because when you call your insurance company,
you give them this information,
and then the two insurance companies
handle everything from there. After that, they decide the kashitsu wariai—
kashitsu meaning “fault.”
It refers to how much each side is responsible. Once that’s decided, they determine
how much your insurance pays
and how much the other person’s insurance pays. So at the end of August, around 8 a.m.,
I got a phone call from my son. He said, “Mom… I was in an accident…”
in this very dark voice. I got worried, and it turns out he’d been riding his bicycle and entered the intersection without stopping. The other party was a car.
He said he had bumped into the car. My husband went there right away—it wasn’t far—
and he talked with the driver and the police. I handled the insurance process afterward,
and it was really a lot of work. But even though it was a lot of work,
neither my son nor the driver was injured.
I was really grateful for that. The driver’s car had a scratch,
so he decided to go through insurance. But as for the percentage of fault—
it seems the other side hasn’t taken the car in for repairs yet. So their insurance company can’t make a decision,
and the talk between the insurance companies is stuck. But my insurance company told us that
if my son didn’t go to the hospital,
and later something appeared—like neck pain or back pain—
it wouldn’t be recognized as being caused by the accident. So they said, “If you’re going to go to the hospital, go early,”
so we did go to the hospital. He said it didn’t hurt much,
so fortunately, it wasn’t serious. Really, it was such a relief that he wasn’t badly injured. The driver told us that my son’s bicycle
had apparently ridden up onto the car’s hood—
the bonnet area. But when I asked my son, “Did something that serious happen?”
he said he didn’t remember anything. He said he just spun around,
and when he realized what was happening, he was standing up. I’m not exactly sure what happened,
but he’s young and athletic—
he’s played soccer for years—so his reflexes are good. So maybe his body instinctively twisted in a way
that reduced the impact. Also, although it wasn’t the road to his own school,
it was right next to another high school,
so lots of students walk or ride bikes there. So the driver was apparently driving very slowly. I think that’s also why my son wasn’t injured.
Really, I’m so grateful nothing serious happened. Ah—my son’s bicycle didn’t survive.
It was destroyed. But honestly, I’m just so relieved
that only the bicycle was ruined. Oh, right—and in the past,
in an accident between a bicycle and a car,
the car was usually considered more at fault. But recently, because dangerous bicycle riding has increased,
the percentage of fault assigned to bicycles
has also been increasing. In our case too, my son failed to stop
at a place where the sign clearly said “stop.” He rode straight out without stopping.
So his percentage of fault will likely be higher. And they told us— At first, the estimate was 70–30—
70% the car’s fault and 30% my son’s.
But they said it might end up becoming 60–40. Later on, when I was watching the news,
I saw another accident in a different place where a bicycle suddenly darted out—
and in that case, the cyclist was clearly at fault. The cyclist ignored a red light and rode out, causing an accident.
And the court ruled that the cyclist had to pay damages—
I think it was around 130,000 yen.
It actually went to trial. So it wasn’t handled just by insurance—
it went to court.
And in the past, the general idea was that the bicycle wasn’t really at fault. There was a time when bicycles were seen as being as vulnerable
as pedestrians. But now, bicycles are considered potentially dangerous. So when cyclists cause an accident today,
it can become quite expensive.
You really need to be careful. As I mentioned earlier, from next April,
penalties for bicycles will become stricter. I think it’s intended as a reminder
to help ensure that people ride bicycles safely,
since bicycles can be dangerous. Finally, let me talk about dangerous driving styles
that vary by region. These are called gotouchi-bashiri. Gotouchi means something unique to a certain area. For example, gotouchi gourmet means
local cuisine that you can only eat in that region. Here in Yamanashi, that would be houtou. If you go toward Lake Kawaguchiko,
you’ll find Yoshida no udon.
That’s also local cuisine—gotouchi gourmet. And when you travel, eating the local specialty
is a big highlight, right? Just like that, there are gotouchi-bashiri. Hashiri means “driving.” It comes from the verb kuruma wo hashiraseru—to drive a car—
and turning it into a noun gives you hashiri.
Add gotouchi, and you get gotouchi-bashiri. Not every region has one. But there are some regions where certain driving habits
are famous, so let me introduce a few. The first one I want to introduce is Ibaraki dash. Ibaraki is a prefecture in Japan. It’s north of Tokyo—north of Chiba. So what is the Ibaraki dash?
It’s when someone wants to turn right at a red light, and the moment it turns green,
they shoot out quickly and turn right. Dash means to move quickly with a burst of speed. Since Japan drives on the left,
if you want to turn right,
you normally have to wait until the cars coming straight
or turning left have passed. So you’re supposed to wait until all those cars are gone,
and only then make your right turn. But turning right ahead of those cars
the moment the light turns green is extremely dangerous. Apparently it happens quite often (in Ibaraki),
so in the Ibaraki area it’s called the Ibaraki dash. And there’s another one that’s basically the same, called Matsumoto-bashiri. Matsumoto is a city in Nagano Prefecture. It’s the place where Matsumoto Castle is. It’s a very beautiful town. And just like Ibaraki dash, when someone is waiting at a red light wanting to turn right,
the moment the light turns green, they dart out quickly.
That’s what’s called Matsumoto-bashiri. I didn’t know that.
I didn’t know people in Matsumoto were known for rough driving. And there’s another one that’s the same, called Iyo no hayamagari. Iyo refers to Ehime Prefecture. In the past, Japan used old provincial names before the modern prefecture system. Ehime used to be called Iyo. Ehime is the place known for Dogo Onsen. Do you all know the famous road called Shimanami Kaidō? If you bike the entire thing, it’s about 70 kilometers. It’s a road that goes across several islands—
you can cycle across all of them. If you start the Shimanami Kaidō from Onomichi in Hiroshima,
the endpoint is Imabari, a city in Shikoku. And Imabari is in Ehime. That area is the old Iyo region. And that region is known for Iyo no hayamagari—
meaning “Iyo’s turning quickly.” Next is Awa no kibashiri. Awa refers to present-day Tokushima Prefecture. Just like Ehime, it’s located in Shikoku. It’s famous for the Awa Odori dance, but in driving terms,
the area is known for kibashiri. Yellow actually means you’re supposed to stop at an intersection.
When the light turns yellow, you’re supposed to stop. Of course, if you’re already going straight and braking suddenly would be dangerous,
you can go through. But Awa no kibashiri is different—
it means they enter the intersection even though they know the light is already yellow. Sometimes they even go in when it’s basically red already—
that’s Awa no kibashiri. I just thought the names were funny. Kibashiri, hayamagari, dash—they all sound interesting, don’t they? Next is “Okayama rule.” The Okayama rule is when drivers change lanes
without using their turn signal.
They just slip in—
Isn’t that really scary? When someone does that to me, it really surprises me.
It doesn’t happen often, though. But I do occasionally see people turn without using their signal,
even around here. It always shocks me. But cutting in front of someone during a lane change
without using a turn signal—
that’s honestly really scary. Apparently that happens a lot in Okayama,
and it seems some roads there even have signs to indicate,
“Please use your turn signal.” So now I’ve talked about three things. Not using a turn signal,
entering an intersection even on yellow,
and turning right the moment the light turns green. When you combine all three, it becomes Nagoya-bashiri. Nagoya is a very well-known city,
and it seems it’s famous for aggressive driving. So Nagoya-bashiri can include all of those behaviors,
or just general rough driving.
It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? But of course, most people don’t actually do those things. Still, when you visit those regions,
if someone slips in without a turn signal in Okayama,
you might think, “Ah, that’s the Okayama rule.”
It might be helpful to keep that in mind. And as I just explained,
turning right the moment the light turns green,
entering on yellow,
and turning without a signal— these are all things you should never do
according to basic traffic rules.
So this became a good lesson today. As for me—well, I normally don’t do those things,
but I actually have been caught violating traffic rules
five times in the past. Once was for speeding. I was driving on the expressway. It was the Hokuriku Expressway—
a really wide, smooth, beautiful road. I was driving fast—byuun!—
and suddenly, the Ishikawa police—
yes, it was in Ishikawa Prefecture— came up behind me.
On the expressway, police often use fukumen cars—
unmarked police cars that look normal cars. They only show their lights when they start chasing you—
like phew!—the red light pops out. You suddenly notice the car behind you
transform into a police car, and you’re like, “What?!” So yes, I got caught. That was one time. And what was funny—or terrible—is that after I was caught
by the Ishikawa police,
we continued driving on the same road,
and then in Fukui, my husband was caught
by the Fukui police (for speeding)! All on the same day.
We must have really been driving too fast that day.
We were shocked—two tickets on the same day! And the remaining four violations were all for failing to stop. Three of those were at the same spot. When I got caught the third time at the same place,
I was honestly shocked. And yes… I really wasn’t stopping there.
So careless—really unbelievable. So now, of course, I absolutely stop there every time. And the last one was in a different location—
I got caught for failing to stop there, too.
I was so disappointed with myself. If you don’t stop at an ichiji-teishi—a stop sign—
the fine is 7,000 yen. So really… paying 7,000 yen for something you could have avoided
just by stopping—it feels so silly, doesn’t it? So now, of course, when I see a stop sign,
I always stop properly—naturally. So please, everyone, be careful when you drive. Because if you cause a traffic accident,
especially if someone loses their life,
you ruin their entire life—
and you ruin your own life as well. So really—please be careful when you drive. And that goes for bicycles too.
Bikes can be pretty dangerous. Bicycles, cars—and walking as well.
Please make sure to stay safe and follow traffic rules. But even if you follow the rules,
something might suddenly come at you,
so always look carefully around you as you move. I mean—whether you’re walking or driving—
just stay aware of your surroundings. Alright, that’s it for today’s episode. Now, before we finish,
I’d like to say thank you to my channel members. Edmo-san, Debu-san, Albireo-san, Delta-san, Dade-san,
Kim Youngman-san, Jo Mokyung-san, Benjamin-san, Huang Yonghui-san, Hamada-san, Ninua-san, Ch ch-san, Wu-san,
Shin Gwangkil-san, Jim Hubbart-san,
Jun ChanJong-san, Ori-san, Joanne-san, Jo MoGyeong-san, Sandaygirl-san, Unmesh-san,
Nagwa-san, Ing YeoIn-san, Apple Pie-san, Sung-san, Girl Abroad-san, Park Kwiok-san Thank you so much for joining the membership! It really encourages me. Thank you so much. And to everyone else—
if you’d like to join, I’d love to have you! You can listen to one (special) episode every week. Thank you so much for listening until the end today. See you again in the next episode.
Have a wonderful week!

💛 私のチャンネルメンバーになって応援してもらえたらうれしいです！
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NROu3WWx1KZ7tNl275F7A/join

🎧 I also have another channel for Japanese beginners!
https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@SpeakJapaneseNaturally⁩

🎥 About My Course

Hi, I’m Fumi!
I help Japanese learners sound more natural by teaching pronunciation, rhythm, pitch accent, and intonation.

I offer an online course where you can work on these skills step by step!

You can choose from two plans:
🌸 Standard Plan (Monthly)
🌸 Premium Plan (Yearly, with 2 months free)

Both plans include:
• 34 video lessons on Japanese phonetics
• 15 conversation practice videos (currently ongoing)
• 11 listening practice videos

🌟 Plus, you can join the Monthly Pronunciation Challenge
and receive personalized video feedback from me!

⸻

🌸 Interested?
Learn more and join here:
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