License

My California drivers license will expire in 2 weeks and they will not let me renew it unless I go to a DMV office in California, swear I still live in the state, and risk they will try to tax my income as a California resident. No way.

So I went to to get an International Drivers license today. In the prefecture where I live, there is only one government ordained place to get one, and its a 3 hour round trip. Yippee, I can hardly wait.

So off we go to the Japanese DMV office, heading directly to window 8. Now this is Japan, so there really wasn't a line and the DMV employee was polite and helpful. He asked for my photo and measured it carefully, ensuring it was precisely the size the DMV requires. Then he checked my drivers license and gave me a form to fill out. Ok, my wife filled it out as it was in Japanese kanji.

We were instructed to bring the form to window 2, along with the money. You didn't think it would be free! At window 2 they took our money, made a copy of the form and told us to bring the copy back to window 8, along with a second form we had to fill out.

Back to window 8 to the same person with a copy of the frst form and an original of the second form. He needs to see my drivers license a second again, and my passport. Just 30 minutes later I have my International Drivers License in hand. But wait, there's more.

The guy calls me back to the window. Window 8 if you are keeping track. He shows me one more form. I have to sign it to acknowledge I received the license.

The system works perfectly. As in America, it is horribly inefficient so that the government employees can justify their existence and cost tax payers as much as possible for their non-service. But in Japan, the people are polite and waiting is kept to a minimum, so the "customer" does not feel as if he/she is being abused, unlike in California where you must wait for hours to see a crabby, rude, nincompoop government employee who treats you like dirt, or worse.

Japan is , once again, proven to be better than America.