How not to drive in Japan, explained by the All Blacks
Major sponsor and insurer offers tips for 400,000 visiting drivers to keep safe
Heading to Japan and driving through the Land of the Rising Sun yourself? If you’re worried about it, the All Blacks are here to help. No, they’re not letting punters on the team bus. Instead the men in black have created an explanatory video which will help you on your way.
Filmed on the streets of Japan before the Rugby World Cup kicked off last week, the creators hoped to prevent disasters on the road.
Eight easy steps, some of which are a bit quirky, were explained by a narrator through the short threeminute video, with seven All Blacks offering assistance.
Jordie Barrett, Jackson Hemopo, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, captain Kieran Read, Ardie Savea, and Karl Tu’inukuafe feature in the tongue-in-cheek clip.
The presence of Hemopo, McKenzie and Tu’inukuafe who are not in the Cup squad shows the video was filmed long before the tournament kicked off.
The first tip from the team is to drive on the left-hand side of the road. Our American friends might run into trouble but for Kiwis heading to Japan that shouldn’t be a problem.
Tip No 2, if you’re scooting through busy Japanese cities on a motorbike always put on a helmet.
Now, tip three is an important one to note. Stop signs in Japan aren’t octagon-shaped — they’re an upsidedown triangle but still red in colour.
Tip four, don’t take selfies with robots at work. Weird right? While they might look friendly, tourists are asked to let them do their job.
To use expressways in Japan, motorists are required to pay so make sure when you’re driving about that you’re in the correct lane. That’s tip five.
Tip six is that parking throughout Japanese cities is limited so be careful where you leave your car.
If it’s in the wrong spot, you’ll be towed.
Food and beverages aren’t hard to come by in Japan and they have very strict rules around drink-driving, so tip seven advises that you have a sober driver.
And finally, tip eight explains you’re not able to turn on a red light. Again, this shouldn’t be an issue for any Kiwi drivers but in some countries, you can.
By creating the video, the All Blacks’ major sponsor, AIG, hoped to help out the 400,000 odd rugby fans estimated to make the trip to Japan.
It was designed to take a fun and light-hearted approach to explain road safety rules and differences from fans’ home countries.
The video is running online with social media channels and is being shared through 30,000 Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises.