Comments on: Video Series “Only in Japan”: Part 5 - Zebras, Tapes and Taxis

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:22:23 +0000

very good video. could you tell me the name of the music performer? Thanks.

By: cjb

cjb — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:54:56 +0000

By: Keiji

Keiji — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:44:18 +0000

The Japanese traffic law states that you have to stop for peds at zebra crossings, and you get tested for your knowledge on that when you go for your drivers licence over here.

Some drivers do stop for you, but I suppose most don’t. You’ll get used to it.

However, I might add that driving behaviour is different in each country. I was really surprised that when I went to the neighbouring Russia, drivers are really courteous of peds trying to cross a road, in a most weird way. When peds are trying to cross the road at a zebra crossing, cars won’t stop. But when they are trying to cross at a place where there are no zebra crossings, especially at intersections, chances are, that they will stop to let you cross.
I think that the zebra crossings have different meanings in each country…

By: anton

anton — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:26:48 +0000

in germany you hace zebra things too, dont know the word and im too lazy to look at the top of the site^^

By: italianjob17

italianjob17 — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:19:03 +0000

In Italy it’s EXACLTY the same whith zebra crossings, expecially in Rome or in general in big cities, so there’s nothing weird for me in this video, the weirdest thing is that I didn’t know that in Japan too thay had this habit!

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 02:33:20 +0000

Blue, no worries. I was thinking about it some more and uou know there is one place where Japanese drivers tend to usually give way to pedestrians - at traffic lights. Even if they haven’t had to stop at the lights. Anyway, I thought I’d just throw that out there for you guys to ponder.

By: Blue

Blue — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 03:18:48 +0000

Scott, thanks very much for the input. When I wrote the article, I did a quick search for the relevant law, but you nailed it write on the head. Article 38 of the law specifies that people must stop. It would be interesting doing an actual experiment, using a mannequin and rolling it across the road…! An idea for the next video maybe

I really appreciate the reference that you added though!

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 03:06:15 +0000

In Japan, drivers are _supposed_ to give way to pedestrians and bicycles at zebra crossings according to the relevant traffic law. However, according to Wikipedia, 90% of drivers don’t! (Excerpt below)

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A8%AA%E6%96%AD%E6%AD%A9%E9%81%93

道路交通法によって、歩行者・自転車には道路横断時の横断歩道・自転車横断帯の使用義務（同法第12条）、車両には横断歩道・自転車横断帯における歩行者・自転車に対する譲歩優先義務（同法第38条）が規定されている。

しかし､信号のない横断歩道・自転車横断帯はドライバーのアンケートでもほぼ９割が停止しないと回答しており､その存在意義は薄く､歩行者・自転車の安全な横断を確保すると言う意味では実効性に乏しい標識となってしまっているのが現状である｡

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:19:08 +0000

I was really shocked at the zebra crossing thing when I went to Japan too.

One thing in particular that freaked me out, coming from roundabout-land Blighty, was the Japanese system for crossroads. If you’ve got a cross like so +, when the cars on the horizontal section can go, so can the pedestrians. However, the cars turning left Across The Pedestrians’ Zebra Crossing can also go. This makes you feel really really unsafe when you’re crossing as drivers come flying round the corners and you don’t know whether they’ll stop.

In Blighty if you’re on a zebra crossing you’re invincible, but in Japan you’re roadkill waiting to happen.