My one mission today was to purchase, install and register an ETC card for our car. My friend, Tiff, who has been here one month longer than me explained the process to me and gave me this informative direction sheet.
Before leaving the house, I mentally prepared for this daunting evolution. It would require me to go to two different places in Yokosuka near the base. First, I needed to purchase the ETC reader and have it installed. To do this, I located an AutoBacs in Google maps. AutoBacs is like an AutoZone on neon steroids. It smells like tires. It has signs hanging from the ceiling announcing something I don’t understand. The Japanese music playing about two levels too high. To say it was overstimulating is putting it mildly. The directions told me to select an ETC reader from the shelf. Well, obviously, this wasn’t going to happen without some help. I walked up to the counter and showed my information sheet to the register clerk. She quickly asked for assistance from the other clerk who spoke English. After explaining (by pointing at my sheet) that I needed a new reader, he walked over and showed me three different models. All in Japanese. Hmpf. I obviously have no idea which one. I shrug and say I have a Nissan Cube. He walks away and returns with one in a box. Great! We go back to the counter and I pay for the ETC reader. The clerk asks if I parked upstairs. (That sounds so weird and made total sense. The parking was ontop of the building.) I give him my keys and he tells me “1 hour.”
An hour gives me time to stroll around some shops and make a few purchases at a home store and ¥100 store. It wasn’t even 35 minutes later and AutoBacs called to tell me my car was ready. Wow! I return to the store and the same clerk who didn’t speak English grabs my paper work and gives me the charge for the install. ¥37,551. Yikes, I thought I already paid?! When she went to hand me my keys, she realizes she charged me for the wrong vehicle. (Seriously!?! I’m the tall blond American. Only one in the store!) Anyways, she’s attempting to explain to me that she charged me wrong and needs my receipt except it sounds like essticket. Finally she showed me another receipt and I understood. She reversed the transaction and gave me keys. Whew. Step one & two complete. Now for the actual purchase of the ETC card to go into the reader.
This required me to park on base and walk out to the ETC Japan store.
Here I was greeted by an American. Perfect English. Cowboys fan, in fact he was watching the game when I came in while wearing his Cowboys slippers and tshirt. (Yes, slippers at work!) He attempted to tell me nicely to go away and that I needed to register my reader online. (There were 4 computers in the room.) And that I would need to bring back my registered paperwork for the ETC reader and vehicle. Oh, wait – I have that with me! May I use one of these computers to register? Geez. Drive 30 minutes home to do what I can do there. Anyways, he shuts off his game and proceeds to help me register and setup my account. Fortunately for me, the Cowboys won. And my chore is complete. My car now talks to me when the ETC card is properly installed.
This entire evolution took 3.5 hours from the time I left the house to the time I was home. Once again this proves, things in Japan take about 3.5 times longer.