Posted January 10, 2010

Tomohisa had reached a coveted status in Japan’s vertically-ordered society: medical doctor. Along with the status came wealth, which he used to buy the affection of women…and lots of booze. His selfishness blinded... [Read More]

Posted December 2, 2011

When the warning sirens went off, residents in a south Sendai neighborhood fled to the local school. Together with panicked children still in class they climbed to the rooftop. Some 600 altogether... [Read More]

Japanese Get "Bach" Hope

Posted September 21, 2011

Who would have thought Bach would be involved in 21st century mission work in Japan? I have frequently read with interest of the strong connection between classical music (particularly J.S. Bach) and Japanese interest... [Read More]

Tsunami Ground Zero

Posted April 7, 2011

I still haven't returned from tsunami ground zero. That is to say, although I've been back several days already, the reality of the scene is still with me. The incredible amounts of mud in once beautiful homes... [Read More]

"Nice Try, Kevin" File

Posted February 9, 2011

This one goes into the "Nice try, Kevin" file. I just thought it was a nice-looking bunch of flowers in the storefront and, on the spur of the moment, decided Kaori deserved to enjoy them. Chrysanthemums, however, are... [Read More]

The Gulliver Complex

Posted November 9, 2007

I'm a giant again. Well, not really. But it sure feels like it again since returning from the States. The first sign was bumping my head in the shuttle bus from the airport. By habit, I normally duck my head through any... [Read More]

Foreigners Don't Get the Point

Posted January 31, 2010

I'm standing in line at a drugstore with other shoppers. The woman in front of me has just pulled out a business card file. Hurriedly she flips through at least a hundred or more cards searching for the right one. It's a... [Read More]

More Powerful than Bombs

Posted July 5, 2008

Fuchida grew up loving his native Japan and hating the United States, which treated Asian immigrants harshly in the first half of the twentieth century. Fuchida attended a military academy, joined Japan's... [Read More]

Ready?

Posted September 14, 2010

I'd been putting it off. Although I knew it was important, taking inventory of our earthquake and disaster gear just wasn't getting done. Japan rests along the "ring of fire" in the Pacific ocean, a stretch of area that is... [Read More]

150 Years Later

Posted March 17, 2009

This spring marks the 150th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Japan. The first protestant missionaries set foot in the port of Yokohama back in 1859. Now they were real church planters -- overcoming all... [Read More]

Rambling Notes from Japan

Here are some blog posts that we hope will make you feel a part of things, and help you understand how to pray better for us and Japan. Please see our external blog in Blogger, if this page does not display correctly.

Japanese Puzzler

August 24, 2018 02:39 | Culture | Permalink

Here’s a JAPANESE PUZZLE BOX for you:

(brought to you by the space constraints of urban Japan.)

We returned back in Kawasaki to a completely dead car. It turns out that power locks don’t open without marginal battery power. But without being able to unlock the car, there is no way to open the hood and recharge the battery. WHAT TO DO?

Use the hideaway key in the key fob to open a manual lock door, you say? Ah, but herein is the best part of the puzzle! We need to park in our carport all the way over against the driver’s side door (the only side with a key hole) to have enough space to get out on the passenger side.

The way the car is parked, there isn’t even adequate room to get the shaft of the key into the lock. No access. No open hood. No battery recharge. No driving.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO NOW?

SOLUTION: I broke down and called JAF (Japan Auto Federation). Things looked pretty grim for the first 30 minutes or so as the tech walked around and puzzled over it. He smiled when I suggested getting some sumo buddies to lift and move the car over.

Then he struck upon an idea. From below he accessed some part with an electrical connection, and gave it just enough of an electric boost to open the doors. The hood was next. Then the battery jump. JAF really earned my membership fee this year.

Before leaving, in true Japanese fashion, he complimented me a few times on how well I parked. I interpreted this Japanese politeness as intended: "Don't park so stinking close to the wall on the key hole side next time!" We'll see how that goes. I might have to skinny down with Weight Watchers to get out of my car after this.

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