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I live in a rural area of Japan, so I need a car to get around. I used a bicycle for a year before I bought my first car. I enjoyed riding my bicycle, but it was hard in winter because we get a lot of snow here. Also, I couldn’t go out of town so easily, because there weren’t many buses or trains. (There still aren’t!)

So, I got a car. I had to get my British licence translated into Japanese, but I think that was all. I didn’t have to take a test. I got my Japanese licence 17 years ago, so maybe the rules have changed now. Driving in Japan is easy for me, because we drive on the left, just like in the UK. The one difference that surprised me was that I had to get snow tires for winter. In the area of the UK where I am from, we used the same tires in winter, even when it was snowy and icy.

When I got my first car in Japan, I started to drive everywhere. I drove to work, the supermarket, my friends’ houses…I’m sure I put on weight! I also drove out to the villages and towns near my city. I also drove to the mountains and the sea. Some of these places are very difficult to get to without a car. I don’t have many problems driving to these places. Even in the countryside, in the small villages and towns, the roads are usually well-maintained.

Autumn is my favourite season. So, every autumn, I drive into the mountains to see the autumn leaves. I hope I have time to go this year. If I do, I’ll take some photographs for this blog. I really don’t like driving in winter though. The main roads are usually fine, but the smaller roads near my house are so icy and slippery. Even with snow tires, my car slides around! The snow was bad early this year. I had to wake up earlier than usual to dig my car out of the snow. But it is better than having no car. So I shouldn’t complain!