Convex Mirrors

We would venture to say that Japan probably has one of the highest convex mirror counts in the world. Seeing them around was unusual when we first arrived in this country, however now we can't live without them. Allow us to explain. Japan is an old civilization with one of the largest metropolitan populations sharing life on a relatively small island. These historical development trends lead with certainty to one thing...narrow roads, blind corners and the like. Learning to drive on the left was a challenge in and of itself, however the bigger adjustment to driving in Japan was to sharing what should be a one-way road with oncoming traffic. The Japanese are clever, however, and have mitigated its driving risks by installing convex mirrors on almost every corner. Even residential driveways sport mounted mirrors to help drivers plunge themselves into traffic. Needless to say, we are now in the habit of glancing not only front, back, right and left, but also up into the mirrors as we motor along. It was hard to get used to at first, but they are quite handy and we have a feeling that a return to the U.S.A. will not only have us reminding ourselves to, "keep to the right", but also asking, "Hey, where's my mirror?" Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we will conclude this post with evidentiary photos. Enjoy :-)!