Taxis

It has been a long time since I took taxis home. Since it costs about US$100 for me to go home by taxi from the office, and since clients bear this cost, I feel bad about it and try as much as possible to take at least the last train home.

But this past week I have been taking taxis home again and whilst in the cab, I had this little trip down memory lane. The last time when I took taxis frequently was when M&A (mergers and acquisition) activity in Japan was at a feverish pitch, about year 2000. Some of my thoughts as I sat in the cab:

• taxi drivers are still so scary. They drive so fast. Even on Shuto expressway.
• Shuto expressway is scary. It's 2 narrow lanes. And it's above ground. And, the barriers on the side do not look solid enough to hold cars back when they crash through it. (Take last week where a truck crashed through the barrier and by stroke of luck, there happened to be some sort of pillar that prevented the truck from going all the way down, but the poor driver was thrown out of the cab, hurtled down and died.)
• there are too many trucks, esp. at that time of the night/morning, going way too fast on this narrow expressway.
• my office used to be in Otemachi and I used to stay in Jiyugaoka. That stretch of Shuto is curvy all the way with sharp bends. Curve right, curve left. Never straight. And the taxi drivers love this challenge, they step up to it by stepping on the accelerator.
• I have been told that that stretch is fabled and loved by race car drivers. So much so that when you play one of those driving games on Playstation, it covers that stretch. Exactly. Right down to the background scenery.
• I had 1 experience with a taxi driver once on that stretch that for the first time in my life, really made me fearful for my life.
• since that experience, I told all taxi drivers "No Shuto. Local roads please.". They all complied except for 1 taxi driver who insisted that we take the Shuto. He thought it was for cost reason and said he would bear the highway toll!!! My Japanese then was so bad that I could not even protest. So I just held on to my seat and did a little prayer.
• taxi drivers have good memories. I have had taxi drivers saying to me as soon as I get in and have not yet uttered a word, the location of my house. They actually remembered my face!

And for those of you who think Tokyo is big? My office changed locations. Totally different location as in different district altogether. Something like moving from Raffles Place to Orchard Road (in Singapore) and East End to West End (in London). Soon after the move, I hopped into a cab 1 night. The taxi driver turned around, took a look at me and said "Why are you here? Don't you work at XXX building in Otemachi?"