Driving tests

Dad took his first driving test today and almost passed. they have rescheduled him for Monday morning. We have to leave here about 8:00 a.m. We will not be free until after 12:00. You have to go to the course early to walk around it and mentally drive it. then you have to wait until it is your turn to be called. then you go to the official car, are handed a map of the course and without any further instructions, you and the examinor drive the course. You have to make the correct turns, use the correct signals, show tht you are being alert for all of the possible things that might happen if you were out on the road. You have to say, in Japanese, checking right mirror, checking left mirror, no pedestrians, safe to proceed, etc. Dad did quite well today, they told him, but he managed to cut one turn too close and drove over a curb. this is apparently so severe that the test cannot be passed, even if everything else is perfect. If we do not get our Japanese license before January 16th (which is right upon us due to all of the upcoming holidays--not Christmas but the Emporer's birthday, Dec 23rd, and then New Year's and several days after that), we will be confined to taxis and buses until he does get his license. We talked to one lady today who was so excited that she had finally passed her driving portion of the test--after taking it 12 times, yes twelve! times. She still had to pass the written test, however, so she does not have her driver's license yet.
Dad passed the written just fine. As an experienced foreign driver, he has a shorter written and driving test to take than new drivers, or Japanese nationals. He did not have to do any backing up or parking or parallel parking--just correct lane changes, turns, stops at pedestrian cross-walks, observance of all of the codes written on the roads--solid lines, dotted lines, white lines, yellow lines, dashed lines, etc, traffic lights, traffic signs and handling of the car through little mazes and tight turns. And correct and safe getting into and out of the car with appropriate bowing of course.
Kandie