The one rule
In Japan, the centre line is off your right shoulder.
That is the check. Glance right: if the centre of the road is on that side, you are correct. If it is on your left, you are on the wrong side. It is the reverse of home, which is exactly why it is worth turning into a deliberate habit rather than trusting instinct.
← LEFT TURN
The tight one
You stay in your own lane the whole way. Nothing crosses your path. This is the easy turn — the opposite of home.
RIGHT TURN →
The wide one
You cross oncoming traffic, so you wait for a gap. Look right first, then left. This is where you need the patience you would normally spend on a left.
The three moments that catch people out
- Pulling out of somewhere. Petrol stations, convenience stores, ryokan car parks, viewpoints. You have been stopped, the road is empty, and habit takes over. Nearly every wrong-side incident starts here.
- The first turn of the morning. Cold, thinking about the day, riding out of a quiet town with no traffic to copy.
- The exit of a right turn. The turn itself goes fine, then you drift into the near lane on the way out. Say "stay left" as you straighten up.
First hour
- Walk it before you ride it. Sit on the bike in the Rushcorp yard and point to where the centre line will be. Right shoulder. Say it out loud.
- Take the expressway out of Tokyo. Day 1 does this anyway — the Kan-etsu has no oncoming traffic and no intersections, so you get an hour to settle before anything can go wrong.
- Ride second for the first day. Whoever feels less sure follows the other bike and copies its line. Your eyes will learn the geometry faster than your head will.
- Announce every pull-out. For the first two days, say "left, left, left" out loud when you leave a car park. It feels silly and it works.
- Use the pillion. A passenger has spare attention and a clear view. Agree in advance that she calls it if anything looks wrong — no hesitation, no politeness.
- Reset when tired. Old habits come back at the end of a long day. On the two longest days — 242 km (150 mi) over Shibu Pass on 10/6, and 237 km (147 mi) home on 10/15 — run the shoulder check deliberately after every stop.
Different from home
- No turn on red. Neither direction, ever. Red means stop until it is green, even on an empty road.
- Overtake on the right. On expressways the right lane is for passing only — use it and move back left.
- Never filter up the left of a truck. Japanese riders call the left-turn trap makikomi. A vehicle turning left will not see you.
- Stop for waiting pedestrians. At a marked crossing this is a legal requirement and it is actively enforced.
- Alcohol is zero tolerance. Not a low limit — zero, with severe penalties, and it extends to whoever supplied the drink. Beer with the kaiseki means no riding until the next morning.
- Hazards mean thank you. A quick double flash after someone lets you in is normal courtesy.