I Was A Teenage Gaijin Taxi Driver in Japan (a True Story!)

 

Yeah, that's right. You read the title. I was a teenage Gaijin Taxi Driver in Japan. In fact, I was the first one in history of Japan...

Ok, well. The previous is not exactly true: I am not a teenager, and I am not a Taxi Driver in Japan, and I am not the first one in history. It seems the company that I have a job interview with tomorrow morning has at least 24 other foreign drivers!

Dammit! Why didn't I look for this job ten years ago?

But I didn't. The taxi company has a lot of foreign taxi-drivers. Mostly from Middle Eastern countries, Philippines, SE Asia... But it seems there are no American Taxi-Drivers.

That's where I come in.  

I am looking for a job now, and being a taxi-driver sounds fun (because of Covid 19 and other nonsense). I have sat on my ass, at home for more than 8 months! You know that can't be good! 

I want to go out and meet people and have great conversations and I don't want to sit at a desk.

I have my first interview with Hinomaru Taxi Company in Japan tomorrow morning at 10 am.

So, the story goes like this: I have always thought that being a taxi-driver in Japan was such a cool job. Make your own schedule, be your own boss, make your future as you wish.

I have had many friends who were taxi drivers who told me the wildest stories about their job; picking up the rich and famous; Driving home the very drunk famous actress after breaking up with her boyfriend (who was married, of course); driving couples home and having them fight in their taxi. Bras being left in the taxi after the ride... 

Just loads of great stories.

And besides that, telling me the funniest jokes (that I didn't understand for at least three years.) "Okane ga nai kara nomanai!" (If you can speak Japanese, maybe you can get the joke. I'm not too fast so it took a long time.)

Yeah, being a Taxi-driver in Japan must have been the coolest job in the world, I thought.

I want to write about the job and promote the company and tell the inside story of what's going on. Hinomaru is one of the best companies. It started in 1937 and has been the class of Tokyo taxis for years.

So, I've been sitting here at home since March; doing my regular job (DJ & running film festivals) but there is basically nothing to do. One of my sponsors is totally undependable and I can't trust them as far as an old lady throwing a sumo wrestler... So I need a job.

But not just any job! A cool job!

I will go to the interview tomorrow and will probably fail the Japanese language test (not that I can't speak Japanese, I can). But the test I have never even seen seems to be quite strange! I can speak, and write Japanese, but a written test?

Help!

I will report back in tomorrow as to how the interview goes and what you can expect if you want to come to Japan and become a "Gaijin Taxi-Driver!"

Stay tuned!