Elderly Japanese Motorists...

I have witnessed numerous bouts of crazy driving from the elderly of Japan, and for the most part it's the men that are the worst. Today I saw another two examples of dangerous behaviour behind the wheel that almost beggar belief.

Having dropped my wife off at work, I went on to the nearby supermarket to pick up some milk and water. Getting back to my car, I noticed that there was an old couple in the next car but one. They were facing forwards, and I was facing backwards (having parked front end in, as is my wont). Anyway, looking across and noticing that they were ready to leave, I gestured that they could go first. No response. I gestured again, this time mouthing "DOZO" and "ONEGAISHIMASU". Still no response, so I started the engine, and started to edge back. Looking across, they were still there. When I had almost pulled out of the space, the pensioners' car suddenly lurched forwards and swung around me, narrowly missing the rear wing. Was this a premeditated attack? I think so...

The second incident happened on the bypass not 500 metres from the supermarket. As I drove along, a car at the crossroads slowly pulled out in front of me, despite the fact that I was going 50km/h and there was no one behind me. What made it even worse was that the old man behind the wheel was lighting his cigarette at the time AND DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT THE ROAD TO WHICH HE WAS JOINING. To make things even worse, at the traffic lights a click or so further along, he sat making a cup of coffee in his car (that is, with a coffee jar, a cup, a flask of presumably hot water and milk and sugar). As the lights changed to green (or blue, as they say here in Japan), he gave a quick glance up, and carried on spooning coffee and sugar into the cup, WITH NO HANDS ON THE WHEEL.

I have seen a lot of bad driving, much of it here in Japan, but this really took the biscuit, which the old man no doubt slowly took out of the packet whilst going over a pedestrian crossing...